The People: Indians of the American Southwest [Paperback]

Stephen Trimble (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0933452373 | ISBN-13: 978-0933452374

Fifty Indian nations lie within the modern American Southwest, communities sustained through four centuries of European and American contact by their cultural traditions and ties to the land. In The People, Stephen Trimble provides an introduction to these native peoples that is unrivaled in its scope and readability. The People is the indispensable reference for anyone interested in the Indians of the Southwest.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This ambitious, lavishly produced volume by author and photographer Trimble ( Our Voices, Our Land ) provides an overview of the history of the many Indian tribes living in the American Southwest. After giving a good summary of relations between Native Americans and the dominant culture, Trimble turns to the individual tribes. Both well-known groupings, such as the Navajo, and smaller ones, such as the Hualapai and the Chemehuevi, are included. Each entry begins with a general history of the tribe, but it is not meant to be exhaustive. The emphasis is always on the contemporary situation of the tribe as its members cope with both the pressures of the late 20th century and their minority status. The book is targeted as an introduction for non-specialists. In this, Trimble manages to succeed reasonably well, though minor factual errors and some controversial claims--such as his statement that the Yaqui did not consider themselves American Indians before the 1970s--may confuse those unfamiliar with Native American affairs. The volume contains many beautiful color photographs taken by Trimble, as well as numerous black-and-white historical illustrations and maps. Regional promotion; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

A collection of essays and photographs illuminating the cultures and traditions of the Native American population of the Southwest. Trimble conducted several hundred interviews and researched 50 reservations in order to provide this fascinating overview of the Pueblos, the Navajos, the Apaches, the Utes, the Mojaves, and a host of other tribes indigenous to the plateaus, mountains, and deserts of this arid region. Though a cursory amount of historical background is provided, the accent is definitely on the contemporary economic, political, and social climate of each individual nation. In addition, the ties that bind all the various tribes together are enumerated and analyzed. An excellent sociological introduction and guide to tribal nations of the American Southwest. Margaret Flanagan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: School of American Research (SAR) Press (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933452373
• ISBN-13: 978-0933452374
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Trimble has received a broad range of awards for his photography, his non-fiction, and his fiction, including: The Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for photography and conservation; The National Cowboy Museum's Western Heritage "Wrangler" Award; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Colorado College, honoring his efforts to increase our understanding of Western landscapes and peoples and his choice to remain a stubborn generalist. As writer, editor, and photographer Trimble has published twenty-two books, including: Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America * Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography * The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places (with Gary Paul Nabhan) * The Sagebrush Ocean: A Natural History of the Great Basin * The People: Indians of the American Southwest * and * Talking With the Clay: the Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century. Trimble makes his home in Salt Lake City and in the redrock country of Torrey, Utah. Trimble's website is www.stephentrimble.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of Stephen Trimble's The People, April 26, 2000

By 

Molly Morgan (Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The People: Indians of the American Southwest (Paperback)

Stephen Trimble's The People is an excellent account of Southwestern Native American history and culture. Trimble outlines the history of the several groups inhabiting these three divisions of the Southwest: the Pueblo people, the Upland people, and the Desert people. His ten years of ethnographic field research have given him personal relationships with many Native Americans, allowing him to share the words and emotions of the people he studies. Trimble's well-taken photographs also add to the understanding the reader gains of the cultures of the Southwestern groups. This ethnography does more than outline history and bring the reader up to date with the most recent accomplishments of the people, but also illustrates the strong traditions of the culture that are still practiced today.

The Southwest is an area with a diverse environment, and the groups of people living in the many areas practice different lifestyles to coexist in harmony with their surroundings. Trimble's photographs are helpful in giving examples of these varied environments, some so surprising that they could not be equaled in the reader's imagination. By seeing the places that these people call home, the reader has a greater understanding of lives that Trimble describes. Trimble approaches this extremely varied area by describing one group at a time...After fully describing their history up to present living conditions, he moves on to the next group. For example, when studying the Pueblo people, Trimble first describes the Anasazi, the people who first practiced the ancient Archaic tradition of adobe and masonry building. As time went on, the Anasazi became several groups of Pueblo people practicing the same traditions. As Trimble says, "The Anasazi grew corn, Pueblo people grow corn" (47).

American movement into the Southwest is the single force that most drastically changed the lives of these Native Americans. Trimble not only states the facts of the events involved in this history, but also gives accounts of the highly emotional attitudes of these people when recalling such events. Thus, the reader is presented with accounts given by the people whose lives were radically changed in our country's history. The Quechan are one of the Colorado River Tribes that used to thrive on the rich farmland around the river...Trimble describes decades of poverty suffered by these people. Harold Chaipos, a Quechan, is quoted by Trimble, saying, "I really miss that big river. Those were good old times" (410).

Personal accounts are also important in Trimble's description of the present status of the Southwestern groups. In his conclusion, called "We Are The Land," Trimble emphasizes the connectedness that these people have with the land. This is something that most Americans do not understand...The attachment that these people have to the land makes attempted relocations and constant environmental threats that have come along with the spread of American inhabitation all the more devastating. According to Trimble, many Southwestern Native Americans feel that they live a life in which they practice a balancing act. In order to survive and protect their land, the groups need to be able to interact with Americans while still upholding their traditional culture...[T]he Southwestern Native Americans continue to live rooted in their homeland, while taking what they know from their cultural traditions and applying it to modern American culture. They say, "We are the people. We are the land. We will persist" (457).

Trimble provides a wonderful source of information about the widely diverse groups of Southwestern Native groups...In The People, Trimble captures the attitudes of the native people of the American Southwest and presents them in a form that educates the rest of the world on aboriginal lifestyles and present Native American values.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, sympathetic and individualistic, January 21, 2006

By 

S. J. Snyder "De gustibus non disputandum" (Various, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The People: Indians of the American Southwest (Paperback)

Trimble gives careful, in-depth and complete descriptions of each tribe of the Southwest (here defined as New Mexico, Arizona, southern Utah and Colorado and southeastern California). Each tribe is studied on its own grounds except to develop linguistic and other inter-tribal connections.

Even if you are familiar with major tribes such as the Navajo, Apache and the best-known Puebloan peoples, Trimble still has a wealth of information for you.

A decade of research and a number of photographs by Trimble himself underscore the interest, depth and care he brings to this book and the tribes of his study.

An invaluable bonus at the end is Trimble's calendar of major religious ceremonies of the various tribes, a helpful vacation planning assistant.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read and a valuable resource, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The People: Indians of the American Southwest (Paperback)

This one of my favorite books. It is an excellent resourse for information on Native American peoples of the Southwest conveniently divided into three parts and includes personal as well as scholarly information on the Pueblo, Navajo, Pai, Yavapai, Apache, Ute, Southern Paiute, O'odham, Maricopa, Mojave, Chemehaevi, Quechan, Cocopah, and the Yaqui people. The writing of such a book by one author must have been a huge undertaking but the author pulled it off exceptionally well and as other noted authors have declared, "it will probably become a classic in Native American studies." If you have an interest in Native American culture - past/present/and future - this book belongs in your library!