Hopi Indian Talayesva's early life is presented in this autobiographical text edited by Leo Simmons consisting of five pages. Four sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: AM2_PPnaSunC.rtf
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Although attributed to author Leo Simmons, "Sun Chief: The Autobiography of a Hopi Indian" is actually the work of Hopi Indian
Don C. Talayesva. Simmons simply refined the story and prepared it for publication. The final product provides an interesting, if somewhat poorly written and prematurely abbreviated, view of
Hopi life in the early half of the twentieth century. Although this was a period of tremendous change in Hopi culture, a number of underlying factors remained a vigilant
component of the life of Talayesva in the pueblo of Oraibi, Arizona. For the traditional Hopis constants such as their religion and their spirituality pulled them through some of
the most turbulent times of their history. The early life of Talayesva illustrates that of one who is caught between two cultures, his
traditional culture and mainstream American culture. Talayesva was born and reared as a Hopi Indian. When he reached the tender age of ten, however, he was taken into
the talons of a culture which was for the most part alien to him, that culture was mainstream America. Forced into a government boarding school he was pressured to
cleanse himself of practically all elements of his traditional culture. He was forced to abandon his traditional religion and to embrace Christianity. Once he escaped the grasps of
the government at age twenty, however, Talayesva returned to his traditional ways. He not only returned to his tribal homelands but reacknowledged his traditional religion, a religion complete with
elaborate rituals and dance, secret societies, and gods the Christians considered pagan. Talayesvas return to his traditional homelands would not be without problems.