Papago Woman, by Ruth Underhill, recalls the life events of a Native American woman, Maria Chona, of the Tohono O'odham tribe. This short ethnographic account illuminates issues such as feminism, the evolution of the Tohono O'odham society due to European influences, poverty, etc. Chona states the events of her life, chronologically, which include things like fighting with the Apaches, learning how to weave baskets, bearing children, and leaving her husband. Chona was sort of an unconventional lady by the standards of the Tohono O'odham culture. Although Chona recalls fighting with the Apache when she was young, there are some parallel views of the Whiteman such that they speak loudly and quickly, and are considered nosy for inquiring about a persons state of being and whatnot. Chona also recalls the influences of Europeans anywhere from altering the way the Tohono O'odham dressed to the way they spoke to the way they lived their lives. More personally, Underhill describes how the dynamic of the "intense oneness of Papago relationships" changed with European influence as people were forced to separate and become detached from one another.
The fact that this is a woman's account was a pioneering feat at the time, and is sort of a social commentary of feminism. Ruth Underhill is mirrored in Chona in this sense - they both were independent, knowledge seeking women who wouldn't settle for less than what they wanted. Both are admirable for taking the actions they did in the face of impurity and consequential social adjustments.
An interesting aspect of reading this account was the language that Underhill used. It's funny to pinpoint how presentism affected Underhill's writing and how what was once considered politically correct and acceptable has changed. In fact, with the foreword from Ruth Benedict, Benedict refers to the Tohono O'odham as a "primitive people" - oh no! Although Benedict probably didn't mean to use this term in a derogatory way, our society has since then changed its word choice and meaning. Even the term Papago is outdated and largely rejected by the Tohono O'odham people because Papago was a term given to them by the Spanish, which can be translated as "tepary bean eater". Underhill slips up when she describes the Tohono O'odham gifting culture and expressing thanks in that she states, "it was only later I learned that Papago has none of the polite phrases which make up the civilization of my people". Two things sound ethnocentric about this statement: firstly, how Underhill emphasizes the absence of not only these phrases, but polite phrases; and secondly, how Underhill states the "civilization of my people", perhaps inferring that the Papago aren't "civilized". Again, Underhill may not have meant any offense when constructing this account, but it's interesting to see how these types of understandings have evolved in our society.
