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0061097853
| 9780061097850
| 0061097853
| 4.09
| 7,568
| Jul 1998
| Jun 03, 1999
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liked it
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Eagles are an endangered species, and the Hopi eagle ceremony is a controversial one. Hillerman sidesteps this issue here. The central animal in this
Eagles are an endangered species, and the Hopi eagle ceremony is a controversial one. Hillerman sidesteps this issue here. The central animal in this convoluted mystery is the humble flea. The novel opens with the body of plague victim Anderson Nez. Plague is not unusual in Four Corners country where rodent populations can abruptly soar with annual climate fluctuations. In this case, however, the victim apparently succumbed nearly overnight. The case signals both the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics, mutations of bacterial and viral strains at a previously undetected rate, and the puzzling occasional resistance developed in host animals. This novel was published in 1998 but the science will resonate with those of us with the rise of Covid fresh in our minds. Nez's death is no mystery. Instead, Acting Lieutenant Jim Chee responds to a call for assistance from Officer Ben Kinsman working in a rugged corner of the Navajo Reservation called Yells Back Butte. He arrives only to find Kinsman barely alive and a Hopi named Robert Jano covered in blood crouched over him. Kinsman had indicated in his last call that he intended to arrest Jano for eagle poaching. To Chee it looks like an open-and-shut case despite Jano's protests of innocence. Meanwhile former lieutenant and now retired Joe Leaphorn has decided to alleviate his boredom by agreeing to look into the disappearance of Catherine Pollard, a microbiologist working for a constellation of local public health entities which investigate the source when an infection jumps from animals to humans. Pollard indicated she was going to –yep – Yells Back Butte – when she disappeared on the same day of the Kinsman attack. The coincidence is like catnip to Leaphorn. As always, the draw of these mysteries is not the solution but the tangled relationships of the characters. Chee and Leaphorn will once again find their cases intersecting, but their mutual misgivings of each other have relaxed. When Leaphorn reminds Chee that he is retired and should be addressed as “Mr.”, Chee responds that Leaphorn will always be “Lieutenant” to him. Leaphorn is finding the intelligent empathy he needs so badly as his relationship with Louisa Bourebonette, a folklore professor at Arizona State University in Flagstaff, grows. Janet Peet is back, assigned – of course – to defend Robert Jano. The incompatibility of the relationship between Peet and Chee is so obvious to readers of this series that this element, although critical to the plot trajectory, is painful. Old John McGinnis is still hanging in there at the Short Mountain Trading Post, a sad reminder to Leaphorn of time's relentless passage. John himself, despite reduced circumstances, retains his leisurely dispensation of valuable local gossip between measured sips of bourbon. Behind that facade of cynicism is a faculty for careful and thoughtful listening. There is less emphasis on tribal culture and more on political manipulation than in previous books in the series. The feds have taken over the Kinsman murder case. Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney J.D. Mickey sees an opportunity to promote his law-and-order creds in preparation for a future run for political office. He demands the death penalty for Jano. Chee is 99.9% certain that they have the right man, but that .1% of doubt is bothering him. The case is a text book study in how the prosecution stops digging once they have a convincing case. Chee is told to cease asking questions. The role of the eagle in this novel left me ambivalent about the ending. Hillerman has little to say about the Hopi ceremony and lets Chee off the hook with the performance of a Navajo cleansing ritual suggested by his maternal uncle and mentor, Sam Nakai. This was #13 in the Chee/Leaphorn series. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Apr 04, 2024
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Apr 04, 2024
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Mass Market Paperback
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0061092886
| 9780061092886
| 0061092886
| 4.13
| 8,763
| Nov 19, 1996
| Sep 10, 1997
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really liked it
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In the four corners area a 1600 foot column of igneous rock and bressia towers above the flat eroded plain. That's Ship Rock. It's where this mystery
In the four corners area a 1600 foot column of igneous rock and bressia towers above the flat eroded plain. That's Ship Rock. It's where this mystery begins. The scene is filled with tension as one of the climbers inches along a smooth cliff face near the summit. But of course this story is not about the climbers. It's about what they find. The skeleton will be identified as that of another climber, Harold Breedloe, who went missing eleven years ago. Lt. Joe Leaphorn is now retired, but his reputation is still vivid in the minds of former colleagues like Capt. Largo and in particular his former deputy Jim Chee. Even thinking of his former boss, the “Legendary Leaphorn,” punctures Chee's tranquility. “He had accumulated too many memories of tense times trying to live up to the man's high expectations. It would be a while before he could relax in Leaphorn's presence. Maybe another twenty years would do it.” (p.31) At about the same time Breedlove's skeleton is found, Amos Nez, an occasional Navajo guide is ambushed and nearly killed. Nez had guided Breedlove and his wife through some of the local canyons eleven years ago. He was apparently the last person to see Breedlove before the disappearance. It's a coincidence that piques Leaphorn's curiosity just enough so that he is maneuvered into agreeing to work for Breedlove's cousin George Shaw. Shaw hopes to find evidence of Breedlove's widow's involvement in the death. As part of the family corporation, he is hoping to recover possession of the Breedlove ranch and close on a lucrative mining deal. The deal is so lucrative that he hires Leaphorn with an advance retainer of $20,000. Leaphorn's understanding of human psychology and some clever questioning of a Colorado banker enlighten him on these pecuniary interests that Shaw was so reticent about. Chee's official involvement in the cold case, which is still closed with the conclusion of accidental death, is tangential. Instead, the unsmiling Capt. Largo is pressuring him to solve a cattle rustling case. The perpetrator is elusive and conducting the thefts as a lucrative business operation. Local thefts normally coincide with the ceremonial calendar when a host will steal one or two cattle to feed relatives who might stay for a week or two while a special ceremony winds down to its conclusion. Chee is also bogged down in administrative duties as “acting lieutenant.” But most of all, he is distracted by Janet Pete who had agreed to marry him, but is now showing signs of a flagging commitment, at least in his eyes. However, the real character is Ship Rock itself. The Navajo call it Tsé Bit' a' i', “Rock With Wings.” One legend states it flew in from the north with the first Navajo on its back.” Its stark black silhouette symbolizes the contrast between Navajo values and white values. The men who attempt to climb it see it as a challenge to be conquered. To the Navajo it is sacred and climbing it is sacrilege. Chee will think about these differences as he considers the future of his relationship with Janet. The contrasting motives for cattle theft is another illustration of these opposing values. This was another engaging mystery by Hillerman. We see more of Chee than of Leaphorn. It is frustrating to see Chee's continuing lack of self-confidence. However, his general cluelessness with respect to women is also on occasion amusing. The ending came with a twist that I didn't foresee, but was certainly not unwelcome. This was the 12th book in the series. NOTES: Photographs of Ship Rock can be found on Wikipedia. However, for a glimpse at the moodiness of this startling formation, see the photographs of Laura Gilpin, a celebrated 20th century photographer of the southwest ...more |
