The final reading of the Keith Basso’s Wisdom Sits in the Places cemented the importance of the stories in the Western Apache’s culture. It also highlighted how significant elders like Dudley Patterson were to the tribe. His sister Ruth Patterson said that “He knew them all you know. That was his way” (Basso, 149). The stories that they told about the place names was their connection to their ancestors and their past and is a source of wisdom. The book also showed the important work that ethnographers do. Ethnography not only should focus on the people and the culture but the place that surrounds and is home to those people and culture. While recording the traditional place names Basso also recorded the stories that were associated with them.
