Article
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, Arizona. Although peach trees have been cultivated by the Hopi for generations, a clan associated seems to have been invented by Hillerman to further the narrative of his novel.
A clan composes an interrelated social group whose connections derive from parentage and kinship affiliation, and is common to Indigenous social structures. Clan configurations develop and are expressed uniquely in different Native American groups, and each tribe is comprised of numerous clans. Clan names and identities often originate in the natural environment of the tribal nation's homeland, and reference place names, fauna and flora, as well as significant natural phenomenon. Clans structures entail significant mentoring and obligations to the children of one's sisters or brothers.
"Peaches on tree, Yamanashi, Japan, June 19, 2005" by skyseeker is licensed under CC BY.
Manuscripts
References
Beaglehole, Ernest
1970 Hopi Hunting and Hunting Ritual. Yale University Publications in Anthropology. New
Haven:Human Relations Area Files Press.
http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/document?id=nt09-028, accessed November 18, 2015.
Sturtevant, William C., and Alfonso Ortiz
1979 Handbook of North American Indians. Volume 9. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian
Institution.