Tony Hillerman was a decorated hero of World War II who became one of the premier mystery writers of the latter half of the twentieth century. In his depiction of life and crime on the Navajo reservation in the Southwest, he shed light on Native American culture and brought it to life for readers through Navajo tribal police officers Sgt. Jim Chee and Lt. Joe Leaphorn, who dealt with mayhem and mystery through many of Hillerman’s novels.
Hillerman began writing mysteries, as well as novels and memoirs, in the 1960s after a career in journalism. He gained intimate knowledge of the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes while growing up and living around them. “It always troubled me that the American people are so ignorant of these rich Indian cultures,” …show more content…
He also lost partial sight in his left eye. For his wartime service Hillman was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, and the Purple Heart.
Hillerman was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, in 1925 and attended a boarding school for Native American girls, where he was one of only a few farm boys enrolled. The school was near a Benedictine mission to the Potowatomie tribe, where he absorbed much Indian lore. He graduated from Konawa High School in 1942 and returned to farming after a brief sojourn in college and after his father’s death.
After the war, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and continued his travels through the Southwest, where he mingled with Native Americans. He then worked as a journalist, political reporter, and editor for a variety of newspapers in the Southwest before becoming UPI bureau manager in Santa Fe and later working as editor for the Santa Fe New Mexican. He joined the journalism faculty of the University of New Mexico in 1966 and began writing, turning out eighteen mystery novels in his Navaho Series set in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Lieutenant Leaphorn was introduced in Hillerman’s first novel, The Blessing Way, in 1970, the second book in the series. Dance Hall of the Dead won a 1974 Edgar Award
Hillerman began writing mysteries, as well as novels and memoirs, in the 1960s after a career in journalism. He gained intimate knowledge of the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes while growing up and living around them. “It always troubled me that the American people are so ignorant of these rich Indian cultures,” …show more content…
He also lost partial sight in his left eye. For his wartime service Hillman was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, and the Purple Heart.
Hillerman was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, in 1925 and attended a boarding school for Native American girls, where he was one of only a few farm boys enrolled. The school was near a Benedictine mission to the Potowatomie tribe, where he absorbed much Indian lore. He graduated from Konawa High School in 1942 and returned to farming after a brief sojourn in college and after his father’s death.
After the war, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and continued his travels through the Southwest, where he mingled with Native Americans. He then worked as a journalist, political reporter, and editor for a variety of newspapers in the Southwest before becoming UPI bureau manager in Santa Fe and later working as editor for the Santa Fe New Mexican. He joined the journalism faculty of the University of New Mexico in 1966 and began writing, turning out eighteen mystery novels in his Navaho Series set in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. Lieutenant Leaphorn was introduced in Hillerman’s first novel, The Blessing Way, in 1970, the second book in the series. Dance Hall of the Dead won a 1974 Edgar Award