Frank Hamilton Cushing

Books on Zuni

Zuni Fetishes: Frank Hamilton Cushing
Frank Hamilton Cushing, Intro. by Tom Bahti/softcover/1966
Facsimile edition:Original text of the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology
Tenth printing, 1994
In stock, $3.50, media mail shipping, $2.00
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Cushing at Zuni: The Correspondence and Journals of Frank Hamilton Cushing, 1879-1884
Jesse Green/Hardcover/1990

Cushing's contemporaries were critical of his efforts and activities in Zuni, primarily because of what they considered the lack of published material that Cushing produced during his tenure at the Pueblo. This fact has also been lamented by anthropologists since that time, and the lack of writings may well be the source of the general opinion that the material he made available is tainted and superimposed with "poetic overtones". Granted, Cushing's grandiose style is evident in many of his publications that appeared in periodicals during his lifetime. However, in order to be fair one should consider that Cushing was writing to an audience of the Victorian Era and he spoke in terms that he knew they would understand and wanted to hear. In this regard we can only criticize him for the forfeiture of his science to what was popular at the time. He created the objects of his research by a temporal distancing that was reflected in a terminology that at that time was not only popular, but was also scientific. Thus, subsequent criticisms such as Barbara Tedlock's portrayal of "wrong-headedness" and "wrong-heartedness" are in themselves wrong headed and wrong hearted, and Cushing's methodology is based upon concepts that any ethnologist should understand, apart from any perceptions with moral overtones of rightness or wrongness.

Jesse Green's compilation is an extremely important body of work for any student of the Zuni culture. There is a great amount of material here that reflects Cushing's theories on Zuni semantics and mathematics (counting), and stories by Cushing that can be found no where else. Many of the letters he wrote to his sympathetic colleagues are rich in information as to the sources of the folklore and myth that he documented, and revealing on many aspects of his membership in the Priesthood of the Bow. Would you like to know Cushing's side of the story in his feud with the Stevensons? It is here.

What is also here to a certain extent is Cushing's vindication. Next generation Zuni anthropologists such as Ruth Bunzel and Franz Boas were highly critical of Cushing's findings. While Bunzel's work at Zuni is nothing less than important, it has as its source those Zuni denizens who were or had been intent on implementing the demise of the Bow Priesthood, a secret society of which Cushing was a member and was the source of much folklore and myth, including those of the Zuni origin.

Cushing's letters and journal entries are very readable and incredibly enjoyable. He was a poet at heart and it is reflected in his writing style. The book is worth its weight in gold simply for Jesse Green's lengthy and informative notes, occasional insights, and his extensive bibliography.

Any suggested additions to this list can be submitted to zunifetish@prophetsrock.com and are welcome.

My Adventures in Zuni
Frank Hamilton Cushing/Paperback (or Hardcover reprint)/1998 (1967)

Mythic World of the Zuni
Frank Hamilton Cushing, ed. by Barton Wright/ Paperback/ 1992

Outlines of Zuni Creation Myths
Frank Hamilton Cushing/ Hardcover/1996

Zuni Breadstuff
Frank Hamilton Cushing/ Hardcover/ 1975

Zuni Coyote Tales
Frank Hamilton Cushing(Compiler) / Paperback / Published 1998

Zuni Folk Tales
Frank Hamilton Cushing/ Hardcover/ 1974

Zuni : Selected Writings of Frank H. Cushing
Frank H. Cushing, Jesse Green / Paperback / Published 1981

The Pueblo Potter: A Study of Creative Imagination in Primitive Art
Ruth Leah Bunzel/Paperback/1973

Zuni Ceremonialism
Ruth Leah Bunzel/Paperback/1992

Zuni Katcinas, Rio Grande Classic (Includes Zuni Ceremonialism)
Ruth Leah Bunzel/Hardback/1973

Zuni Texts (American Ethnological Society Publications No 15)
Ruth Leah Bunzel/Hardback/1973

The Fetish Carvers of Zuni
Marion Rodee/Paperback/1995

A Guide to Zuni Fetishes and Carvings
Kent McManis/Paperback/1998

Native American Fetish Carvings of the Southwest
by Kay Whittle

Treasures of the Zuni
Theda Bassman, et al / Paperback / Published 1997

Two Zuni Artists: A Tale of Art and Mystery
Keith Cuningham/Hardcover/1998

The Zuni (Indians of North America)
Nancy Bonvillain, Frank W. Porter (Editor) / Library Binding / Published 1996

Zuni : A Village of Silversmiths
James Ostler, et al / Paperback / Published 1996

Zuni and El Morro Past and Present
D. Noble / Paperback / Published 1993

Zuni and the Courts : A Struggle for Sovereign Land Rights, (Development of Western Resources)
E. Richard Hart(Editor) / Hardcover / Published 1995

A Zuni Atlas (Civilization of the American Indian Series, Vol 172)
E. Richard Hart, et al / Paperback / Published 1990

Zuni Fetishes: Using Native American Objects as Objects for Meditation, Reflection, and Insight
Hal Zina , Ph.D. Bennett; Timothy White, Illustrator/Paperback/1993

Zuni Fetishism
Ruth Kirk / Paperback / Published 1988

The Zuni Indians and Their Uses of Plants
Matilda Coxe Stevenson / Paperback / Published 1994

A Zuni Life : A Pueblo Indian in Two Worlds
Virgil Wyaco, et al / Paperback / Published 1998

The Zuni Man-Woman
Will Roscoe / Paperback / Published 1992

Zuni; A Village of Silversmiths
James Ostler, et al / Hardcover / Published 1996

More Books on the Zuni Culture
Amerindian Arts

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