THE HOPI CHILD [SOLD]

From the Preface:  Upon reaching a decision to conduct a study of the child in an American Indian culture, we cast about for a suitable group upon which to direct our attention.  We wished to select a society which had maintained to the greatest degree its aboriginal condition.  Upon good advice our search soon became centered upon the Southwest as an area in which primitive groups still live in a fashion quite similar to that of their pre-Columbian ancestors. 

The following pages will show to what extent the primitive customs are, and to what extent they are not, preserved in the modern life of the pueblos.  We have not regretted our general choice of Pueblo culture, nor our selection of the Hopi from among the various Pueblo tribes.

Our observations were made during the summer months of 1937 and 1938.  During these periods we lived in a native house in New Oraibi.  In consequence, a great deal of our observational data refer to behavior seen in this village, which is the most Americanized of the Hopi towns.  The facts will show that this Americanization is not pronounced.

From Back Cover:  This is a classic account of child development and adjustment in an American Indian culture in which primitive groups still live in a fashion quite similar to that of their Pre-Columbian ancestors.  Based on first-hand information and observation obtained by the author during two periods in which he lived and worked in the Hopi village of New Oraibi, Arizona, the book shows to what extent primitive customs are, and to what extent they are not, preserved in the modern life of the pueblos.

In presenting his material, Dennis pictures the world which surrounds the individual who is born into Hopi society.  He shows how the Hopi child behaves as he faces his cultural milieu.  Work requirements, ceremonial life, attitude and demeanor, conflict and its avoidance—all are examined as part of the child’s socialization.  The result is a fascinating exploration of Pueblo culture both from the anthropological and the psychological points of view. 

Condition: Cover soiled and chipped at lower right corner, back cover soiled and slightly crinkled in lower left