The Anaasazi people left behind marvelous structures, the ruins
of which are preserved at Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Canyon de
Chelly. But what do we know about these people, and how do they
relate to Native nations living in the Southwest today?
Archaeologists have long studied the American Southwest, but as
historian Robert McPherson shows in "Viewing the Ancestors, " their
findings may not tell the whole story. McPherson maintains that
combining archaeology with knowledge derived from the oral
traditions of the Navajo, Ute, Paiute, and Hopi peoples yields a
more complete history.
McPherson's approach to oral tradition reveals evidence that,
contrary to the archaeological consensus that these groups did not
coexist, the Navajos interacted with their Anaasazi neighbors. In
addition to examining archaeological literature, McPherson has
studied traditional teachings and interviewed Native people to
obtain accounts of their history and of the relations between the
Anaasazi and Athapaskan ancestors of today's Hopi, Pueblo, and
Navajo peoples.
Oral history, McPherson points out, tells "why" things happened.
For example, archaeological findings indicate that the Hopi are
descended from the Anaasazi, but Hopi oral tradition better
explains why the ancient Puebloans may have left the Four Corners
region: the drought that may have driven the Anaasazi away was a
symptom of what had gone wrong within the society--a point that few
archaeologists could derive from what is found in the ground.
An important text for non-Native scholars as well as Native
people committed to retaining traditional knowledge, "Viewing the
Ancestors" exemplifies collaboration between the sciences and oral
traditions rather than a contest between the two.
General
Imprint: |
University of Oklahoma Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
New Directions in Native American Studies Series |
Release date: |
March 2014 |
First published: |
March 2014 |
Authors: |
Robert S McPherson
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 21mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
|
Pages: |
256 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8061-4429-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
American history >
General
Books >
History >
American history >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8061-4429-7 |
Barcode: |
9780806144290 |
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