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Feb 26, 2024
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Feb 26, 2024
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Mass Market Paperback
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0060538058
| 9780060538057
| 0060538058
| 4.05
| 9,777
| Oct 01, 1993
| Jan 01, 1993
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really liked it
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SACRED CLOWNS, Tony Hillerman Far from any Western notion of comic relief, the sacred clowns or koshare enact a sobering message. “'I used to know a H SACRED CLOWNS, Tony Hillerman Far from any Western notion of comic relief, the sacred clowns or koshare enact a sobering message. “'I used to know a Hopi man who was a koshare at Moenkopi. He would say to me: 'Compared to what our Creator wanted us to be, all men are clowns. And that's what we koshare do. We act funny to remind the people. To make the people laugh at themselves. We are the sacred clowns.''” (p.162) It is a message of little relevance to Navajo Tribal Police officer Chee, who spends the long isolated drives across reservation lands wrestling with his conflicting emotions. Chief among these is the incongruity between his role as a tribal policeman, a job he loves, and his deep desire to become a hataalii, a Navajo healer, under the tutelage of his maternal uncle, Frank Nakai. For the first time, Chee begins to notice the age difference between himself and the sages of Nakai's hataalii circle. In prior books, harmony had always been concrete. Now he asks himself, “The problem was how one defined the concept of hozho, that idea of harmony which was the very root and foundation of the Navajo religion.” (p.281) Chee has also been thrust into a new role. He reports to Lt. Leaphorn, a man he both resents and admires. Leaphorn is now head of the two-person Special Investigation Office. His misgivings about Chee remain. Chee follows his instincts, not the rules. Yet, Chee is smart, and smart is exactly what Leaphorn needs and even if he won't admit it, exactly what he most appreciates. Hillerman presents a much more complex scenario than in previous books. There are two murders, apparently unconnected. One is of a shop teacher, Eric Dorsey, at the mission school in the far southwest corner of New Mexico where he teaches. The other occurs the next day at a Tano pueblo. The victim is Francis Sayesva, a koshare, shortly after a ceremonial performance. To his chagrin, Chee's sole assignment is to locate a runaway student from Crown Point. The runaway, Delmar Kanitewa, is not wanted for any crime. His grandmother is a member of the Navajo Tribal Council and has been pressuring the Tribal Police to locate her grandson. Her daily calls have traveled down the chain of command and come to rest at Leaphorn's desk. Chee is distracted by a political issue. There are rumors that some tribal leaders are accepting bribes to approve the location of a toxic dump on tribal lands. Chee had written an anti-dump letter to the newspaper, and the letter had attracted wide notice. There is also an unsolved hit-and-run case that Leaphorn assigns him. The victim was a Navajo named Victor Todachene, and he bled to death on the side of the road. There are no clues, but Leaphorn passes the case to Chee, mentioning a successful solve could land him a promotion to sergeant. Hillerman embarks on a familiar pattern: how will any of these incidents connect? As always, Hillerman brings native-American culture to life. An interview with Delmar Kanitewa's mother reveals Chee's skill at absorbing long silences and finding commonalities that encourage the slow circling of the conversation to the problem at hand. Usually this technique is contrasted to the off-putting clumsy directness of a white government agent. This time, Hillerman introduces a more interesting character, Sgt. Harold Blizzard, a Cheyenne working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Chee and Blizzard sit in Delmar's mother's cramped parlor. “He heard Blizzard shifting uneasily on the sofa. Blizzard, he thought, must be a city Cheyenne with a clock for a brain. What the hell was the hurry?” (p.43) Blizzard will actually turn out to be a likable character and Chee is able to get past his initial resentment and connect with him. Love interest Janet Pete is back. She is part Navajo but, like Blizzard, raised in the city. At least here, her work does not collide with Chee's investigation, and although she still doesn't seem right for Chee, she is at least less annoying. Leaphorn is also tentatively considering a possible relationship. He has been meeting with Louisa Bourebonette, the folklore specialist at the University of Arizona. She is proving to be a patient and attentive listener as Leaphorn talks about the cases he is trying to solve. Although each of these mysteries can stand alone, it is best to read the series in order. SACRED CLOWNS stands out in this respect. The plot is more complex and the cultural details more seriously considered than in the previous books. This quickly became a book I could not put down until I had finished. ...more |
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1
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not set
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Jan 06, 2024
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Jan 06, 2024
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Paperback
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006109918X
| 9780061099182
| 006109918X
| 4.06
| 9,692
| 1989
| Dec 01, 1990
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liked it
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Following separate cases, Lt. Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee unexpectedly converge at Washington D.C. Leaphorn, driven by his characteristic curiosity
Following separate cases, Lt. Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee unexpectedly converge at Washington D.C. Leaphorn, driven by his characteristic curiosity and an ingrained Navajo compulsion to resolve anomalies with rational explanations, is seeking to identify a murder victim lying alongside the tracks of the Santa Fe railway. Chee has responded to the anxious undertone of former romantic interest Janet Pete who has phoned him about a recent arrest he made. Pete, a Navajo attorney, had moved from the reservation to work at a white shoe law firm under her former law school professor and current lover. Her client is a grandstanding Indian activist employed as a conservator at the Smithsonian Institution. His publicity-seeking crime is not normally the sort of thing her conservative law firm would welcome. However, Pete's mentor has enthusiastically assigned her the case and she is beginning to wonder if he has hidden motives that are not in her best interests. The client is a young man named Henry Highhawk who claims to be one-quarter Navajo and hopes to be added to the tribal rolls. After digging up the skeletons of some prominent white people to make a point about the Smithsonian's refusal to repatriate Indian skeletons, he heads out to Navajo country where Chee executes the warrant for his arrest. The uprooting from its typical Southwest setting makes this one of the less successful of the novels in the series. However, it highlights the cultural differences between white and Indian cultures. When Captain Largo assigns Chee the arrest