Spider Woman: A Story of Navajo Weavers and Chanters - Softcover

Reichard, Gladys A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826317936 ISBN 13: 9780826317933

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 1997

Synopsis

This lively account of a pioneering anthropologist's experiences with a Navajo family grew out of the author's desire to learn to weave as a way of participating in Navajo culture rather than observing it from the outside. In 1930, when Gladys Reichard came to stay with the family of Red-Point, a well-known Navajo singer, it was unusual for an anthropologist to live with a family and become intimately connected with women's activities. First published in 1934 for a popular audience, Spider Woman is valued today not just for its information on Navajo culture but as an early example of the kind of personal, honest ethnography that presents actual experiences and conversations rather than generalizing the beliefs and behaviors of a whole culture. Readers interested in Navajo weaving will find it especially useful, but Spider Woman's picture of daily life goes far beyond rugs to describe trips to the trading post, tribal council meetings, curing ceremonies, and the deaths of family members.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

This lively account of a pioneering anthropologist's experiences with a Navajo family grew out of the author's desire to learn to weave as a way of participating in Navajo culture rather than observing it from the outside.

About the Author:

Gladys A. Reichard (1893-1955) was professor of anthropology at Barnard College.

Louise Lamphere is professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0826317936
• ISBN 13: 9780826317933
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328