Havasupai Legends: Religion and Mythology of the Havasupai Indians of the Grand Canyon [Paperback]

Robert C Euler (Author), Carma Lee Smithson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2002

For almost seven hundred years, the Havasupai Indians, who call themselves People of the Blue Water, have lived in an area that includes the depths of the western Grand Canyon and the heights of the San Francisco Peaks. Here they inhabited the greatest altitude variation of any Indians in Southwestern America.

Written in consultation with some of the last Havasupai shamans, this book details their religious beliefs, customs, and healing practices. A second section presents legends of the Havasupai origin, the first people, and tales of Coyote, Gila Monster, Bear, and others.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carma Lee Smithson was engaged in doctoral research when she succumbed to lymphosarcoma in 1961. At her request, Robert Euler arranged and expanded her work for publication. Originally published in 1964 as Havasupai Religion and Mythology, this work has been reedited and includes photographs and a new foreword by Euler, now a consulting anthropologist.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: University of Utah Press; 1st Edition edition (January 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874804469
• ISBN-13: 978-0874804461
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,277,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mixed Review, August 20, 2010

By 

Jane F. Ruby "Jane Ruby" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Havasupai Legends: Religion and Mythology of the Havasupai Indians of the Grand Canyon (Paperback)

For the limited amount of information that the authors obtained, this was a fair compilation of Havasupai legends. I sure wish there were other resources that could have helped confirm what they described. Maybe someone else has more information, and I hope Mr. Euler can publish an update. The first few sections of the book were very informative, especially the funeral arrangements of Mexican Jack by his family. It really illuminated me about how very practical funerals were conducted, although I was surprised to find out that he wasn't cremated like many tribal members before him. I did not appreciate the legends portion of the book. Maybe it was the limited information provided by the shaman or the story-passer-on-ers, but to me it seemed to be a mixture of altered story telling--almost like a rumor mill where info is somewhat skewed as it is passed along. For one thing the mention of female sexual practices was contrived--almost artificially inserted--for entertainment. I sensed that the legend passers were male and that their frustrations or fixations (whichever the case) with female genitalia helped spice up the legends. The authors description of these incidental sexual acts were extrapolated from an earlier author from 1929 which may or may not be accurate. So I took the descriptions of these legends with a grain of salt. But like many other myths--they are based on fact. So I would love to read about an updated or more comprehensive sequel to this book.