We Will Dance Our Truth: Yaqui History in Yoeme Performances (review)

Specifically, We Will Dance Our Truth seeks to "express the spatial, performative, and religious ways that many Yoemem sustain their collective identity" (4). [...]Shorter proposes to "remap the boundary between the ethnological categories oral and literate and expand Western notions of historical expression to include nonliterate representations of 'local* history through various oral and ritual practices" (4). The ties between history, narrative, and place-making have been central subjects of much scholarly inquiry, but few authors have approached these issues with such an intellectual breadth and vigor. [...]few have chosen Shorter 's commendable inductive and deductive approach: rather than applying extant theories and concepts to "reveal" the secrets of Indigenous cultural practices, this study posits an interactive model that draws upon Yoeme intellectual and religious principles to contribute to ongoing global discussions about place and identity.