Dance Hall of the Dead

George Bowlegs is a curious and unusual Navajo boy. There are certain things George is not allowed to know. Ed Pasquaandi is the Chief of Police, Zuni. He is discussing a jurisdictional dispute with Joe Leaphorn. Leaphorn is summoned to help find George Bowlegs. Leaphorn had had a Zuni roommate his freshman year at Arizona State.

Leaphorn finds that two boys are missing. In addition to Bowlegs there is a Zuni boy named Ernesto Cata. Cata is to be Shulawitsi, the Fire God, in a Zuni ceremony, the Shalako. Leaphorn learns from a younger brother that George Bowlegs is running away from the Kachina, a mask representing ancestral spirits. The younger brother believes that Ernesto is breaking a taboo in talking to George about Zuni rituals.

George had intended to find out about the Kachina in school; but he had run off when he learned that Ernesto was missing and investigators had found blood. Ernesto had stolen something from the archaeologists. Leaphorn interrupts Ted Isaacs, apprentice archaeologist and graduate student, digging at the site of a Folsom hunting camp. He learns that a more senior archaeologist sent the boys away from the site several days earlier and that they had not returned.

It seems that George is studying to be a Zuni, really an impossibility, although a nineteenth century arcaeologist, Frank Cushing, had been made a member of the tribe. George is claiming that Ernesto can make him a member of the Badger clan. Visiting some white people, 'hippies', at a hogan deserted by the Indians since there had been a death there, Leaphorn sees the man-bird, the Kachina.

At the hogan of the Bowlegs family, Leaphorn discovers Shorty Bowlegs, George's father, dead. The hogan of the Bowlegs family is visited by Leaphorn after his observation of the funeral rites for Ernesto Cata who had also died.

In reporting the deaths offically, Leaphorn finds that there are two investigators involved, one from the FBI and the other from the Bureau of Narcotics. Leaphorn is driven to realize that he doesn't respect the FBI agent, O'Malley, and O'Malley doesn't respect him since there is a refusal to share information.

In the end the solution to the deaths, (George Bowlegs dies, too), lies in understanding the essential nature of majoritarian and Indian cultures. Joe Leaphorn is shocked. The reader shares his dismay. The book is a marvel.

This is the second Tony HIllerman book that I have read and it was a gripping story. I just finished it this morning. My husband and I like to read together and this has been a great series for us since our daughter began teaching on the Navajo reservation. We have found Hiillerman's writing to be excellent, holding our attention to the very last. He is very descriptive and uses imagery very well. It has been extremely interesting to learn a lot more about the Native American cultures (as each tribe actually has its own). The challenging thing about reading his work is that there are so many unfamiliar words that are related to the cultures that we have to slow down to absorb a lot of it. My brother-in-law recommended this to us and I would recommend it to anyone else, too.

I really enjoy Tony Hillerman's work. I read most of his books years ago (probably like 20 years ago) and decided to re- read one that was coming up as free for my Kindle. Well I got completely back into it and I am on his fourth book now. All of his books take place on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico and the main characters are Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Sgt. Jim Chee of the Tribal Police. There are lot's of references to different Navajo ceremonies and customs which I find very interesting. They are a bit dated in that there were no cell phones or computers when these were written, but they are still good and still kept my attention all of the way through...

Tony Hillerman definitely doesn’t disappoint with another great mystery full of Native American history and mythology! Wonderfully read is the first thing that came to my mind besides the amazing story! There were some things explained like how the Navajo and Zuni tribes police work together without breaking rules. I also found the references to Native American mythology very interesting again. Dance Hall of the Dead is a slow building mystery that definitely keeps you wondering what exactly happened that fateful day. Joe Leaphorn is helping with the case of two missing boys. One boy presumably dead and the other is the main suspect. It’s a race against time to find the runaway boy, and a person guilty of multiple murders. As if that isn’t enough they also have to keep everyone close to the missing boy safe from an unknown killer.

The Zuni religion has been dealt a powerful blow, when the chosen Little Fire God is murdered and his best friend is missing. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn has to work within both the Navajo and Zuni beliefs, in order to help the New Mexican police force find the missing boy, before it is too late. As if balancing this delicate line wasn’t hard enough for Lt. Leaphorn, there is an archeologist determined to excavate the earth and change humankind’s history.

Tony Hillerman writes with an exquisite passion in this novel. He mixes several layers and different stories in the hunt for the missing boy, by representing the Navajo, Zuni and American traditions. The majestic background of New Mexico comes to life in Hillerman’s details and readers will feel as if they are on the same journey with Leaphorn. Though the ending is a tad predictable and there are several supplementary characters to keep up with, this is an exhilarating tale. This book is an excellent, fast paced page-turner.

Notes:
This review was written for My Sister's Books.
This review was originally posted on Ariesgrl Book Reviews.

