Review by Choice Review
The Navajo of the American southwest are now the most populous of all US Indian groups. Although their culture is well known through ethnological and ethnohistorical studies, their earliest history and prehistoric origins have been elusive and controversial. In recent years scientific interest has greatly increased in both cultural-historical and theoretical issues regarding the role of the Navajo in southwestern prehistory. Because much of the research has been in the legal context of culture resource management and land claims, field data and interpretive reports have mostly remained unpublished or difficult to access. This excellent volume of symposium papers does much to remedy that. Contributors present detailed summaries of field data and artifact analyses, supplemented with Navajo tradition and historic documentation. They evaluate prior work and propose modern interpretations. Among many issues addressed are the source and timing of Navajo origins and migrations, and the cultural processes by which the Navajo have adapted to radical changes in their environment and in their relations with non-Navajos. Treatment of important issues in archaeological theory and method also make the book useful to researchers outside the Southwest. Upper-division undergraduates and above. K. A. Dixon emeritus, California State University, Long Beach
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