warrant, he notes: “'Usually when they decide to turn Indian and call themselves something like Whitecloud, or Squatting Bear, or Highhawk, they decide they're going to be Cherokees. Or some dignified tribe that everybody know about. But this jerk had to pick Navajo.'” (p.25). At the ceremony where Highhawk is expected to appear, Chee finds some entertainment in assessing the various white attendees, whom the Navajo refer to as belagaana. There are, of course, the locals familiar to everyone, then there are the tourists. Finally, there is a class he calls the “Lone Rangers,” self-appointed spokespersons for Navajo interests. “Lone Rangers were a nuisance, but also a source of anecdotes and amusement.” (p.28) We will see even more contrasts when Chee arrives in the indifferent bustling crowds of Washington D.C. Seemingly alike in their business “uniforms.” What riveted my interest was a pivotal event called the Yeibichai, the ceremony of the Talking God. This particular one was being held for Agnes Tsosii, a prominent Navajo woman known to Leaphorn, but so old he thought she must have already died. She is in fact dying of cancer and the ceremony is being held to bring her into harmony. Told of her condition, she consoles her doctor: “'Born for Water told Monster Slayer to leave Death alive to get rid of old people like me. You have to make some room for the new babies.'” (p.7) She then succeeds in leaving the hospital despite their objections and returns home. It is truly a pity we don't get to see more of this tough-minded woman in the story. After consulting with a crystal-gazer, the Yeibichai is ordered. The Talking God is the maternal grandfather of all the gods. He is represented by a dancer wearing a white faced mask crowned with eight eagle feathers. The mask is fed corn pollen and leads troupes of dancers in a nine-day ceremony. The Yeibichai can only be conducted after the first frost and is considered amon the most sacred of ceremonies. Chee hopes to someday learn the involved rituals, still nurturing his desire to become a Navajo healer. We later learn that Highhawk is naive but sincere, and is construcing a tableau of the Yeibichai in the Smithsonian's exhibit hall. This wasn't one of my favorite Hillerman books, In addition to the removal from the Southwest setting. Leaphorn and Chee do not meet until later in the novel so much of cautious dance that is characteristic of their relationship is missing. Still, as always I loved the immersion into Navajo culture, and the climax is tense and fast-paced. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Oct 28, 2023
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Oct 28, 2023
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Paperback
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0060159383
| 9780060159382
| 0060159383
| 4.12
| 14,524
| Jun 01, 1988
| Jun 01, 1988
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liked it
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In typical fashion, Tony Hillerman presents two separate but interconnected mysteries pursued independently by Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee.
In typical fashion, Tony Hillerman presents two separate but interconnected mysteries pursued independently by Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee. They are like two people working on an elaborate jigsaw puzzle. The reader experiencees a heightened elation when they realize a connection between superficially disparate scenarios. At the same time, the convergence of clues pushes the two into an uneasy collaboration. The paired crimes to be investigated can hardly be called enthralling. Leaphorn reluctantly accompanies his friend L.O. Thatcher from the Bureau of Land Management on the long drive to Chaco Canyon. Thatcher's riveting inquiry concerns an anonymous tip of illegal excavation without a site permit! It's not Leaphorn's case. He's there to distract himself from the debilitating grief he feels at the recent death of his wife, Emma. The case immediately presents complications. The alleged miscreant, an Anasazi pottery expert named Eleanor Friedman-Bernal, had been reported missing by her colleagues. Leaphorn's indifference morphs into curiosity when he notices a container of sauerbraten marinating in the refrigerator. Emma had loved making the elaborate dish, oblivious to Leaphorn's subtle hints that he actually disliked the product of her efforts. The authorities have assumed Eleanor either extended her stay or voluntarily disappeared. Leaphorn is convinced something sinister has delayed her return. Meanwhile, back in Shiprock, an embarrassed Jim Chee has suffered the theft of a backhoe from the Navajo Tribal Motor Pool on his watch. The investigation is not his case but when he sees the distinctive vehicle described by a witness he of course follows it. He has been test driving prospective girlfriend Janet Pete's second-hand clunker. A car wreck later, he learns from his mechanic friend that the driver of the car he was pursuing is associated with a local tent-revival preacher named Slick Nakai. The connection point between the backhoe theft and Eleanor's disappearance is pots. Eleanor was obsessed with a particular style of St. John's polychrome Anasazi pot. Slick Nakai supported his ministry by dealing with what he claims were legally excavated pots. He had a deal with Eleanor. For a small fee he would notify her of any pots that came into his possession. She would meet with him and take detailed notes before he arranged a sale. Multiple jurisdictions, a recurring theme in Hillerman's books, are present. Chaco Canyon lies partly in McKinley County (county seat: Gallup) and San Juan County (county seat: Farmington). The Navajo Nation lands sprawl across Arizona, New Mexico and utah. Jurisdiction over public lands overlaps between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Parks Service. Multiple agencies approve any digging permit applications. Multiple personal contacts expedite the time-consuming information gathering process from each of these agencies, Leaphorn and Chee still form a wary partnership. Leaphorn had submitted resignation papers, a reaction to his depressed state after Emma's death. His investigation is unofficial. (It's actually astonishing that the sheriff's office has no interest in the case). Chee respects Leaphorn and is eager to pool information but at the same time is annoyed by what he perceives as Leaphorn's aloofness. Leaphorn is both baffled and dismayed by Chee's deep cultural sensibilities. Chee had mastered the complex curative ceremonies including the Blessing Way and hopes to gain repute as a hatahali, a healer. Despite my love for this series, this is one of Hillerman's weaker entries. The main problem is the portrayal of archaeology which is a tediously detail-oriented endeavor requiring extensive collaboration with numerous sub-specialties. The idea that Eleanor, on her own, had identified a specific pottery-maker and tracked that person's works across a series of sites was difficult to believe. I also had difficulty believing in the motivation of other important characters. Mythology is normally an important element in this series. However, here, the enormous petroglyphs of Kokopelli painted on the cliff faces had no significance other than marking the site of a location called Many Ruins Canyon. Regardless of these problems, I enjoyed reading this mystery. ...more |
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Feb 13, 2023
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Feb 13, 2023
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Hardcover
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4.07
| 9,223
| Nov 09, 1999
| Jan 09, 2001
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liked it
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The novel is dedicated to Officer Dale Claxton, killed in the line of duty in 1998. That incident looms large in Hillerman's novel published in 1999.
