Review by Choice Review
Anthropologists, historians, and students of the ancestral Pueblos of the American Southwest have long honed their interpretive skills with Hopi and other Puebloan cultural narratives of migration and resistance. The Hopi of northeastern Arizona have endured the onslaught of European and US intrusions since 1540. Consequently, the cultural history of the Hopi has been subjected to increased scrutiny by those intent on decoding the enigmatic past of this seemingly inscrutable tradition. Such studies ultimately formed the basis for the direct-historical method and, thereby, historically informed archaeology. Despite all revelations to date, the enigmatic past and apocalyptic accounts of the Awat'ovi massacre of 1700 loom large. Through what clearly constitutes one of the most compelling, brilliantly conceived, and deeply revealing works yet advanced to account for the tragedy that befell the people of Awat'ovi, Brooks (history and anthropology, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) establishes himself as one of the preeminent writers and thinkers of this generation. Blending archaeology, sacred landscapes, historical narratives, and witchcraft allegations, Brooks weaves a haunting dialectic of destruction and resurrection borne of cataclysmic cycles of cultural trauma followed by transcendental episodes of social cleansing and redemption. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries. --Ruben G. Mendoza, California State University, Monterey Bay
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this vivid work of ethno-history, Brooks (Captives and Cousins) brings to life the Hopi Indian community of Awat'ovi, on Arizona's Antelope Mesa. In the spring of 1700, Awat'ovi was destroyed and most of its inhabitants were killed. The attackers were fellow Hopi; as Brooks deftly shows, the offending group felt that Awat'ovi had fallen into koyaanisqatsi (moral corruption and chaos). The social order could only be restored by the village's complete obliteration, with the ruins left to function as an "evil place" in local memory. Brooks works from historical and archaeological sources, revealing Awat'ovi's long history as a place associated with sorcery. He emphasizes that the arrival of Franciscan missionaries in 1629, and their ejection in the course of Po'pay's Rebellion in 1680, ensured that "something powerful remained" to trouble the land. Hopi identity was centered on individual villages, and each town's inhabitants did not view those from other towns as their people. When Spanish friars returned to Awat'ovi, generating tensions between Catholic converts and practitioners of traditional religion, the warriors of the nearby Walpi and Oraibi communities were willing to respond to an Awat'ovi leader's appeal and destroy the impure community. Brooks tells this tragic story with great sensitivity and power, offering readers a fascinating perspective on the history of the American Southwest. Agency: Garamond Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by Library Journal Review
This work handles a difficult episode in Hopi history: the destruction of Awat'ovi village in present-day Arizona in the year 1700. It also acts as a solid history of the Pueblo Revolt of 1690. Brooks (history, Univ. of California; Captives and Cousins) guides the reader into the complicated and often ambiguous past of the Hopi in northeastern Arizona and the greater Pueblo world at large. The author details the terrible killings at Awat'ovi and proceeds to explain the catastrophe in its context, discussing the complex dynamics among the various Hopi communities and other Pueblo communities, as well as the internal factions that developed within individual villages. The troubled history of Spanish oppression and later U.S. assimilation is also revealed. Brooks analyzes the pattern of purges that occurred against taboo-violators within the Hopi culture. In certain parts of the book, readers unfamiliar with the Four Corners region may become confused by the many place names. However, Brooks succeeds in producing an engaging anthropological investigation into this difficult subject. VERDICT An attractive, authoritative read for those who want to delve deeper into Four Corners history. [See Prepub Alert, 8/31/15.]-Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant P.L., IA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Rather than a tale of bloody carnage, Brooks (History and Anthropology/Univ. of California, Santa Barbara; Captives and Cousins: Slavery, Kinship, and Community in the Southwest Borderlands, 2002) delivers a sharp scholarly account of the Hopi and their history, myths, and traditions.The story of the Awat'ovi massacre on Antelope Mesa in 1700 stands out as perhaps the most traumatic event in Hopi history, shaping the history of the "Peaceful People." However, apparently they were not all that peaceful; the massacre occurred because of a fissure between those who converted to Catholicism at the hands of the Franciscans' coercion and studied violence and those who clung to the old ways. While the author states that the event is well-remembered, it is also one the Hopi would rather forget. It is the embodiment of the Pahanna prophecy, a dialectic of destruction and resurrection. The leader of the Awat'ovi, Ta'polo, despaired for those who were rejecting the traditional rites, quarreling, robbing their neighbors, raping, and stealing. Ta'polo convinced the neighboring Walpi and Oraibi to attack and destroy the pueblo, opening the gate and allowing them in. The massacre, however, was not the first self-inflicted in the Hopi nation. The Hopi did not consider themselves as belonging to the same tribe; their village was their nationalitye.g., they were Walpi before Hopi. The long history of the Hopi includes other instances of this purification through obliteration. The purpose was to wash away corruption, bring renewal, and restore balance. In the event of obliteration, there was no looting; in fact, after the massacre, no Hopi would claim the land since it was an evil place. The narratives the author provides about the Hopi, some of which may be more about a time than a place, reveal the fascinating complexity of this early civilization. An occasionally repetitive but fully illuminating account for any who relish the rich history and traditions of the Hopi. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