Tony Hillerman has written a list of novels so distinctively unique that they could classify as a genre unto themselves. With their brilliant depiction of Native American cultures and life in our Western desert, these novels are much more than detective/thrillers. When I first read Hillerman, starting with one of his more recent books, I thought that his mystery, as a mystery, was rather slight. Nevertheless, I was captivated. And as I continued to read, I realized that the reader becomes so caught up in Hillerman's world, so enamored by the ceremonials, religious practices and daily lives of these native people, that one can almost lose sight of the unfolding mystery. Not so, however, wih this early award-winning novel. In this novel, suspense builds to a smashing crescendo, while his portrayal of the Zuni's Dance Hall of the Dead ceremonial is perhaps the most fascinating of all such portrayals.
The story begins with Ernesto Cata, a twelve-year-old Zuni boy, proudly and diligently practicing for his role as Little Fire God, in which he will lead his village and dance an all-night attendance on the Council of the Gods. But, in a practice run, the boy comes face to face with a kachina. An initiated and well-tutored Zuni, Ernesto knows what it means to see a kachina. And suddenly the Little Fire God has disappeared, leaving behind a pool of blood to soak into the desert sand. Then his best friend George Bowlegs, a Navaho, is also missing and Joe Leaphorn of the Navaho Tribal Police is called in to find him. When Leaphorn himself sees a kachina, he remembers a Zuni friend telling him that no one sees this spirit of the Zuni dead unless he himself is about to die. . .And far out on the desert, searching for the Navaho boy who reportedly has gone in search of the kachinas, Leaphorn stumbles into a trap. Shot with a tranquilizer hypodermic he is rendered physically helpless, unable to move a muscle. But his mind and senses are left super-alert and he can hear his stalker coming. . .
The story of! the kachinas and the ceremonial held each year in honor of these benevolent spirits, so they will bring fertility to the seeds and rain to the dry land, gives this early novel a power that Hillerman has not since surpassed. But each of his books widens the window he has given us onto this Native world -- a view that enriches all Americans, while filling us with poignancy for all that has been lost to the American experience.

This is the third Tony Hillerman book I ordered as a gift for someone who had lived in close proximity to the Navajo lands so clearly portrayed in Hillerman's books. The recipient had not read Hillerman until recently when he received the first two novels as a gift and enjoyed both of those so much that I sent him this one. There is minimal violence - no lengthy or graphic description of the victim's death. This is an excellent depiction of Navajo lands, culture and people.

I came to these books after Mr. Hillerman died. And I am so sorry I didn't start reading them sooner. Every book is a brilliant mystery, steeped in native American history and practices. His characters are so cleanly drawn. I love every one of his books that I have read.

Tony Hillerman's love and understanding of the Navajo people helps me to understand and appreciate their history and belief structure. When I read his books, my perspective and values are enhanced. That he is such a good story teller and so observant of the human predicament makes this learning very enjoyable. For these stories, this is the second time through, and it is worth it.

Always a good plot, carefully researched, with interesting insight into Hillerman's Native American and White characters. A surprising extra joy is the author's vivid word pictures of the landscapes in which his stories take place. .Hillerman interlaces Indian beliefs, traditions, and history that causes the reader to continually say, "I didn';t know that."

In this book, Tony very masterfully and cleverly weaves together cultures that are too frequently at odds with each other into a riveting drama that captures the frailties of humanity.

Hillerman is the "Louis LaMour" of the detective world...he so very cleverly weaves in history, geography, and even MORE importantly culture into the plot!

I love Tony Hillerman's books. this is the first or second of the Leaphorn series. They get better as they go, but this is definitely a 5 star read. The plot is believable and the bonus is the insight into the Navajo culture.

Tony Hillerman is a wonderful writer. His writing paints a beautiful description of culture and place. His mysteries weave fascinating plots. I've learned a lot about the Navajo Way from his books. I highly recommend all of his Chee and Leaphorn series!

I enjoyed reading this book because of the mystery it presented and the introduction of facts about the Native American culture.
It is always a pleasure to read a fiction book and learn some nonfiction facts.

I love the Tony Hillerman books. They are suspenseful, written in the style of the old Westerns and portray the Navaho in an interesting and respectful manner. If you like mysteries, Westerns and/or Indian culture, these books are for you.

If you like Tony Hillerman, mysteries that take place in the Southwestern United States, or are interested in the Indian tribes of that area, you'll really enjoy this book. The characters are real and the stories don't just hold your interest, but you'll also find yourself
learning diverse information about the history, geology, and cultures of the area. And there are three stories!

Tony Hillerman is a wonderful writer. His writing paints a beautiful description of culture and place. His mysteries weave fascinating plots. I've learned a lot about the Navajo Way from his books. I highly recommend all of his Chee and Leaphorn series!

When every book in a series rates five stars, how do you choose a favorite? It's hard, especially with Hillerman's Leaphorn-Chee series. But if push comes to shove and I *have* to pick a favorite, I guess this is it.
I have at times been tempted to think that Hillerman's appeal is partly 'merely' the appeal of his Navajo setting and 'adopted roots.' This book proves that it isn't the case. Abandoning the Navajo Reservation for a change and traveling to the much smaller Zuni one, the author shows us once and for all that he doesn't have to stay on The Big Res to keep us hooked or to educate us about authentic Native American issues.
In the summer of 1998 I took all of the Hillerman books then published on a trip with me to Arizona and New Mexico, and used them as travel guides as I toured all the places he writes about. Though it was greener than I expected, the Zuni reservation was laid out exactly as described, and, while outsiders are no longer allowed to view Shalako, Hillerman's descriptions of the original Zuni pueblo and environs proved to be bang-on accurate. Then I traveled west into the territory where Leaphorn undergoes his 'Helpless Hero' scene, and again the canyons and mesas proved to be exactly as described.
But that's all pretty much beside the point. Hillerman may be the prime tour guide of the Southwest, but his real strength is his characters, and here this book excels. George Cata is so real you can almost reach out and touch him, and so are all of the principal participants in the Shalako. The sinister 'white guys' are as creepy as anything Mario Puzo ever came up with, and Leaphorn, of course, towers over all.
Though the Navajos involved are pretty much peripheral to the main plot, except of course for the kid who wants to be Zuni and the policeman himself, this book is just as authentic, just as suspenseful, and just as moving, as any of the others. And the tour-de-force suspense plot puts it over the top.