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Anasazi — Saving an Ancient Civilization
Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins
A review of the book by Ardath Mayhar
People of the Mesa (NY:  Diamond Books, 1992.  297p.)

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This is the author's reconstruction of the life of the Anasazi cliff dwellers of the Southwestern United States, based on clues and artifacts discovered by archaeologists about this mysterious culture that thrived before the Pueblo Indians and before the arrival of the Europeans.  Little factual detail is known about the Anasazi.

This historical fiction attempts to bring to life the character and culture of the Anasazi. The author portrays the mystical life of these people, connected spiritually to their environment, under pressure from invaders from the north and the south.  The story deals with the development of the cliff dwellings as a defence against these periodic waves of attack from other native American populations in the prehistory of the North American continent.

The story is told through the eyes and thoughts of a seer of the tribe, called He Who Dreams the Past.  A person of this name in each generation is responsible for mystically and factually knowing their history and projecting where the future will take them.  He can also see current events through mystical out-of-body views of the surrounding countryside.

His skills are complemented by a woman with a similar role, named She Who Sees the Future.  Together with others of the clan who have special gifts, the Anasazi people are guided and protected.  But they still have to have warrior skills and defensive cunning to take advantage of their seers' knowledge of the enemy and their movements.

One of the goals of He Who Dreams the Past is to convince the various families of their people of the need to move into the hill caves that have been previously prepared and which are now being extended and new living areas prepared.

The plains people are more vulnerable, but some believe the attacks their people knew in previous generations will not occur again.  But attacks do come, and the story portrays the changes that are coming about in the Anasazi culture due to the new challenges and opportunities.

See related reviews and articles on this site:
[review] The Old New World - The Old Kingdoms and Peoples of the Americas
[reviews] One Continent, Three Siblings

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OBJ

First reading notes written 18 December 2008
Review written and posted on Thoughts and Resources 23 December 2008
Reviewed on Amazon 2 March 2009
Last edited 15 November 2011

Orville Boyd Jenkins, EdD, PhD
Copyright © 2008 Orville Boyd Jenkins
Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use.  Please give credit and link back.  Other rights reserved.

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