Preface; Part One: Introduction; Part Two: The Yakama; Part Three: Yakama Death Certificates: Theoretical and Methodological Orientations; Part Four: Comparison of Yakama Death Rates with Other Populations; Part Five: Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index
Summary
Clifford Trafzer's disturbing new work, Death Stalks the Yakama, examines life, death, and the shockingly high mortality rates that have persisted among the fourteen tribes and bands living on the Yakama Reservation in the state of Washington. The work contains a valuable discussion of Indian beliefs about spirits, traditional causes of death, mourning ceremonies, and memorials. More significant, however, is Trafzer's research into heretofore unused parturition and death records from 1888-1964. In these documents, he discovers critical evidence to demonstrate how and why many