Laguna Pueblo

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Pueblo of Laguna Symbol

Laguna Pueblo or Pueblo of Laguna is a Native American tribe of the Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, USA. The name, Laguna, is Spanish and derives from the lake located on their reservation. The real Keresan name of the tribe is "Kawaik." The population of the tribe exceeds 7,000 (enrollment), making it the largest Keresan speaking tribe. A large mission church was erected by the Spanish on the reservation, finished around July 4, 1699. Lagunas value intellectual activity and education, so a scholarship program has led to many well educated Lagunas. Uranium mining on Laguna land has contributed to this scholarship program as well as to skilled labor learning among Laguna members. While many Native Americans love basketball, Lagunas and other Pueblos enjoy baseball. Like many Pueblos, the Laguna people are skilled in pottery.

The Acoma Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo have many ties, including location, language and a shared high school

The Pueblo of Laguna has a well established tribal law system. The Pueblo of Laguna has participated as a "Weed and Seed" tribe. This Department of Justice program studied the enforcement of law and effectiveness of social programs on Native American lands.

Their reservation lies in parts of four counties: In descending order of included land area they are Cibola, Sandoval, Valencia, and Bernalillo Counties. It includes the six villages of Encinal, Laguna, Mesita, Paguate, Paraje and Seama, and had a total population of 3,815 persons as of the 2000 census. The reservation is 45 miles (75 km) west of the city of Albuquerque. The total land area is 2,013.008 km² (777.227 sq mi).