The novel is dedicated to Officer Dale Claxton, killed in the line of duty in 1998. That incident looms large in Hillerman's novel published in 1999. The incident, which occurred in Montezuma County, Colorado, near the Ute Mountain Reservation, touched off a massive manhunt. One alleged perpetrator killed himself when cornered, but the other two vanished into canyon country and were never caught. Hillerman's novel opens with the robbery of the Ute Casino during which its chief of security is killed and Teddy Bai moonlighting from his day job as Montezuma County deputy sheriff (a pointed reference to the poorly paid status of local law enforcement) is badly wounded. The F.B.I. has taken control of the investigation, and Navajo Tribal Officer Jim Chee is relieved to hear the perpetrators are believed to have stolen a private plane and flown out of his Four Corners jurisdiction. Nevertheless, Chee is persuaded to “ask around” by Officer Bernadette Manuelito, only recently transferred to the Shiprock office. The F.B.I. have jumped to the unwarranted conclusion that Bai was the “inside man” in the casino heist. Lt. Leaphorn, now retired, is drawn into the case by a tipster, local rancher Roy Gershwin, who insists on anonymity, fearing for his life. Since Leaphorn can't very well persuade the F.B.I. of the tip's credibility without explaining the source of the information, he too begins “asking around.” The twin inquiries uncover a string of clumsy bureaucratic snafus. An F.B.I. helicopter obliterates any possible tracks surrounding the abandoned getaway truck by the dust it raises. The getaway airplane theory is seized on without further investigation. Local officers (including Chee), commandeered into conducting the legwork in canyon country, are not warned that one of the fugitives they are seeking is a highly decorated Green Beret sniper. In this book we get the unusual view of the Navajo from the Ute viewpoint. Professor Louisa Bourebonette makes a return appearance, collecting myths and legends from elderly Ute informants like Bashe Lady. An increasingly annoyed Leaphorn is forced to sit in silence as Bashe Lady calls the Navajo “Bloody Knives” and recounts stories of Navajo predations on her people. The Ute folkhero in these stories was Ouraynad, also called Ironhand and sometimes The Badger who harried the “Bloody Knives” and eluded his enemies. As always, the interactions between the various characters, particularly between Chee and Leaphorn are among the chief enjoyments to be derived from this book. Despite some weaknesses in the plot, I enjoyed this book. It was my gift to myself for finishing a particularly difficult and not very enjoyable book chosen this month by my local book club. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Dec 18, 2022
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Dec 18, 2022
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Paperback
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0061099325
| 9780061099328
| B007C1Z4AG
| 4.06
| 12,138
| 1990
| Jan 15, 1992
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really liked it
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Jim Chee has fallen into disharmony. The painful burns on his hand and chest are reminders of failure and not heroism. His arrest of the apparent perp
Jim Chee has fallen into disharmony. The painful burns on his hand and chest are reminders of failure and not heroism. His arrest of the apparent perpetrator of his friend and fellow officer Delbert Nez's murder only slightly assuages the guilt he feels. Even this small consolation is now being ruined. Lt. Leaphorn, Leaphorn the Great he bitterly thinks, has invited himself into an investigation which looks like an open and shut case. This is not the Jim Chee that readers of the series are accustomed to seeing. Chee is also overwhelmed by feelings of personal failure. He had hoped to become a spiritual healer under the tutelage of his maternal uncle Frank Sam Nakai. However, subtle avoidance has made it clear that the community views his role as tribal community police officer is in conflict with his role as healer. Not even the return of Janet Pete raises his spirits completely. She has been assigned as defense attorney for the man that Chee arrested. His attempts to reconnect and perhaps even deepen their relationship are marred by suspicion. Is she friend or lawyer when they speak to each other? Leaphorn's involvement in the investigation, an involvement that Chee deeply resents, is purely accidental. The accused perpetrator's niece is a member of his late wife Emma's clan, so he is pulled in by the familial obligation. He silently agrees that Chee should have provided backup for Nez, no matter how insistent Nez had been that he didn't need assistance. Leaphorn, unlike Chee, has a very secular world view and never understood Chee's desire to be a traditional spiritual healer. However, an almost paternal sense of disappointment seems to underlie these rational criticisms. Chee is a gifted investigator, smart and with good instincts, but his independence and disregard of rules will never allow him to rise in rank. (Of course, Leaphorn skirts the rules as well, but he does it with more finesse!) The details of the case are intriguing. Nez was apparently in the process of arresting the vandal who had been defacing one of the massive basalt extrusions that marked the landscape with white paint when he was murdered. Why would a petty vandal murder a tribal police officer? The suspect Chee arrested, Ashie Pinto, is an eighty year old Navajo who lived 200 miles from the murder site and did not own a car. He was well known as a non-drinker ever since his youth when he accidentally killed someone while drunk. He did not own a pistol and had no money. Yet, he was found wandering away from the murder scene drinking a bottle of expensive whiskey and with $100 in his wallet and a pistol tucked into his belt. Navajo mythology figures heavily in this novel, as the title suggests. Coyote is one of those bewildering figures of Native American folklore. He is characterized as a trickster, playing pranks and occasionally getting a taste of his own medicine from the victims he has angered. Chee recounts: “'I know about his tricks. I have heard the stories. How he snatched the blanket and scattered the stars into the Milky Way. How he stole the baby of Water Monster. How he tricked the sister of the bear into marrying him....'” (p.233). Ashie Pinto corrects Chee: “'The children are told the funny stories about Coyote so they will not be afraid.'” (p.233) He adds that Coyote's true name is atse' hashkke or First Angry. Coyote waits patiently for an opportunity to sow chaos and destroy harmony. Harmony is critical for the survival of a rural community like the Navajo. To call someone a coyote was a grave insult implying an accusation of having a malicious character. The two separate investigations resemble two people working on a jigsaw puzzle ignoring the fact that sharing pieces will be necessary to complete the puzzle. This is the 10th book in the Leaphorn/Chee series and for me, a unusual examination of the two characters. There is also a bittersweet vibe as Leaphorn deals with his loneliness and Chee deals with feelings of failure. In contrast the secondary characters felt not quite believable. They were interesting but also felt too obviously fashioned to serve the plot. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book immensely and thought it was one of the best in the series. NOTES: There are several Coyote stories narrated by Native Americans on youtube. Listeners will recall with amusement Chee's frustration with the Navajo tradition of narrating each story from the beginning of time. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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not set
