Book

The autobiography of a Papago woman

American Anthropological Association (46)Published In 1936 • Pages: ii, 64

By: Chona, Maria.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This document comprises the life history of Maria Chona, a 90-year-old Papago woman who was the author's chief informant and aide while in the field. The information in her story concerns mainly the period of 1850 to about 1900. It covers, in addition to the day-to-day life of the people, many of the culturally significant values and activities of the Papago: shamanism, the cure of the sick, song-making, and warfare. The narrative is 'an Indian story told to satisfy whites rather than Indians,' with repetition minimized and emotional responses spelled out. Accuracy and thoroughness are, however, the primary virtues of the work. References to 'wild women,' i.e. wantons, have been placed in category 836. Underhill received her graduate training at Columbia University under Franz Boas and is an acknowledge authority on the Papago.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Life history materials
Shamans and psychotherapists
Magical and mental therapy
Revelation and divination
Instigation of war
Aftermath of combat
Puberty and initiation
Music
Organized ceremonial
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
O'odham
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2010
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.
Ethnologist
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
Timothy J. O'Leary ; 1958; John Beierle; 2010
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1931-1935
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1850-1900
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Southwest Arizona, United States
NotesAdditional notes
by Ruth Underhill
[Chona] Papago woman
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
37022775
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Tohono O'odham women