Native American cultures and religions are worth taking seriously. Tony Hillerman is convinced theyâre just too important to let fade away. Heâs written nearly 20 mystery novels set in the American Southwest, half a dozen non-fiction books and scores of articles to give regular people access to information once buried in monographs and museum archives. Mr. Hillerman has a genius for giving garden-variety Americans a glimpse of worlds once hidden within spectacular landscapes that embody their own mysteries. But Mr. Hillerman wants more -- he also wants young Indians to see their culture taken seriously by white people

      These cultures and religions are as different from each other as they are from mainstream America, he assures us. AndÊMr. Hillerman has a bounty of stories with which to make his points. Consider, he suggests, how different the concept of time is for the Navajo and the Hopi. Heâs never known a Navajo who could tell him a word for ãlateä or ãearly.ä Not so the Hopi. When the two nations schedule a meeting to negotiate an issue, the Hopi are enraged when the Navajo fail to appear at the appointed time.

      But the differences between all Native Americans and the larger culture are even more pronounced. Consider farmers in the midst of a drought. When Tony was a youngster in Dust Bowl Oklahoma, farmers prayed for rain. That would never occur to the Hopi or the Navajo, Mr. Hillerman reports.Ê Instead of intruding on Cosmic Plans, the Indians pray to be in tune with the drought, in harmony with the weather. They trust nature, of which they know themselves to be a part.

      Using what he calls his ãbag ladyä approach to writing, Mr. Hillerman has incorporated a lifetime of experience to speak to broad themes -- from the Biblical to Shakespeare, from the destruction he sees consumerism heaping on Western culture to the folly of military adventures and top-heavy bureaucracies. ÊReaders canât get enough of it, as Tony Hillermanâs fame and best-seller status continue to grow.

      Then there is the great SouthWest itself. The land and sky not only play a vital role in many a Hillerman plot, they also shape the culture and religion of the peoples who fascinate Mr. Hillerman. ÊHe is quick to disavow the role of authority, but twice now, Native American organizations have honored him for his significant role in getting the larger culture to pay respectful attention.

      Tony Hillerman is not so different from the rest of us -- a nice Catholic boy from Oklahoma who came back from a great World War to marry a lovely straight-A student, put in his time as a reporter and teacher while making a home for a houseful of kids who needed love. But there the similarity ends. Tony Hillerman has put his unique ragbag full of life experiences to work. ÊIn so doing so, he has revealed vast spiritual, culture and physical worlds once invisible to those of us who otherwise would have been just passing through.

Conversation 1

Tony Hillerman tells Paula Gordon and Bill Russell about the variety of people attracted to the American Southwest where his fiction unfolds and the fun he has writing about both. He compares his experience farming to the Hopi peopleâs

Conversation 2

Mr. Hillerman describes how deeply he plumbs his many research resources in order to understand the Native American cultures about which he writes. He gives an example about skinwalkers. Mr. Hillerman describes how regularly New Mexico is misunderstood, the land that enchants him and a certain attitude it takes to enjoy that land. He describes Skeleton Man and explains the deep importance of this story.

Conversation 3

With self-effacing caveats, Mr. Hillerman gives vivid examples of how different Native American cultures and religions are from each other and from mainstream America. ÊHe describes farming Hopis who do not pray to change the weather but rather to be ãin harmonyä with it, then offers anecdotes about what ãto be in harmonyä means. He starts with a murder mystery and ends with origin stories. He admires the Native American awareness of humanity as part of a vast organism

Conversation 4

Mr. Hillerman describes his ãbag-ladyä approach to writing fiction. He uses The Wailing Wind as an example of Shakespearean and Biblical themes helping him address his concerns about modern consumerist society, the foolhardiness of the proposed ãStar Warsä military program, the drawbacks of bureaucracy and more. Mr.ÊHillerman describes how he creates fiction from real events and what policemen think of how he treats the FBI.

Conversation 5

The fun of writing his mystery novels is when he solves the problem, Mr.ÊHillerman says, with examples of how books can change in midcourse and what happens when ideas do not work out.ÊÊHe credits his wife for her significant contributions. Arguing against ãhyphenated Americans,ä Mr. Hillerman recalls his own childhood familyâs unwillingness to identify with European origins. One cannot generalize about Indian cultures, Mr. Hillerman asserts, with examples. He describes the value of having grown up with a conglomeration of different kinds of people.ÊÊReligionâs powerful role among Native Americans impresses Mr. Hillerman.

Conversation 6

His lack of credentials coupled with on-going learning help him tell his stories, Mr. Hillerman contends. He speculates about the double benefit he thinks he offers his readers. He offers an uplifting perspective on his own religion and summarizes what he tries to accomplish with his novels.

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