Native American languages
Native American cultures
What's new on our site today!
Keres Pueblo Language (Keresan, Queresan, Queres)
The languages spoken by the Pueblo people of Acoma, Cochiti, Laguna, San Felipe,
Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, and Zia Pueblos are so closely related that linguists usually consider them dialects of a single language, known as Keres
or Keresan. This Keresan language is not related at all to the Kiowa-Tanoan languages
spoken by most of the other Pueblo people of New Mexico, however.
The Keres language is spoken by nearly 11,000 people in the American Southwest today.
Sponsored Links
As with Tiwa, Tewa and Towa, there is some disagreement among the Keres people as to whether Keres should be a written language or not. Some Pueblo
elders feel that their languages should be preserved by oral traditions alone. However, many Keres speakers have decided that literacy is important for
passing the language on to the children. The Keres-speaking pueblos have developed their own orthography (spelling system) for their language, and
today there are programs teaching Pueblo children to read and write in five of the seven Keres-speaking pueblos.
Keres Language
Keres language samples and resources.
Keres Culture and History
Information and links about the Keres tribe past and present.
Pueblo Culture and History
Information and links about the Pueblo Indians in general.
Pueblo Legends
Introduction to Pueblo Indian mythology.
Our Online Keres Materials
Keres Words
Our list of vocabulary words in the Keres language (from Cochiti and Laguna Pueblos.)
Keres Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions
Cochiti Keres
Audio files of a few Keresan words, with an interesting discussion about whether or not Keres should be a written language today.
El Morro Vocabulary:
Online dictionary of words from the Keres, Zuni and Navajo languages.
Pueblo Languages
Overview of Keres and other Pueblo languages from the Encyclopedia of North American Indians.
Pueblo Placenames:
Southwestern place names in Keres, Tiwa, Tewa, Jemez, and Zuni.
House of Languages: Keres:
Information about Keresan language usage.
Ethnologue: Eastern Keres: Ethnologue: Western Keres:
Demographic information about the Keres language.
Eastern Keres Language Tree Western Keres Language Tree:
Theories about Keres's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Santa Ana Keresan Language Structures Acoma Keresan Language Structures:
Keres linguistic profiles and academic bibliographies.
Sponsored Links
Additional Resources, Links, and References
Endangered Languages Project: Acoma and Laguna Pueblo:
Bibliography of Keres language resources.
Lengua Keres:
Information about the Keres language in Spanish.
Keres Tribe:
Keres Indian books.
Back to the menu of Native American tribes
Indian pottery
Native American words
Would you like to sponsor our work on the Keres language?
Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2020 Contacts and FAQ page