Article
ID: CBB247677821

Native American traditions of Meteor Crater, Arizona: fact, fiction or appropriation? (2020)

unapi
Oral tradition; oral lore Meteorite craters Periodicals; serials Indigenous peoples; indigeneity American Indians; Native Americans; First Nations of the Americas 20th century, early Arizona (U.S.)

Hopi and Navajo oral traditions describing the formation of Meteor 'Barringer' Crater in Arizona are reported in early twentieth century news media, but some scholars claim these traditions are deliberate fabrications or misidentified stories about more recent volcanic events. This paper critically analyses these accounts and examines explanations for the apparent traditions and the history of associated research at the crater. We show that Navajo communities do maintain oral traditions about the crater, and the evidence suggests an unknown person(s) appropriated and/or altered them to generate interest in the structure's impact hypothesis. A motivation may have been to use these traditions to boost interest by investors to mine meteoritic iron believed (at the time) to be buried under the crater floor.

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Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB247677821/

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Authors & Contributors
Hamacher, Duane W.
Kristofic, Jim
Céline Carayon
Farina King
Puckett, James A
Mary Jane Logan McCallum
Journals
Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage
Social Studies of Science
Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences
História, Ciências, Saúde---Manguinhos
American Historical Review
Publishers
University of New Mexico Press
University of California, Riverside
Temple University
Northern Arizona University
University Press of Kansas
University of Oklahoma Press
Concepts
Indigenous peoples; indigeneity
American Indians; Native Americans; First Nations of the Americas
Oral tradition; oral lore
Medicine
Colonialism
Navajo (Diné)
People
Kroeber, Alfred Louis
Time Periods
20th century, early
19th century
20th century
Medieval
21st century
20th century, late
Places
Arizona (U.S.)
United States
Australia
New Mexico (U.S.)
California (U.S.)
Mexico
Institutions
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
University of California
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