Tewa is a Kiowa–Tanoan language spoken by Pueblo people

Pueblo people

The Pueblo people are a Native American people in the Southwestern United States. Their traditional economy is based on agriculture and trade. When first encountered by the Spanish in the 16th century, they were living in villages that the Spanish called pueblos, meaning "towns". Of the 21...

, mostly in the Rio Grande

Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...

 valley in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 north of Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...

. The 1980 census counted 1,298 speakers, almost all of whom are bilingual in English. Each pueblo or reservation where it is spoken has a dialect:

• Nambe Pueblo
  Nambé Pueblo
  Nambé Oweenge Pueblo is a pueblo in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. Located about 15 miles north of Santa Fe at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Pueblo of Nambé has existed since the 14th century and was a primary cultural, economic, and religious center at the time of...
  
  : 50 speakers
• Pojoaque Pueblo: 25 speakers
• San Ildefonso Pueblo: 349 speakers
• Ohkay Owingeh: 495 speakers
• Santa Clara Pueblo: 207 speakers
• Tesuque Pueblo: 172 speakers

Tewa is also spoken by the Arizona Tewa

Arizona Tewa

The Arizona Tewa are a Tewa Pueblo group that resides on the eastern part of the Hopi Reservation on or near First Mesa in northeastern Arizona.-Synonymy:...

 (Hopi-Tewa, Tano) who live at Hano on the Hopi

Hopi

The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...

 Reservation in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

.

In the names "Pojoaque" and "Tesuque", the element spelled "que" is Tewa for "place".

A system for writing Tewa with the Latin alphabet

Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...

 has been devised. It is occasionally used for such purposes as signs (Be-pu-wa-ve, "Welcome", or sen-ge-de-ho,"Bye"). Otherwise, unlike such languages as Navajo

Navajo language

Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...

 and Cherokee

Cherokee language

Cherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken. Cherokee is a polysynthetic language.-North American etymology:...

, Tewa is not normally written by its speakers.