Mystery author Tony Hillerman died yesterday. New York Times obit is pretty good. Hillerman set many of his mystery books on the Navajo reservation, and his main characters were Navajos; there are a number of scenes dealing with navajo religious events.
From a religious point of view, Hillerman’s books are of particular interest because his characters deal with the tension between traditional religion and contemporary life. One of his characters, Jim Chee, adheres to the traditional Navajo religion, but as (what I would term) a religious liberal; that is, Chee figures out ways to adapt and accommodate religious traditions to contemporary realities. There are other Navajo characters in Hillerman’s books who either reject religion completely, or cling to traditional religion in a fundamentalist way, or reject their traditional religion in favor of more attractive religions that come from the dominant superculture around the Navajo microculture. Each of these religious options — religious liberalism, rejecting religion completely, fundamentalism, conversion to another religious tradition — face each one of us today. Few of us have to confront with the problem that also confronts Navajo people:– to what extent is traditional religion an essential part of their ethnic and cultural identity, and how far can they change that religion before the change leads to cultural extinction and complete assimilation into the dominant Anglo culture?
While Hillerman’s books are “just mysteries,” and therefore suspect from the point of view of “high art,” I have found them to be some of the most thoughtful meditations on the role of religion in contemporary life. For that reason, and for his memorable characters and good storytelling, I’m going to miss Tony Hillerman.
Sorry to hear that Tony Hillermanhas run out of life. He was 83, and published his first novel when he was 45.
By coincidence, I’ve just finished a Hillerman marathon: I read his first three novels in 4 days. The detective in those books is Leiutenant Joe Leaphorn of Navajo Law and Order. He graduated with degree in Anthropology from Arizona State University. He’s rejected intellectually most of what he was taught as a child about the Navajo Way, but he still honors most of the taboos emotionally.
The most “Navajo” of his feelings is an abiding commitment to harmony. He gets obsessed when things don’t fit: when cause doesn’t line up with effect. He has to know why things have happened. Unlike most detectives he is not focused on “justice” or “revenge” or even the law. He is trying to restore harmony to his people and the world.
I think that this notion of harmony is a fruitful area for research, reflection, and discussion.
Several years ago, I had heard that Hillerman was quite sick; but I kept hoping he would finish at least one more book. His stories gave me better insight into the Navajo culture and religious beliefs than any academic works. He was careful to be accurate in his portrayals of Navajo life.
A friend of mine who knew him well as a fellow faculty member at U New Mexico always spoke very highly of him. He also published several other books including a memoir. Having come into the writing trade by way of being a newspaper reporter, he had a keen insight and understanding of people. He will be missed.