Synopsis
In the 1970s, the Fort McDowell Reservation in Arizona came under threat by a dam construction project that, if approved, would potentially flood most of its 24,680 acres of land. As part of the effort to preserve the reservation, Mike Harrison and John Williams, two elders of the Yavapai tribe, sought to have their history recorded as they themselves knew it, as it had been passed down to them from generation to generation, so that the history of their people would not be lost to future generations. In March 1974, Arizona State University anthropologist Sigrid Khera first sat down with Harrison and Williams to begin recording and transcribing their oral history, a project that would continue through the summer of 1976. Although Harrison and Williams have since passed away, their voices shine through the pages of this book, and the history of their people remains to be passed along and shared. Thanks to the efforts of Scottsdale resident and Orme Dam activist Carolina Butler, this important document is being made available to the public for the first time.Oral History of the Yavapai offers a wide range of information regarding the Yavapai people, from creation beliefs to interpretations of historical events and people. Harrison and Williams not only relate their perspective on the relationship between the White people and the Native American peoples of the Southwest, but they also share stories about prayers, songs, dreams, sacred places, and belief systems of the Yavapai. Their narration of their history facilitates a broad yet deep understanding of the Yavapai people.Little has been formally published on the Yavapai people, in particular, and this book fills that gap in literature. As such, it is a valuable addition to the literature already available regarding Native American anthropology and history, especially for students, professors, researchers, and anyone with a special interest in the American Southwest and/or Native American cultures.
About the Author
SIGRID KHERA (1934-1984) was born in Vienna, Austria. She received her Ph.D. in anthropology in 1958 from the University of Vienna and always dreamed of working with American Indians in the Southwest. After coming to the United States she got a position as Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Dept. at Arizona State University in Tempe.Newly arrived at ASU, a letter dropped into her hands that a Yavapai elder wanted his tribe's history written as they themselves knew it. In March 1974 Sigrid Khera started working with Mike Harrison (1886-1983) and John Williams (1904-1983), two Yavapai elders from the Fort McDowell reservation in Arizona. When Sigrid Khera died in 1984, the Indians requested that her remains be buried at their cemetery. We are unaware of any other anthropologist who has been so honored.Dr. Khera left behind a completed manuscript, Oral History of the Yavapai, fully documented in more than 200 audio recordings of her interviews with Mike and John. These materials are being donated to Arizona State University Library Archives.
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