Mesa of Sorrows: A History of the Awat'ovi Massacre
- ISBN-10
- 0393292533
- ISBN-13
- 9780393292534
- Category
- Social Science
- Pages
- 224
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2016-02-15
- Publisher
- W. W. Norton & Company
- Author
- James F. Brooks
Description
A scrupulously researched investigation of the mysterious massacre of Hopi Indians at Awat'ovi, and the event's echo through American history. The Hopi community of Awat’ovi existed peacefully on Arizona’s Antelope Mesa for generations until one bleak morning in the fall of 1700—raiders from nearby Hopi villages descended on Awat’ovi, slaughtering their neighboring men, women, and children. While little of the pueblo itself remains, five centuries of history lie beneath the low rises of sandstone masonry, and theories about the events of that night are as persistent as the desert winds. The easternmost town on Antelope Mesa, Awat’ovi was renowned for its martial strength, and had been the gateway to the entire Hopi landscape for centuries. Why did kinsmen target it for destruction? Drawing on oral traditions, archival accounts, and extensive archaeological research, James Brooks unravels the story and its significance. Mesa of Sorrows follows the pattern of an archaeological expedition, uncovering layer after layer of evidence and theories. Brooks questions their reliability and shows how interpretations were shaped by academic, religious and tribal politics. Piecing together three centuries of investigation, he offers insight into why some were spared—women, mostly, and taken captive—and others sacrificed. He weighs theories that the attack was in retribution for Awat’ovi having welcomed Franciscan missionaries or for the residents’ practice of sorcery, and argues that a perfect storm of internal and external crises revitalized an ancient cycle of ritual bloodshed and purification. A haunting account of a shocking massacre, Mesa of Sorrows is a probing exploration of how societies confront painful histories, and why communal violence still plagues us today.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2017-08-29
- - pages
- Paperback
- National Geographic Books
Similar books
-
Landscapes of Social Transformation in the Salinas Province and the Eastern Pueblo World
By Katherine A. SpielmannDrawing on 16 seasons of field work, this volume provides an in-depth look at New Mexico's Salinas Pueblo and explains its relevance to Southwestern archaeology--Provided by publisher.
-
Womankind: Years of Sorrow
By Dia Lynne CardoThis book is a creation demonstrating the strength and courage all women possess.
-
Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor
By Temple Grandin, Ph.D."Temple Grandin explores how to experiment and how to think about science for young readers."--
-
Shadows at Dawn: An Apache Massacre and the Violence of History
By Karl JacobyNow, drawing on oral histories, contemporary newspaper reports, and the participants? own accounts, prize-winning author Karl Jacoby brings this perplexing incident and tumultuous era to life to paint a sweeping panorama of the American ...
-
Confounding the Color Line: The Indian-Black Experience in North America
By James BrooksThe contributors to this volume examine the origins, history, various manifestations, and long-term consequences of the different connections that have been established between Indians and Blacks.
-
The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West
By Megan Kate Nelson29 Carleton Report, March 21, 1865, in Navajo Roundup, ed. Kelly, 165–66; Santa Fe Gazette, April 1, 1865, p. 2. 30 Carleton to Julius Shaw, March 23, 1865, in Doolittle, Condition of the Indian Tribes, Appendix, 223.
-
Growing Up with the Country: Family, Race, and Nation After the Civil War
By Kendra Taira FieldThe masterful and poignant story of three African-American families who journeyed west after emancipation, by an award-winning scholar and descendant of the migrants Following the lead of her own ancestors, Kendra Field's epic family ...
-
These People Have Always Been a Republic: Indigenous Electorates in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 1598–1912
By Maurice S. CrandallThe tradition also relates that this episode convinced the Hopi chiefs and leaders to join the Pueblo Revolt. See “Leigh Kuwanwisiwma Talks About the ... James, Pages from Hopi History, 62–64; Malotki, Hopi Tales of Destruction, 126.
-
Litany of Sorrows
By Peter J. MarzanoLitany of Sorrows
-
Captives and Cousins: Slavery, Kinship, and Community in the Southwest Borderlands
By James F. BrooksIra Berlin provided a steady hand as I embarked on my career and, as James Henretta and David Grimsted did, read many chapter revisions. Bill Bravman offered an enduring friendship and helpful discussions on African parallels.