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Oct 11, 2022
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Oct 11, 2022
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Paperback
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0061800376
| 9780061800375
| B000FC11YM
| 4.12
| 11,992
| 1984
| Oct 13, 2009
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really liked it
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The land and The People are one. In the heart of Navajo country, a lone basalt tower rises over 7000 feet from the flat desert floor. It was birthed i
The land and The People are one. In the heart of Navajo country, a lone basalt tower rises over 7000 feet from the flat desert floor. It was birthed in fire 30 million years ago, and shaped by wind, water and sand. The Dinee, the People, are likewise stamped by history. Without memories of their myths, their lineages, the landmarks filled with sacred meaning, their language and the way to hozro (harmony and beauty), identity is eroded into nothingness. All of Hillerman's mysteries add enough cultural detail to make the connections of Navajo thinking come alive. In this book we view the sad remnants of the Tazhii Dinee (Turkey clan). Most of them were relocated to California by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bentwoman is both ancient and blind. Her daughter is also quite aged. The daughter's nephew is Hosteen Ashie Begay. Hosteen Begay's nephews are Albert and Leroy Gorman. Hosteen Begay's graddaughter is Margaret Billy Sosi. Stark contrasts are made between family members who have retained their Dinee identity and those who have lost it. Navajo Police officer Jim Chee contemplates his own identity throughout this book. He has been offered a position with the F.B.I. Accepting it would make him a permanent inhabitant of the white world, the world of Mary Landon with whom he is in love. “Either he stayed with the Navajo Police or he took a job off the reservation. Either he stayed Navajo or he turned white. Either they raised their children in Albuquerque, or Albany, or some other white city as white children, or they raised them on the Colorado Plateau as Dinee. Halfway was worse than either way. Chee had seen enough of that among displaced Navajos in the border towns to know. There was no compromise solution.” (p.10) These thoughts fill his head as he searches for Albert Gorman, injured in a deadly shoot-out, but more important, involved in the death of an F.B.I. Agent. Lt. Largo is unusually animated as he recites his customary warning to Chee. Don't screw up. Chee tracks down Albert and dutifully leads F.B.I. Agent Sharkey and county sheriff's deputy Bales to Hosteen Begay's hogan. Up among the rocks Albert's body has been buried in the Navajo fashion and Hosteen Begay is gone. The logic is obvious. Begay's abode is now a “death hogan,” unfit for habitation. In any case, Begay probably would have already moved his sheep to lower pastures ahead of the anticipated winter storms. Yet, Chee cannot help but notice problematic details, unarticulated details that engulf his senses. His natural curiosity is unleashed when Margaret Sosi is reported missing. The Albert Gorman investigation is off-limits, but he knows that Margaret Sosi, Albert's niece, know something and finding her is his case. His search for her takes him to Los Angeles where he is confronted with an alien and toxic landscape: “Chee pushed open the door to admit the outside air and got with that the aroma of warm asphalt. There was also the smell of smoke, the perfumed smoke of desert burning that drifted down from the fire over the ridge. Through that, faintly and only now and then, he could detect an acrid chemical taint – the bad breath of the city.” (p.174) Is this the landscape of his future should he choose Mary over the Dinee? This was a satisfying mystery filled with cultural contrast. Chee's personal dilemma has led him to a crossroad. The problem I had with the book is the character of Mary Landon, introduced in People of Darkness. She lacked the sensitivity to understand Navajo culture and never felt like a serious romantic interest for Chee. Once again, Hillerman's other character, Joe Leaphorn is missing. Leaphorn is a significant contrast to Chee and is a vital element in future books in this series. NOTES: Information about the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Urban relocation plan: https://www.archives.gov/education/le.... ...more |
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4.12
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Officer Jim Chee's confusion is understandable. He has recently been transferred to the Tuba City, Arizona subagency of the Navajo Tribal Police. His
Officer Jim Chee's confusion is understandable. He has recently been transferred to the Tuba City, Arizona subagency of the Navajo Tribal Police. His chief, Capt. Largo, reviews his unimpressive record of the past six months. The long list of unsolved cases includes a jewelry theft from the Burnt Water Trading Post run by 20-year resident Jake West; a vandalized windmill recently installed to pump water; an unidentified Navajo murder victim whose corpse has been ravaged by coyotes, crows and other scavengers; and vague but persistent rumors among the Hopi of witchcraft. Even Chee's jurisdiction has drifted into amiguity. The federal government has ordered the resettlement of some 9,000 Navajos thanks to the Hopi Partitioned Land Settlement. The vandalized windmill is now on Hopi land, but the vandals are suspected to be disgruntled Navajo. The prime suspect in the Burnt Water Trading Post theft is Joseph Musket, a Navajo ex-employee. Fortunately, at least one case has evaded Chee's plate. Chee was the first man on the scene of a private plane crash apparently drug related. Capt. Largo explicitly orders Chee to steer clear of the case. It's the F.B.I.'s Drug Enforcement Agency's problem. Focus on the windmill. Largo's superiors at Window Rock have been breathing down his neck about the serial vandalism of the windmill. Inevitably, the cases will be connected, and Chee is forced to perform some clever subterfuges to stay out of Largo's sights. So much for neatly demarcated jurisdictions. The book is filled with overlapping Hopi and Navajo interests. Chee's Hopi counterpart, Albert (Cowboy) Dashee, is a colorful participant in these investigations. Their friendship is sealed when Dashee volunteers to bag the unidentified Navajo corpse. “'We Hopis have our hang-ups,' he said, 'but we don't have the troubles you Navajos got with handling dead bodies.'” (p.24) Cultural references immerse the reader in this book which opens with Albert Lomatewa's exacting demands for the performance of the Niman Kachina rituals at the end of July. Perfect execution of the rituals are particularly important this year in the midst of a long drought. “'We must do the Niman Kachina right this summer,' Lomatewa said. 'Sotuknang has warned us. Our corn dies in the fields. There is no grass. The wells are drying out. When we call the clouds, they no longer hear us. If we do the Niman Kachina wrong, Sotuknang will have no more patience. He will destroy the Fourth World.'” (p.5) This is a convoluted mystery with bits of wry humor interspersed with moments of dark drama. Greed, betrayal, the continuity of sacred traditions and violators infected by the “dark wind” made this an enjoyable read. NOTES: Map of locations mentioned in this book: https://ehillerman.unm.edu/node/1853#... Example of a Niman Kachina doll: https://www.folkartmuseumcentraltx.or... ...more |
