Wisdom Sits in Places
Wisdom Sits in Places is an ethnography written by Keith H. ... The topic of the book is summarized by its title; Wisdom Sits in Places. To the Apache tribe, this means that the knowledge and the wisdom of the tribe’s past lies within certain places of events. These places hold the history of the tribe and have developed meaning for other generations of Apache because the wisdom has been passed down. ... He helped them make a map of certain places the Apache held dear to them so these memories would not be lost. The map was a record for other generations so they would never forget these places and the stories that went with them. The places Basso was outlining was the history of their pasts. The Indians made it clear to him that this map would never be published for whites to read and the directions to these places were never to be given away. White man has a history of coming into places and ruining its beauty and meaning. The map would be only for the record of the Apache because these places are the history of the Indians and without them they are nothing. ... There are people out there that would use the maps as their own personal conquest and set out to find these places. The point of not publishing them is to keep careless people from wondering onto the sacred places of the Apache. ... One of the most important parts I found in the book, was when Basso mispronounced the name of one of the sacred Apache places.