Jumano Tribe

Indians of the Mountain and Basin Region

Jumano Tribe

The Jumano were a very large tribe.  The Jumano built permanent homes made of wood and adobe bricks, which they made by drying clay mud in the sun.  The roofs were flat and were made from tree branches.  They would paint the inside walls with black, red, white, red, and yellow stripes.  They built their homes along the Rio Grande River.  This region is dry and rugged, but they still managed to grow crops of corn because they would place their farming fields near the river.  They also gathered wild plants and hunted buffalo with bows and arrows.  The buffalo was important to them because they would make tools and clothes, then they would trade goods with other Indian tribes, just like we use money today.  They would also make jewelry from copper, coral, and turquoise, which they would also trade.  They painted their faces with striped lines and wore clothing and shoes made from buffalo skin.  They wore their hair in certain ways.  The women wore their hair long and tied to the head.  The men have their hair cut very short, up to the middle of their heads, and from their up they leave it two fingers long and curl it.  Then, they would paint it so it looked like they were wearing a cap and placed black and white feathers on top.  The Jumano were eventually attacked by the violent apache tribes, faced a drought (lack of rain), and died from diseases brought by the Europeans.