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Jan 02, 2022
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4.15
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| 1980
| Mar 17, 2009
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Serving on the Navajo Tribal Police Force might seem a strange calling for Jim Chee. The Navajo abhor death: “Death robbed the body of its values. Ev
Serving on the Navajo Tribal Police Force might seem a strange calling for Jim Chee. The Navajo abhor death: “Death robbed the body of its values. Even its identity was lost with the departing chinli. What the ghost left behind was something to be disposed of with a minimum of risk or contamination to the living. The names of the dead were left unspoken, certainly not carved in stone.” (p.7) Chee reflects on this contrast between the Whites and his own culture as he passes the gravestone of Dillon Charley prominently located near the mansion of Benjamin Vines. Vines' wife has asked Chee to recover a stolen box of her husband's keepsakes. The box is of no monetary value, she assures him, just photos, some rocks, and other mementos of his youth. She claims the box was stolen by the “People of Darkness” – a common term for the Peyote Cult, their talisman being the mole, Dine'etse-tle (translated as the people of darkness). This would be a private gig for which she is offering generous payment. The next day, Benjamin Vines contacts Chee claiming that his wife stole the box. Mystery solved! He presses Chee to accept a hefty payment as reimbursement for time and travel. Chee's base is Crownpoint, New Mexico, about 2-1/2 hours' drive northwest of Albuquerque. Long drives give him ample time to consider a chain of puzzling events: the missing/no longer missing box containing nothing of value, the outsized payments the Vines have offered him, Benjamin Vines' past connection with the peyote cult of which Dillon Charley was a leader, the apparent theft of the late Emerson Charley's body from the hospital where he died of cancer, and a deadly 30-year old oil drilling accident that occurred when six members of the peyote cult failed to report for work and therefore escaped certain death. Yet, he is forced to admit he is “a Navajo cop simply exercising his curiosity. A crime of no particular importance. A total lack of jurisdiction.” (p.117) Hillerman introduces the character of Mary Landon, a potential love interest in this book. She teaches at the Laguna Pueblo School so she know bits of Pueblo lore, but nothing of the Navajo. Although she provides more opportunity for Chee to consider the differences between Whites and the Dinee, that cultural gap made the romantic connection seem improbable. Mary comes off in this book as brittle and humorless, although she does help move the plot forward. Hillerman includes fewer mythological references than in many of his other books. A significant image is the raw beauty of Tzoodzil (Mt. Taylor), its base a rough black network of basalt forming the malpais (“bad country” in Spanish). Tzoodzil is one of the four sacred peaks created by First Man to guard the land of the Dinee. The black channels created from ancient volcanic eruptions hint of Mole's domain. “He was the symbol of the dark underground, with access to those strange dark subsurface worlds through which the Dinee rose in their evolution toward human states.” (p.37) The novel is also less evocative of nature than many of Hillerman's novels. However, it provides much insight into Chee's personality. Solving crimes does not elate him or elicit a sense of justice accomplished. The close contact with evil leaves him numb. Only a Navajo cleansing ceremony will restore harmony to his damaged spirit. ...more |
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As a lieutenant in the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn works his cases from a unique viewpoint. This is clear from the contrast between the FBI int
As a lieutenant in the Navajo Tribal Police, Joe Leaphorn works his cases from a unique viewpoint. This is clear from the contrast between the FBI interrogator's “just the facts” approach and Leaphorn's etiquette-conscious, conversational style. Leaphorn is interested in context. The crime here is the seemingly motiveless murder of an old man named Hosteen Tso and a young woman acting as a guide to her aunt, a well-known blind healer called “Listening Woman.” Listening Woman is the sole witness although she saw nothing and was meditating near a cave when the murders occurred. Tso had no valuables. He lived alone in an isolated hogan. Tso had asked Listening Woman to perform a healing song. However, he was not troubled by a mere physical illness. Tso was troubled by a secret. He would only provide vague hints to Listening Woman: a hidden cave, the ghost of his great grandfather, desecration of sacred sand paintings, a mixture unrelated Navajo mythic creatures, and something he needed to tell his grandson before he died. None of this held meaning for the FBI. Leaphorn, however, noted a couple of anomalies. Since Navajo genealogy is matriarchal, Tso's urgent need to speak to his grandson was unusual. Second, the myths Tso alluded to were extremely obscure: “Leaphorn could conceive of no incident which would have included both Gila Monster and Water Monster in its action. Water Monster had figured only once in the mythology of the Dinee – causing the flood that destroyed the Third World after his babies had been stolen by Coyote. Neither Gila Monster not Talking God had a role in that episode.” (Location 527) With this knowledge Leaphorn seizes on the clues to a much larger and more complex series of crimes. “Everything intermeshed from the mood of a man, to the flight of the corn beetle, to the music of the wind. It was the Navajo philosophy, this concept of interwoven harmony, and it was bred into Joe Leaphorn's bones.” (Location 1703) Hillerman excels in capturing the rhythms of speech and silences in Leaphorn's interrogations. That is displayed again when Leaphorn seeks out John McGinnis, owner of a remote trading post. McGinnis has 40 years of gossip, family relationships, local idiosyncrasies, and ceremonial events stored in his brain. Leaphorn quietly probes McGuiness who obviously enjoys the company and won't be rushed while he takes leisurely sips of bourbon. Although he neglects to develop most of the characters in this book, Hillerman does deliver a complex plot with some interesting historical asides. He excels at bringing the landscape to life, conducting the reader on a vicarious hike through a rugged terrain of sandstone outcroppings sculpted by thousands of years of wind, rain, ice and flash floods. This book is more of a thriller than a mystery, and Leaphorn's knowledge of how water, wind, and earth connect will be crucial to his survival. ...more |
