BOOKSHELF

BOOKSHELF Where the Desert Meets the Sea: A Trader in the Land of the Seri Indians, by David Yetman. Pepper Publishing, Tucson, 1988. 175 pages. Available through Arizona Highways, 2039 W. Lewis Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009; telephone (602) 258-1000. $12.95, softcover, plus $1.00 postage.

The brittle desert land of the Seri Indians the dry central coast of Sonora, Mexico, between Bahia Kino and Puerto Libertad, along with Tiburon Island in the Gulf of Califor nia-gets less than 10 inches of rain annually, most of it in torrential summer cloudbursts. Once the Seris roamed a larger region, extending from Guaymas in the south to Puerto Lobos in the north, and considerably inland. After facing near-extinction in the last century, the Seri population is on the rise today, but still is estimated at less than 500. Never farmers, the Seris have subsisted on the gifts of the sea and the fruits of the desert. The small, resolute society rejected both economic and religious conversion for four centuries. Then, in the early 1960s, its people began to carve ironwood.This strange mix of desert, sea, primitive culture, and Indian art lured David Yetman to Seriland 25 years ago. Yetman, for 12 years a Pima County supervisor, has taught philosophy at both the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. As a diversion, he began visiting and trading with the Seri Indians, recognizing that their ironwood carvings of fish, birds, mammals, and reptiles represented an exquisite art form and would be readily appreciated by North Americans. The seemingly insatiable demand for ironwood carvings and Yetman's curiosity about the Seris resulted in many trips between Tucson and Desemboque.

"Daveed," as the Seris addressed him, became more than an agent for Seri arts. He became a supply source, mentor, benefactor, and above all a serious student of the Seri culture. His observations provided him with the fiber of this publication.

With the coming of a village store, the sustenance provided by sea and desert became secondary. Yetman describes many of the changes he has noted over the years. At one time, theculture of the Seris was highly individualistic. As 20thcentury European technology and customs have overtaken them, though, their ancient ways are unraveling. Mexico's economic depression is also undermining the Seris' new crafts-driven economy.

Where the Desert Meets the Sea is one of the few existing accounts of contemporary Seri life. Jim Hills, Yetman's longtime friend and author of "In Search of the Seris" (Arizona Highways, January 1989), has contributed some interesting photographs to augment the text. These, the descriptive abilities of the writer, and useful maps make Where the Desert Meets the Sea an absorbing volume.

The Mockingbird, by Robin W. Doughty. University of Texas Press, Austin, 1989. 80 pages. $12.95, hardcover.

This beautiful little book comes at a time when interest in birdwatching is increasing. Of the various species, exotic or commonplace, that have attracted the scrutiny of ornithologists, few are more charming, melodious, and assertive than the mockingbird.

Its range covers about two-thirds of the United States. The bird displays no vivid colors, is of conventional size and shape, and is a loner; but it has the courage of a grizzly bear and a seemingly unlimited repertoire of song.

The Mockingbird's color illustrations, design, fine paper and printing, and interesting, wellwritten text make the book as appealing as its namesake.

Daughters of the Desert: Women Anthropologists and the Native American Southwest, 1880-1980, by Barbara A. Babcock and Nancy J. Parezo. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1988. 241 pages. $39.95, hardcover; $19.95, softcover.

The front cover of Daughters of the Desert describes the book as "An Illustrated Catalogue." That is an honest characterization if a modest one. The publication contains 45 profiles of women who have made significant contributions to our understanding of the historic and prehistoric cultures of the Southwest. Most are academics, such as Florence Hawley Ellis, Gladys Reichard, and Kate Peck Kent. A few artists, photographers, collectors, and preservationists are included. Several, such as Frances Gillmor, Clara Lee Tanner, and Frances Gillmor, Clara Lee Tanner, and The authors have concentrated on women whose careers began before 1940. Daughters of the Desert gives us a picture of many brilliant women and proves the point that equal opportunity, long customary among anthropologists, pays generous dividends.

Helga Teiwes, have contributed to Arizona Highways.

(RIGHT) "Southwestern Still Life," by Richard K. Hillis; oil on canvas, 36 by 24 inches. Hillis, an alumnus of the University of Arizona, Carnegie Mellon University, and the San Francisco Art Institute, has won prizes in more than 50 juried exhibitions. He teaches painting at Glendale Community College.

(BACK COVER) Actor Sam Elliott cuts a dramatic figure during the filming of The Quick and the Dead near Flagstaff. VAL STANNARD