From Huhugam to Hohokam

In From Huhugam to Hohokam: Heritage and Archaeology in the American Southwest, J. Brett Hill examines the history of O’odham heritage as it was recorded at the beginning of European conquest. A parallel history of scientific exploration is then traced forward to produce intricate models of the coming and going of ancient peoples. Throughout this history, Native accounts were routinely dismissed as an inferior kind of knowledge. More recently, though, a revolutionary change has taken hold in archaeology as Native insights and premises are integrated into scientific thought. Integration was once suspected of undermining basic principles of knowledge, but J. Brett Hill contends that it provides a deeper and more accurate sense of the connection between living and ancient people. Hill combines three decades of experience in archaeology with a liberal arts perspective to produce something for readers at all levels in the fields of anthropology, Native American studies, history, museum studies, and other heritage disciplines

From Huhugam to Hohokam is a unique contribution to the cultural history and geography of the U.S Southwest. The deep connections of the contemporary O’odham of southern Arizona to a Hohokam past are examined through the multiple lenses of the push-and-pull of scientific research and debates, native voices and histories, European accounts and observations, and broader historical contexts. This multi-faceted case study will be a valuable resource to both social scientists and lay people with an interest in the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples.This is a book that ... should be on the shelf of every Southwest public library and in the hands of anthropologists, historians, archaeologists and a host of professional academics everywhere., By unpacking the meanings inherent in O’odham and archaeological names for the ancient people of the Sonoran Desert, Hill deftly shows how heritage and archeology contribute to a braided stream of knowledge about the past., From Huhugam to Hohokam is a lively and fascinating book about the power of language to define how we see the past and who we are today. It is an expansive journey into the personal ethics, historical puzzles, and disciplinary politics of categorizing cultural communities. In a time when archaeologists in the American Southwest are reshaping their relationship with Native Americans to become more inclusive and collaborative, Hill’s message could not be more urgent., Brett Hill's From Huhugam to Hohokam skillfully addresses the complicated relationship between two partially overlapping concepts that represent different ways of describing and perceiving the world. He juxtaposes traditional O'odham ('subjective') and archaeological ('objective') models of the ancient peoples of the Southwest, pointing the way toward mutual understanding and increased collaboration. Essential reading for any archaeologist working in Arizona, this book will also be relevant to researchers and cultural resource managers in other regions.

J. Brett Hill is associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Hendrix College.