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0061000175
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| 0061000175
| 4.08
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| Dec 1986
| Apr 1990
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really liked it
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Until this case Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee had never met. Both are part of the Navajo Tribal Police force, but Leaphorn is based at Window
Until this case Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee had never met. Both are part of the Navajo Tribal Police force, but Leaphorn is based at Window Rock whereas Chee operates out of Shiprock, 120 miles to the north, across the rugged Chuskas Mountains. Their initial encounter is awkward. Someone blasted shotgun holes through Chee's trailer. Leaphorn's interrogation skirts the unspoken question, what are you not telling me? Like every other investigator, they both know that an intended murder victim almost always has an idea of who and why they have been targeted. This incident is only the latest of a series of puzzling incidents. Irma Onesalt, an overbearing tribal government employee was killed as she was driving her car. Dugai Endocheeney was stabbed to death. Wilson Sam was apparently pushed off a cliff to his death. The victims did not know each other. The incidents occurred miles apart. There is absolutely no similarity in M.O. Coincidence? Or are these four events related in some way? Leaphorn and Chee are something of an “odd couple.” Leaphorn is married to a woman from a traditional family. Chee is dating a college student from Wisconsin. Leaphorn considers superstition, particularly beliefs in witchcraft, to be toxic. His animosity is provoked by the pervasive hold these beliefs continue to have among the Dinee. Chee feels a strong connection with his traditional roots and has even completed training in the performance of the “Blessing Way,” a complicated ritual he learned from one of the elders. He finds belief in witchcraft consistent with the balance central to Navajo cosmology. “The origin story of the Navajos explained witchcraft clearly enough, and it was a logical part of the philosophy on which the Dinee had founded their culture. If there was good, and harmony, and beauty on the east side of reality, then there must be evil, chaos, and ugliness to the west.” (p.73) Almost all the people they interrogate believe witches (“Skinwalkers”) might be connected with the murders; no one wants to actually say so. Better to answer the questions of these strangers with silence. Dinee customs enrich this story. It is never polite to look directly at a person or to stare; it is an invasion of privacy. Always allow sufficient time to pass before approaching someone's house in order to permit the occupants to adjust to the arrival of an outsider. There is a taboo against speaking the name of the dead. Leaphorn recalls how Irma Onesalt was so offensive and rude that scores of people would have had a motive to kill her. We might call her a busybody. Leaphorn concludes his mother would have called her: “one who tells sheep which weed to eat.” (p.95) Technically, the FBI is responsible for these murder investigations. However, since none of the agents speak Navajo, and some are even ignorant of these customs, any real progress will be made only through the efforts of the Navajo Tribal Police. Officially, they act as interpreters, but their broad “interpreting” affords additional insight into Dinee customs. All of Hillerman's books capture the unique landscape and atmospheric shifts of color of New Mexico. This story takes place in August. It is the end of the hot dry summer season, but the autumn monsoons have not yet begun. Lightning and storm clouds are visible in the distance, but that acute smell of impending desert rain still eludes. When it does fall, it will fill the arroyos and transform dusty paths that pass for roads into thick muddy troughs. Visits to the disparate crime scenes convey the remoteness of the scattered dwellings. In these areas mail is delivered to a local trading post and held until the recipient makes a trip in for supplies. SKINWALKERS is Hillerman's seventh Leaphorn/Chee mystery. I had originally intended to read these books in order, but when I saw this title on the shelf at our local library I couldn't resist. I've read two previous books, and this one is among the best in the series. NOTES: maps for the Chee/Leaphorn books, including Skinwalkers: http://ehillerman.unm.edu/maps#sthash... ...more |
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Apr 16, 2019
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B000FC11BU
| 4.04
| 17,283
| 1973
| Oct 13, 2009
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I read my first Tony Hillerman book back in far off Boston after a friend recommended it. His mysteries intertwine details about southwest Indian cult
I read my first Tony Hillerman book back in far off Boston after a friend recommended it. His mysteries intertwine details about southwest Indian culture with the murder investigations of Navajo tribal police detective Joe Leaphorn. Now that I have moved to New Mexico, I have an even greater interest in these stories, which I am trying to read in order. This is the second book in the series. The contrast between the Zuñi and Navajo cultures is a focal point of this book. The Zuñi believe in a spirit afterlife; the Navajo don't. The Zuñi spirits are believed to dance forever at a sacred ground of origin, Kothluwalawa. The Navajo had a bleaker vision. “There was no heaven in the Navajo cosmos, and no friendly kachina spirit, and no pleasant life after death. If one was lucky, there was oblivion. But for most, there was the unhappy malevolent ghost, the chindi, wailing away the eons in the darkness, spreading sickness and evil.” (Location 1375) The Zuñi have one major god, Awonawilona, the Creator. The Navajo have a semi-heroic mythologic pantheon. Zuñi congregate in population centers. The Navajo live in isolation, tending their individual herds of sheep. Leaphorn wonders: “What force caused the Zuñis to collect like this? Was it some polarity of the force that caused his own Dinee to scatter, to search for loneliness, as much as for grass, wood, and water, as an asset for a hogan site?” (Location 672) The Zuñi year is governed by a calendar of sacred festivals which re-enact their mythology through clan-designated celebrants trained in the execution and meaning of rigorous dances. The Zuñi understand themselves to be individual elements of a natural and harmonious balance. Religious observances focus on restoration of a perceived imbalance in this harmony. Certainly, the Zuñi outlook would have an appeal to a certain kind of person. It suggests predictability, a pattern of social acceptance, and an outlook of optimism. George Bowlegs, a Navajo boy, was attracted by this culture. Even for a Navajo he was isolated. His father was a hopeless