People of Darkness (1980)

A totem is a natural object, often in the shape of an animal, which symbolizes someone’s familial or spiritual connection to a group, extended family, or clan. This extended network of care and awarness manifests as an external form of empowerment that implicitly informs the daily lives of those for whom the totem is significant. Totem is a word derived or taken from the Ojibway word "ototeman," meaning "one's brother-sister kin," and was popularized during the late 19th-century craze for the new discipline of anthropology.

In addition to being objects found in nature, totems can also be carved objects or pieces of jewelry that are kept with people for protection.

A long, repetitive prayer or chant. The term is used colloquially to refer to a list or series of items, especially when spoken out loud in a monotonous, tedious manner.

A sorcerer, or sorceress, is a person who practices magic or witchcraft by connecting with spirits, ancestors, and the supernatural world. The term is usually used with certain dark connotations to indicate the use of magic not for healing purposes but for harmful ones. Unlike in the Navajo tradition, in which the term witchcraft is generally used in a positive way to refer to healing, blessing, and ensuring harmony, in some Pueblo traditions such as Zuni, Hopi, or Laguna, the word sorcery indicates the manipulation of supernatural powers with a negative intent. In addition, while Navajos inherit the supernatural and healing arts from elders or are chosen to learn them based on unique talents, in Pueblo culture one can independently choose to become a sorcerer and voluntarily learn and practice witchcraft, usually in secret.

The term describes a complexion or skin tone that is flushed and tinged with red. Florid can also suggest excess in style and ornamentation, an overabundance of embellishment that not considered in good taste, or the use of inappropriate language.

The announcer who conducts the biddings and sales at a public auction. Depending upon the venue, an auctioneer projects a sedate and cultivated demeanor, for example when conducting a public sale at a prestigious auction house such as Sotheby's. At farm and ranch auctions of equipment, livestock, and even land, on the other hand, auctioneers are loud, fast-talking men and women who excite the crowd into a frenzy of bidding with their evangelistic style of description, narration, and valuation.

A prolonged period of atypical dry weather conditions with little or no rain that finds fuel moistures, water tables, aquifers, and surface waterways low to dry. Droughts can severely affect agriculture as well as natural ecosystems. In much of the arid areas of the U.S. Southwest, drought is a regular and common concern.

A type of cloth that is made of compressed wool fibers that are treated with heat, water, and chemicals to form a thick, relatively stiff material normally used to make warm outer clothes, shoes, hats, and the outer coating of tennis balls. Felt is known for its texture, which is soft and fuzzy, its warmth, and its durability.

A work jacket used mostly by men, made of densely-woven, heavy wool. Mackinaws usually come in a plaid pattern, and have large breast and waist pockets for carrying small tools.

An organization or business that is owned by the people who operate it, with responsibilities and revenues shared among the workers.

The Cossacks are peasant people of various Eastern European ethnic origins (mostly Ukrainian and Polish) who, in the 15th century, formed independent, military communities as a rebellious response to Russian imperialist practices of oppressive feudalism and slavery. Over time the rebel warriors of these communities became known for their fierce spirit and fighting skills, and were hired by the Russian army as special forces to fight in the European wars of the 18th-20th centuries.

In the West, the term Cossack came to colloquially refer to hired soldiers or law enforcement units, often indicating a derogatory connotation of barbaric and cruel intimidation and fighting techniques.