Navaho Trading Days by Elizabeth Compton Hegemann

Includes bibliographical references (page 388) Printing date based on number row on verso of title page Her record of these years, especially the 318 photographs presented in this volume, provides a glimpse of Navaho and Hopi life in the years between World Wars I and II'- of cover She collected rare southwestern books, learned of the Navaho language, how to spin and weave, and the intricacies of trade in wool, blankets, and piñon nuts.

She entertained numerous celebrities in spite of the necessity of bringing supplies from Flagstaff, a drive of several hours over mostly nonexistent dirt roads.

The entire work is a fine relation of the Navajos' life in the period between the two world wars.'In the 1920s and 1930s, Elizabeth Compton Hegemann traveled and worked as a Indian trader in remote areas of Arizona. It is illustrated with hundreds of Hegemann's snapshots, which capture the Navajo reservation over a 15-year-period.' 'The best firsthand account anyone has written of life as an Indian trader. ''Navaho Trading Days' is an inherently fascinating discussion and a very welcome contribution to Native American Studies shelves.' ''Navaho Trading Days' is an excellent testimonial detailing cultural and social changes in one part of the Southwest.' A most valuable historical resource.- American Indian Quarterly Lummis, William Randolph Hearst, and Will Rogers.įrom the Back Cover A collection of photographs and first-hand observations of life among the Navaho and Hopi in the early 20th century. She comments on her meetings with John Galsworthy, Charles F. Her text recounts her travels around Navaho country, especially the northeastern portion of the Reservation. Hegemann's photographs document interaction between Anglos and Indians, ceremonial dances, trading post life, and archaeological monuments that have been altered by time.

These qualities along with her marriage to an Indian trader and living most of her adult life in Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico allowed her to leave a significant record of the Southwest's American Indians during the 1920s and 1930s. 'A most valuable historical resource.'- American Indian QuarterlyĮlizabeth Hegemann, born in Cincinnati in 1897, was an accomplished photographer and a woman who enjoyed adventure. About the Book A collection of photographs and first-hand observations of life among the Navaho and Hopi in the early 20th century.

Navaho Trading Days by Elizabeth Compton Hegemann