alcoholic. His mother had run off. He lived with his younger brother in desperate poverty with no known extended family. George's only friend was a Zuñi classmate, Ernesto Cata who shared many of the sacred activities including his designation as Shulawitsi (the Little Fire God) in the upcoming Shalako ceremonies. At school George was a misfit. George decided he would rather be a Zuñi. The only problem was that you couldn't convert. George ignored that inconvenient fact. It's a background that encourages the reader's empathy for two characters who appear only briefly in person in this mystery. Much of the tension between the two cultures is reflected when Leaphorn is summoned by the Zuñi tribal police to find George who has disappeared the day after the apparent murder of Ernesto. A radio dispatcher, sensing Leaphorn's mood, jokes about the Zuñi Bow Society having discontinued the initiation rite of taking a Navajo scalp (at least that was the belief among the Navajo). Meeting with the Zuñi police chief Ed Pasquaanti and state patrol officer Highsmith, Leaphorn thinks privately that he should inspect the incident spot himself — a Zuñi might miss what a Navajo could see. Later, Leaphorn recalls his Zuñi college roommate who taught him about Zuñi beliefs with an air of unconscious superiority. Leaphorn is perfectly comfortable with his own type of loneliness. When the F.B.I. suddenly seizes jurisdiction, he is only too happy to pursue his limited assignment of locating George Bowlegs for questioning. Pasquaanti and Highsmith as well as Leaphorn have quickly surmised that the F.B.I. has no interest in the fate of the two boys or in seeking out justice. Ham-fisted commands and an obvious covert agenda reinforce Leaphorn's own preference for privacy. Leaphorn is motivated by his own curiosity, and a commitment to safeguard Navajo interests. These motives give him a refreshing open-mindedness. He considers and critiques all of the possibilities to explain George's disappearance. At first, none of these options makes any sense. He interrogates George's younger brother with patience and tact, emphacizing their common interests as Dinee (“The People,” their own term for the Navajo Nation). It is a successful approach, persuading George's brother Cecil to divulge more information than he intends, and alleviating some of his suspicion about a policeman's questions. Hillerman captures perfectly Leaphorn's vacillating inflections, phrasing many of his questions as benign suppositions. This was an engaging book that integrated cultural details with a suspenseful plot. By the end of the book, readers will feel invested not only in solving the mystery but in seeing that justice is done. NOTES: Photo and notes on Shulawitsi (the little fire god) http://ehillerman.unm.edu/node/2939#s... Photo from several views of a Salamobia kachina holding two yucca whips https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedi... ...more |
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0785773908
| 9780785773900
| 0785773908
| 4.01
| 28,969
| 1970
| Jan 01, 1999
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THE BLESSING WAY was Tony Hillerman's first novel. Although Navajo police officer Joe Leaphorn appears in the book, he is a secondary character. The m
THE BLESSING WAY was Tony Hillerman's first novel. Although Navajo police officer Joe Leaphorn appears in the book, he is a secondary character. The main character is Bergen McKee, a tenured professor with expertise in the social context of Navajo witchcraft. McKee is still recovering from his divorce five years ago and has returned to the Reservation to continue his research in hopes of revitalizing some of the ambition of his youth. He contacts Leaphorn, an old friend from college, to collect current leads about purported witchcraft incidents. One in particular stands out. A wolf-witch was rumored to be in the Lukachukais canyon country where a fugitive Leaphorn is seeking is hiding out. The fugitive, Luis Horseman, appears in the first chapter and his puzzling observations add credibility to the idea of a witch wolf in the reader's mind. The rumor begins to resonate when there are reports of some strange encampments, and viciously slaughtered sheep. Patience is the key to penetrating the secretive world of the Navajo. McKee questions Old Woman Gray Rocks and is pleased to find his command of the Navajo language is steadily returning. At first she is reluctant to talk. Then she relates in a roundabout way the comings and goings of various Navajo and outsiders. Much of this has little to do with McKee's inquiry but he lets the old woman tell her story in her own way as dictated by etiquette. He also surmises that her reticence is partly to do with some of her own kinship ties. She does not want any of her relatives connected with talk about witchcraft. Leaphorn is also a skillful interrogator. He observes the two-day Enemy Way ceremony performed to safeguard Charlie Tsosie and turn the witchcraft back on the witch. The ceremony is rarely performed, quite elaborate, and expensive. It requires more than one singer, and includes special performers, feasting and gifts. Leaphorn concludes that there is something concrete behind the wolf-witch rumors for the family to pay for this ceremony. The ceremony also proves that the witch must be an outsider; if it were another Navajo, a different ceremony would be performed. Leaphorn carefully couches his skepticism in tactful statements which reveal his knowledge of the symbolism and mythic connotations of the ceremony. After this point, Hillerman focuses on McKee's narrative. The plot follows the pattern of a thriller rather than a mystery. Hillerman's use of Navajo belief is tantalizing. He never stumbles into a didactic voice. He alludes to a myth about Changing Woman and her hero sons, Monster Slayer and Water Child without much additional explanation. It is simply a fact of the Navajo cosmos. He describes the meticulous strictures of sand painting which have been handed down from generation to generation. A prevailing theme is the tenuous hold of tradition. The healer in the Enemy Way ceremony, Sandoval, laments the lost traditionalism which has taken place during his lifetime. “The People are losing too many of the old ways, Sandoval thought, and he thought it again when he had to tell Tsosie how to sit on the feet of Big Fly, and even had to remind him to face the east. When Sandoval was a boy learning the ways from his father, his father had not had to tell people how to sit. They knew.” (p.66) This knowledge is quite separate from the kind of book knowledge possessed by McKee, and even Leaphorn, who seems to Sandoval to recite his knowledge as if by rote. Such knowledge is not living knowledge that will guide all thought and emotion. This book was published in 1970. Hillerman's portrayal of Navajo belief will become richer and his writing more confident in succeeding books. At the time, his choice of a Navajo police officer was an innovative experiment. He continued to refine his portrayal of Navajo characters as he proceeded with the series. NOTES: Tony Hillerman died in 2008. I was happy to learn that his daughter Anne Hillerman is continuing the series with SPIDER WOMAN'S DAUGHTER and ROCK WITH WINGS. ...more |
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