Spider Woman Walks this Land

Carmean's book focuses on traditional cultural properties and cultural resource management among native people in the United States. Describing her work with the Navajo Nation, she examines the specific geographical locations and landforms that contain significant cultural and/or religious meaning to the Navajo people. She outlines how the cultural value of the sacred geography can be in direct opposition to the need to modernize, including building roads, power lines, housing, and a variety of natural resource extraction activities that can earn much-needed money for the tribe. The book describes the legal process through which traditional cultural properties are managed during federal undertakings. Carmean outlines the dilemma of 'sustainability' common to many traditional societies as well as to the Navajo Nation, as they undergo the tremendous cultural changes that accompany industrialization and seek a balance between continuity and change. It is written as an accessible text for undergraduates, and for an interested general public.