About the Book

The distinguished American Indian photographer Lee Marmon has documented over sixty years of Laguna history: its people, customs, and cultural changes. Here more than one hundred of Marmon’s photos showcase his talents while highlighting the cohesive, adaptive, and independent character of the Laguna people.

Along with Marmon’s own oral history of the tribe and his family photos dating back to 1872, Tom Corbett presents archival images and historical research, making this the most complete published history of any southwestern pueblo. Marmon and Corbett also interviewed noted tribal elders and oral historians regarding customs, religious practices, and events of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The resulting narrative provides a fascinating story of survival through severe natural and man-made adversities, including droughts, plagues, marauding tribes, and cultural invasion. Through it all, Laguna has preserved its culture and retained sovereign powers over the pueblo and its territory.