Seeking Peace Amid Violence: Professor James F. Brooks to Speak on Awat’ovi Massacre

Modern Americans love thinking that the Hopi people of the Southwest represent the epitome of peacefulness. But in the year 1700, in the populous village of Awat’ovi, Hopi slaughtered Hopi by the hundreds in a predawn raid, showering crushed red pepper, fire, and arrows into subterranean kivas while kidnapping the women and children who survived. This massacre is well documented, but UCSB history and anthropology professor James Brooks wanted to find out why, and whether the tragic incident resonates in today’s world.

James Brooks will speak about Mesa of Sorrows at the Alhecama Theatre (914 Santa Barbara St.) on Wednesday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in an event hosted by the S.B. Trust for Historic Preservation and the UCSB History Associates. Free for members; $10 otherwise.

Read more @ http://www.independent.com/news/2016/may/02/finding-peace-amid-hopi-violence/