Browse by Title: P

In Zuni ceremonial tradition, human dancers wear sacred outfits and masks to impersonate katchinas (spirit beings) that preside over Zuni life and their natural…

A 10-mile-long mesa located within the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. This mesa is an extension of Hopi Third Mesa. In Navajo, it is called…

Originally, Page was a temporary housing site for the Glen Canyon Dam construction workers and their families and was called the Page Government Camp after the Bureau…

This region, known as "Halchíítah" or "Among the Red Areas" in Navajo, is a vast expanse of badlands and desert landscape in Arizona. The exposed colorful layers of…

There are two groups of Paiute people, Northern and Southern, and although there are some similarities between them, the Northern and Souther Paiutes are each made up…

The earliest settlers of the Americas. Entering the American continents via the Bering land bridge, an exposed shelf of land between Russia and Alaska, Paleo-indians…

A pale and unhealthy demeanor, especially of the face. Writing of winter's pallor, Hillerman suggests that the atmosphere was gray and gloomy until the onset of spring…

Meaning "hard stick" in Spanish and also known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, this 120-mile-long, 20-mile-wide canyon is located in the Texas Panhandle near Amarillo.…

A small, fully enclosed truck, similar to a pickup truck with a shell, except that the "shell" is part of the vehicle's body.

An overwhelming feeling of anxiety, often accompanied by feelings of fear, nervousness, and even dread. When one feels panic, two primary survival impulses manifest…

A variety of live performance where the story is conveyed with body language and facial movements, not spoken words. While the Romans had a form of pantomime similar to…

A process in which stone flakes are removed from a sstone tool so that the flake "scars" are parallel. Parallel flaking is used for both finish and detail work on stone…

In architecture, a low, protective wall that encircles a roof, tower, or that runs along an entrenchment to offer concealment. Parapets are also found in natural…

An array of objects or accessories that are utilized for a particular purpose or a specific activity.

A soldier in the army who is part of a special unit that is trained to jump out of airplanes using prarachutes.

Originally called the United Airport, this airport has undergone five name changes since it was built in 1930. This airport is located in Burbank, California and was…

The act of surveillance, with the potential for taking disciplinary actions, as well as offering other peace-keeping services, throughout a particular area. In small…

To obtain a cash loan by providing a material object as collateral. The act of pawning, also known as "hocking," usually via a pawnbroker at a pawn shop, has been in…

In his Tony Hillerman 1980 Navajo detective novel PEOPLE OF DARKNESS, he mentions the Hopi Peach Tree clan, a kinship group associated with the area around Moenkopi,…

In traditional Zuni society, a council of select priests governs over each village, with specific duties assigned to each council member. A pekwin is a secular…

Also known as an air gun. A weapon that uses compressed gas to fire a projectile, as opposed to a firearm which uses a propellant, such as gunpowder, in order to fire…

Also known as Penn State. A state-supported four-year higher education institution located in the city of State College, Pennsylvania. The university was first…

This is the written Torah, the sacred text of the Hebrews, and signifies the first five chapters of the Old Testament written by Moses. Often written and preserved on…

Hillerman uses the term as an informal reference to a Navajo cult within the peyote religion, a pan-Indian, semi-Christian religious movement. The rituals of the peyote…

A coffee maker that allows boiling water to rise up through a narrow tube and then drip down through a perforated basket filled with ground coffee. While coffee…