Don Chuka Talayesva (1890–1985) was a

Hopi The Hopi are Native Americans who primarily live in northeastern Arizona. The majority are enrolled in the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona; however, some Hopi people are enrolled in the Colorado ...

who is noted for his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, written in conjunction with Yale University anthropologist Leo Simmons, describing his life until 1940. Talayesva was born with the name Chuka in

Old Oraibi Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and grew up until the age of ten in a traditional Hopi manner, but then spent ten years largely in European culture before making a full return to the Hopi way. It has been suggested that Simmons method of interviewing may have led Talayesva to reveal more than he entirely felt comfortable doing and this aspect has been an element of discussion concerning him.American Indian Autobiography. - book reviews MELUS, Fall, 1995 by Pauline G. Woodward
/ref> In the field of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

he was referred to as "the most documented man".Rebecca Lemov, "Anthropology’s Most Documented Man, Ca. 1947: A Prefiguration of Big Data from the Big Social Science Era," ''Osiris'' 32 (2017): 21-42.

Bibliography

*Don C. Talayeva, ''Sun Chief: The Autobiography of a Hopi Indian'', The Lamar Series in Western History (Book 8), Yale University Press, September 10, 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talayesva, Don C. 1890 births 1985 deaths Hopi people American autobiographers 20th-century Native American people