Listening Woman (1978)

A high school located in Tuba City, Arizona, serving students from the surrounding rural parts of the Navajo Nation Reservation and the Hopi Reservation in Northeastern Arizona. The school, which was founded in 1935, was and still is a very small institution. The graduating classes of the first few years consisted of one alumnae each, 1986 had a record number of 29 graduating students, and the class of 2015 had six graduating students.

"Tsé k'izí" means "rock cleft" in Navajo. Tsai Skizzi Rock is a 400 foot high butte on the Kaibito Plateau in Arizona.

It is not uncommon for the Navajo to have a summer and winter dwelling. A hogan is a traditional Navajo home. Hogans are generally round (female) or, less commonly, cone shaped (male), with the door facing east. The earliest hogans were called forked-stick hogans and were made from wooden poles forked together at the top to form a conical structure that was then covered with mud; the construction is very specific and the directions for building a hogan have been passed down for generations, originating with the Holy People.

A winter hogan is generally located at lower elevation pasture land. This structure is made of wooden planks and can be covered in earth for better insulation. However, winter hogans can also be used during summertime.

An enclosed area generally made of wooden planks that prevent stock animals, such as sheep, goats, and cows from escaping. Corrals are generally associated with pastoralism and ranching.

Springs are areas on the landscape where groundwater is pushed by gravity or pressure to the surface through unconsolidated sediment or fractures in the bedrock. Springs often manifest as ponds or seeps of water on the surface.

A small airport in Santa Fe that offers commercial flights. Most visitors to New Mexico prefer the Albuquerque International Sunport, which flies to many more locations, and is approximately an hour drive to Santa Fe.

Located in Northern Arizona, Tuba Mesa is one of the many relatively small mesas that make up the large Colodaro Plateau. The name refers to Tuba City, one of the main communities on the Navajo Reservation, which was built on the mesa.

The geologic process in which the surface of the earth, including soil, bedrock, and rock fragments, is degraded by natural processes. There are multiple processes by which these earth materials can be eroded including eolian erosion (wind), fluvial (rivers and streams), marine (ocean waves), and glacial. These processes break down rocks in their primary locations and then transport them to secondary locations. Geologic formations such as canyons and mesas are formed by the erosion of bedrock by natural forces. Erosion in the Southwest, in addition to many regions around the planet, has been exacerbated by human impact, such as overuse of sensitive areas; extraction of natural resources, inlcuding water; and land management practices at a large scale.

Short Mountain is a fictional area that Tony Hillerman describes as extremely empty and barren. It is located east of Tuba City near Black Mesa, Arizona.

There are over 200 species of owl, a mostly nocturnal bird of prey found on almost every continent. Owls eat small rodents, insects, and other birds. Their acute powers of vision, strong sense of hearing, and silent flight all contribute to their reputations as formidable hunters.

Some cultures traditionally avoid owls, as they are believed to foretell the passing of a loved one. Additionally, as in the case of the Navajo, owls are believed to be inhabited by the ghosts of the dead, thereby causing ghost sickness in those they encounter.