Encyclopedia of the Southwest (B)

The bony protuberance above the eye sockets, often adorned with eyebrows. The ridge exists to protect the eyes from blunt force, the sun, and even moisture, as...

Natural vegetation consisting of small bushes, other small diameter wood plants, and bunch grasses. Brush can consist as its own vegetation type, but it often presents...

A temporary shelter that consists of a roof constructed out of tree branches or brush that are held up by poles. Often used in the Southwest to provide shade. For the...

A term used to describe desert scrub on a relatively flat terrain. Here, brush can refer to bunch grasses, perennial woody shrubs, and even occassional islands of...

Also known as a summer hogan, a brush hogan is a temporary shelter made of three forked poles and covered with the boughs of cedar or piñon pine. These structures are...

A brush shelter is a temporary dwelling made of branches, grass, and other plant materials. It is used primarily for sleeping or storage and has ties to many Native...

Buckskin is soft leather made from the skin of a deer, or other kind of horned animal, which has been treated to make it pliable. After the skin has been removed from...

A vernacular reference to the North American bison, large herds of which once roamed the North American plains in seemingly endless waves. The bison was an integral...

Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) is a prairie grass found in the western regions of North America. It has curling leaves and grows in thick patches. Buffalo...

The religion preached by the fictional Buffalo Society, a militant group invented by Tony Hillerman in his 1978 novel Listening Woman. In the novel, the Buffalo...

The Buffalo Society is a fictional militant group created by Tony Hillerman for his 1978 novel Listening Woman. In the novel, the group is described as breaking away...

The component of a modern ammunition cartridge that is fired from a weapon. Before the invention of firearms, bullets were made of clay or stone and thrown with slings...

A protective rim found at the front and rear of most vehicles. The bumper protects the body of the vehicle from incidental contact with objects, such as brush, debris...

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is part of the United States Department of the Interior established on March 11, 1824. The mission of this bureau is to provide...

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is part of the United States Department of the Interior established March 11, 1824. The mission of this bureau is to provide services...

The practices related to the ritual act of disposing of a dead person’s body. Burial customs reflect the world views and religious beliefs of the particular culture,...

A brand of shaving cream that was popular in the U.S. from the 1920s to the early 1960s. The product was one of the first brushless shaving creams to enter the market,...

Burnt Water, or Tó Díílidí in Navajo, is a sparsely populated area in Apache County, Arizona. This county has the most land designated to Native Reservations in the U.S...

Burnt Water, or Tó Díílidí in Navajo, is a sparsely populated area in Apache County, Arizona. This county has the most land designated to Native Reservations in the U.S...

The burrowing owl is a small owl that generally occupies small holes left in the soil by other animals, hence the name “burrowing." The habitat for this owl extends...

A component of natural gas, butane is usually combined with propane to make liquid propane gas, which is sold in metal containers of various sizes and is used in...

Butte is a French term meaning “hillock,” which is generally a very high hill with a flat top and steep sides. Buttes usually are bordered by flat plains and are...

Butterflies are flying insects with vertically folding brightly colored wings. They are members of the insect order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths and are a...

A large scavenger bird that subsists on the flesh of dead animals, also known as carrion, and occasionally small living mammals it takes down as prey. The most common...