Of Earth and Little Rain: The Papago Indians - Paperback

by Bernard L. Fontana (Author)

"This text reveals [Fontana's] interaction with his [Tohono O'odham] neighbors and how geography and climate define life and culture in this piece of dry land. Fontana's words introduce the reader to people and provide an excellent overview of tribal history, but no notice of this book can overlook John P. Schaefer's photographs . . . [which] give the reader a feeling for what day-to-day life is like . . . for the 12,000 or so people who call Papaguería their homeland."-Journal of Arizona History

Front Jacket

An appreciation of the Tohono O'odham (long known as the Papago) Indians, whose reservation is the second largest in the United States.
"Fontana, who has lived at the edge of the Tohono O'odham (formerly Papago) Reservation for decades, provides sympathetic insight into the history and lifeways of these gentle desert dwellers. Schaefer's photographs, many of them portraits, add timeliness and immediate presence." --Books of the Southwest
"An unsurpassed insight into the Papago world, past and present." --Arizona Highways

Back Jacket

This book is meant to provide an appreciation, in words and photographs, of the lesser-known groups of Indians in the United States and Mexico. The Papagos are so little known to outsiders despite the fact that their reservation is the second largest in the United States says something about their humility. It also says something about the average Papago's sense of self because in reality, the average Papago sees no point in being public.

Author Biography

Bernard L. Fontana is the author of many articles and books, including Entrada: The Legacy of Spain and Mexico in the United States. He is also the author of Biography of a Desert Church: The Story of Mission San Xavier del Bac, which remains the standard source on the mission's history.