The Sons of Gunshooter

“A compelling work of personal and cultural history, The Sons of Gunshooter reconstructs a family’s entanglement with law, violence, and resilience across generations. In doing so, it demonstrates how a single criminal case reflects enduring negotiations between sovereignty, survival, and state power.“—Foreword Reviews

”The Sons of Gunshooter is an excellent example of a Diné-based narrative that honors Diné oral histories and showcases Diné resistance and resilience in the face of settler violence.“—Jennifer Nez Denetdale, author of Reclaiming Diné History: The Legacies of Navajo Chief Manuelito and Juanita

“The Sons of Gunshooter is part history book, part true-crime book. It reads like a popular history book and blends archival and forensic evidence the authors unearthed and the oral history of her own family and other Diné relatives that Denetclaw has collected throughout her life.“—The Santa Fe New Mexican

“This book combines the knowledge and skills of Navajo family historian Dorothy Denetclaw with those of forensic scholar Matt Fitzsimons to tell a story about the 1919 killing of Charles Hubbell, a trader among the Navajo people, by two young Navajos, sons of Gunshooter, and the legal aftermath. The authors embed this story in the much larger saga of the mid-1800s U.S. conquest of northern Mexico and, soon after, of the Navajo Nation, in both of which the Hubbells took part and established their regional political and mercantile power. The story illustrates how the racism that plagues criminal justice in the United States today is baked into the system from its very origins, including settler conflicts with Indigenous peoples.“—Klara Kelley, co-author of A Diné History of Navajoland

“Great story. I enjoyed reading it, and I learned quite a bit.“—Raymond D. Austin, former associate justice of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court and author of Navajo Courts and Navajo Common Law: A Tradition of Tribal Self-Governance

“The Sons of Gunshooter is one of the best researched, best written histories I have ever read. And I read a lot of history.“—Cindy Yurth, former reporter for the Navajo Times

“The authors unpack a complex history drawn from newspaper articles, government and trading post archives, books, magazines, and Dorothy’s extensive oral history records. Copious footnotes confirm how the ‘devil’s in the details.’ The collaborators adopt a ‘take-no-prisoners’ approach, evidenced by their meticulous research that serves as a model to challenge the sustained whitewashing by settler academics and trade book authors who persist in romanticizing the ‘Old West.’“—Kathy M’Closkey, author of Swept Under the Rug: A Hidden History of Navajo Weaving

“Dorothy’s work is rooted in K’é, a love and respect for her family, the Navajo people, and Navajo language and culture. We can see and appreciate her family’s history through this lens. We can feel the power of K’é.“—Kathleen Manolescu, founder and former publisher of Leading the Way: The Wisdom of the Navajo People

Dorothy Denetclaw is Tótsohnii born for Tł’ÁÁschÍ’Í and lives in Indian Wells, Arizona. She is a community organizer, activist, and interpreter, and enjoys researching her family history, a legacy for her children and grandchildren.

Matt Fitzsimons is a former newspaper reporter and the author of The Counterfeiters of Bosque Redondo: Slavery, Silver, and the U.S. War Against the Navajo Nation. He lives in San Diego, California.

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