Browse by Title: R

A long-eared mammal known for its prominent front teeth and powerful hindlegs, with which it hops and leaps rather than runs. The most common rabbits in the Southwest…

When rabbit and coyote are mentioned together, Tony Hillerman is most likely referring to a Navajo reference in which Coyote chases Rabbit, yet Rabbit gets the best of…

A pleasant smelling small shrub with hairy branches and groups of yellow flowers found across the American Great Basin. It provides nesting and cover to small birds and…

Radar, an acronym for "radio detection and ranging," was developed and in use by several nations as early as World War II. Radar is a system that detects objects and…

A device that emits electromagnetic waves. These waves can be used to transmit sound at different frequencies, and the sound is picked up by radios tuned to those…

In physics, radioactivity refers to the spontaneous emission of electromagnetic energy and subatomic particles in certain substances. Radioactive release of energy…

In Hillerman's Navajo detective fiction, "radioman" is an anachronistic reference to what are today known as dispatchers, individuals who work in a dispatch center to…

The former name of what is now Historic Route 66, the main street in Gallup, which runs parallel to the railroad and crosses the town from east to west.

The indigenous peoples of the U.S. Southwest each have some version of a rain dance ceremonial. This dance is meant to honor the relationship between the people and the…

One of the members of the Zuni Council of the Gods, Sayatasha, or Longhorn, wears a mask that bears a long sweeping horn. The horn is evocative of the trailing walls of…

As deputy to Sayatasha, the Rain God of the North, and one of the members of the Zuni Council of the Gods, Hututu is often associated with the gentle, misting rains of…

Rainbow Man is a yé’ii, or supernatural being, found in Navajo mythology, often employed as a symbol of harmony by signifying an attentiveness to Talking God, the…

A broad expanse of canyonlands inclusive of much of the Colorado Plateau and the Mogollon Rim, the Rainbow Plateau covers territory in the Navajo Nation, Arizona, and…

The term used to describe an adult male sheep, one that has not been castrated.

The Ramah Navajo chapter is located in Ramah, New Mexico and serves the Ramah band of Navajo, who have occupied the area near Zuni Pueblo since the sixteenth century…

Originally settled by Mormon pioneers, who intended to perform missionary work in Zuni and Navajo communities, Ramah sits between the Zuni and Ramah Navajo Reservations…

A person who owns, manages, or is in charge of a ranch.Throughout much of the rural Southwestern U.S., which remains predominantly rural, there are many traditional,…

A police record for an individual that records his or her criminal history, including arrests, convictions, misdemeanors, and warnings. This term is primarily used in…

A venomous pit viper best known for the segmented rattle at the end of its tail. Pit vipers find their prey, even in the dark, through heat-sensing pits located on…

A word that refers to noisy, boisterous behavior.

The common raven is a large, heavy-billed black bird. Ravens are larger than crows and have more rugged plumage. Ravens are also the largest perching bird, and can have…

A person who is generally thin and has prominent bone structure.

A reference to the moon leaving the sky as the sun rises. In Navajo mythology the moon and sun were created by First Man and First Woman. The sun is given a blue mask…

A term in microbiology referring to substances used in a chemical reaction to detect, measure, examine, or produce other substances.

A real estate agent who manages buying, selling, and leasing private and/or commercial property.