The Desert Smells Like Rain: A Naturalist in Papago Indian Country

By Gary Paul Nabhan

Book Overview

From mountain shrines to lowland oases, ethnobiologist Gary Nabhan takes us on a series of journeys with contemporary Papago Indians, the Tohono O'odham, or "Desert People." From these journeys we discover how much the Desert People know about the dynamics of their arid homeland in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. The Desert Smells Like Rain offers insights into the natural history of desert plants and animals as it documents a dying agricultural tradition that has enriched the biological diversity of the Papago's seemingly harsh environment. Drawing on his extensive scientific research and study of Papago folklore, as well as his years of work among the Desert People in village gardening and nutrition programs, Nabhan portrays a desert-adapted way of life that has persisted despite the pressures of modern civilization.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865470502
• ISBN13: 9780865470507
• Release Date: September 1987
• Publisher: North Point Press
• Length: 158 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

The Desert Smells Like Rain

My wife and I found it interesting how the Tohono O'odham used rainfall alone to successfully subsist in the desert. We were also fascinated with the knowledge and use of herbs to maintain their physical well-being and to ward off disease. We found some of the folk tales amusing. Having lived in the Tucson area, we found we could identify with the book. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The author did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the Tohono O'odham (Papago) culture and lifestyle.

When I miss the desert

I worked out in the Sonora for a few years and learned to love its wide open, quiet spaces, the sizzle of a cicada and the smell right before thunder breaks and rain falls in big warm drops.Living in Seattle, when I long for open grey-white land, the shade of the palo verde, the shuffle of a zebra-tail, I go down to the basement and find this book. Pure magic! Culture, nature and philosophy, this book has it all.

Wonderful!

Wonderful! One of the most eloquent and insightful books ever written on deserts, Native Americans, agriculture, etc., etc. A treat for both the mind and the heart...

A pleasant look into the Sonoran desert.

If you know how creosote smells after a desert rain, this book is for you. If you don't know, this book will help you to understand the appeal of the desert.A nice look into the Papago lifestyle of the '80s, some history, some desert lore, some naturalist bent. A nice read, recommended.

Read This Book

Nabhan has written a beautifully eloquent book about the Papago people of Arizona. The book focuses on the importance of rainfall to these desert dwellers and the way that it has become a key part of their culture and their celebrations. But this book is more than a simple study of desert climate and agriculture. It is an exploration of the beauty of the desert and of an ancient culture that is stuggling to live on their traditional lands in spite of the seperation from their families across the border in Mexico, and despite the lessened rainfall. In the desert the rain is a magical thing, and Nabhan has captured the feeling of the first raindrops after a long dry-spell. A beautiful work.