Book

Sun chief: the autobiography of a Hopi Indian

Pub. for the Institute of Human Relations by Yale University Press ; H. Milford, Oxford University PressNew HavenPublished In 1942 • Pages:

By: Talayesva, Don C., Simmons, Leo William.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This source is an autobiography which covers in great detail the first 50 years of a Hopi's life (1890-1940). It is rich in information relating to socialization, domestic life, kin and nuclear family relations, the developmental cycle involving clan and secret society initiations and statuses, sex, diet, relations with Whites and Navajos, and personality traits. It also contains material on agriculture and animal husbandry, division of labor, missionaries, villager politics, and reservation schools. All of this is presented in the context of Don Talayesva's emotions and personal attitudes about the events. He is candid and seems to have taken to heart Leo Simmons' admonition that the project would be “entirely worthless” if it were not “absolutely true and as complete as possible.” The text is a rich and rewarding view of Hopi life in the first half of this century as seen by someone who was an active part of it.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Life history materials
Social personality
Drives and emotions
Organized ceremonial
Kin relationships
Culture summary
Infancy and childhood
Family
Sodalities
Diet
Sex
Behavior toward non-relatives
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Hopi
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2000
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southwest and Basin
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Indigenous Person
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Martin Malone ; 1975
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1890-1940
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1890-1940
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Oraibi Pueblo, northeastern Arizona, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Edited by Leo W. Simmons
Includes bibliographical references
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
a 42002153
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Hopi Indians