Wolfkiller Pod: Wisdom from a Nineteenth-Century Navajo Shephered

by Harvey Leake and Alex Brown

Book Overview

Fascinating history and compelling storytelling make Wolfkiller, the memoir of a Navajo shepherd man who lived in the Monument Valley region of the Southwest, a page-turning epic. In these stories compiled by Harvey Leake, Wolfkiller shares the ancient wisdom of the Navajo elders that was passed to him while a boy growing up near the Utah/Arizona border. Wolfkiller's story was recorded and translated by pioneer trader Louisa Wade Wetherill, an unlikely pairing that came together when she moved to this remote area of southern Utah in 1906. Wetherill recognized that Wolfkiller was a man of exceptional character, with lessons and wisdom of the Navajo that deserved to be recorded and preserved for the benefit of future generations.

Over the course of many years, Wolfkiller told his stories to Wetherill who translated them into English. When the manuscript was completed in 1932, modern society was simply not ready for it. Rejected by publishers, the document languished in the family archives until today, long after Wolfkiller and Mrs. Wetherill were gone, it can now be recognized as a unique and profound book that speaks to modern culture's compulsive rush away from nature.

Included are photographs of Wolfkiller and the Wetherills, all taken from about 1906 to 1926. More than forty other historical photographs are also included.

"If Mrs. Wetherill could be persuaded to write on the mythology of the Navajos, and also on their present-day psychology-by which somewhat magniloquent term I mean their present ways and habits of thought-she would render an invaluable service. She not only knows their language; she knows their minds. . . ." Theodore Roosevelt, after visiting the Wetherill trading post in 1913

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1423649249
• ISBN13: 9781423649243
• Release Date: July 2017
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Navajo History and Culture

This is a primary source of Navajo culture, folklore, history and philosophy. Harvey Leake, great grandson of the trader to the Navajos, John Wetherill, has compiled the handwritten notes written by his great grandmother, Louisa Wetherill, wife of the trader, John Wetherill. At the turn of the early 20th century, they lived among the Navajo's, and were traders to them. Wolfkiller, the Navajo Shephered, relates to Louisa tales told to him by his own grandfater. Her handwritten notes are from her talks with Wolfkiller. The tales depict a fascinating history of Navajo customs, philosophy, history, and folklore. This book should be read by all who love Native American history and the West.

Wolfkiller

Superb compilation of Navajo Native American folklore. Would recommend it to any interested in such history and lore. Entertaining as well.