Behind the Bears Ears: Exploring the Cultural and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape

by R.E. Burrillo

FOREWORD INDIES WINNER, EDITOR'S CHOICE PRIZE NONFICTION

For more than twelve thousand years, the redrock landscape of southeastern Utah has shaped the lives of everyone who calls it home. R. E. Burrillo takes listeners on a journey of discovery through the stories and controversies that make this place so unique, from traces of its earliest inhabitants through its role in shaping the study of archaeology itself—and into the modern battle over its protection.

Genres: Archaeology, History, Nonfiction, Travel, Science, Environment, Nature

Audible Audio

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Ralph "R.E." Burrillo is an archaeologist, author, and conservation advocate. His writing has appeared in Archaeology Southwest, Colorado Plateau Advocate, The Salt Lake Tribune, Blue Mountain Shadows, The Moab Times, The Navajo-Hopi Observer, Kiva, The Gulch, The Dust, The Archaeological Record, Flag Live, The San Juan Record, and Southwestern Lore. He is also the author of the award-winning Behind the Bears Ears: Exploring the Cultural and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape; and The Backwoods of Everywhere: Words from a Wandering Local. He currently splits his time between Scottsdale and Flagstaff, AZ.

Reviews

[fire_on_the_mountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I figure that as someone with a cursory understanding of the region and it's people, that I might be a little bit in over my head. Nope! I really enjoyed reading this in-depth, yet accessible, survey of the histories of Bears Ears. And I think it’s a credit to the author that he is able to harness the cultural and natural histories of the region, and weave in the history of his field and his personal life in a way that enhances the telling and the understanding. I certainly came away with a deeper appreciation for the work that archaeologists do, and a much firmer foundation of the peoples that populate the Bears Ears and make it so special. I don’t want to give it away, but what a rich callback at the end, tying back to the introduction about what Bears Ears signifies and symbolizes in human history. What a rich read. I’m so glad I picked this one up.

[Stormy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s so much information in this book—also contains a lot of the author’s opinions, which makes it very readable. Perfect adjunct text for a class on anthropology, environmental policy, or American western history.

[Kirk Astroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty interesting read but I could not give it 5 stars because he did not include footnotes or citations in his book. I know he explained it but I don’t agree. And he also erred about an important piece of history. Robert Kennedy did NOT lose the presidential election to Richard Nixon in 1968 (p 339). RFK was assassinated in June 1968. It was Humphrey who Nixon bested in 68.

Burillo also lapses into many odd idioms that escape me. “Getting really into Tool was the next logical step for me.” (p 74). Huh? And (p 372) a photo of Sally Jewell warrants war protection? Inside joke I guess. What exactly is “the Mighty Five campaign”? ( p 374). Then there’s this: “And here’s where this already troubled tale nukes the fridge.” (p 334). Huh?

While he does a nice review of archaeological history in the US, I could have heard much less about his Lyme disease struggles which seemed to dominate almost every chapter. I guess a bit too much post-modern personalism for me. Nice touch having an Indigenous Hopi archaeologist provide the afterward. But I could have done without some of his personal angst and high jinks before deciding to get into archaeology. He seems intent on convincing us that he is a renegade by referring to the kinds of people he hangs out with and his stupid risking taking when he strands his truck in a frozen creek bed in December.

His strongest point is the discussion of the nefarious machinations to defraud the Hopi and Navajo tribes of their land and water for uranium and coal. Very evil and they are still affected to this day. And what exactly is “the ugliest and most culturally appropriate eyesores” he has ever seen in Bluff? He doesn’t say. Guess we have to go see for ourselves.

[litost · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about my favourite place in the world. Like the author, I am not from Southeast Utah but feel like I’ve found my home when I visit. Burrillo starts with the mammoth hunter and gives a brief history of the phases from then on. I found Burrillo’s writing style difficult to follow: it’s very tongue-in-cheek and digressive. I did appreciate that he continued the history up to the current, not stopping after the cliff dwellers as some archaeologists do. I learned things and the cover is beautiful.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to follow the author’s writing style, initially. He uses a mix of archeology terminology,slang and side trips. But he writes a fascinating story of the ancients and the area close to the 4 Corners called Bears Ears. He points out the importance of this area to many Native tribes, both historically and today. All the more reason Trump’s idea to shrink this National Monument’s size, MONUMENTALLY, was such a mistake with no respect.

[Casey Dawes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book, full of information on the cultural importance of the Bears Ears Monument (thankfully restored to its full size). I learned a great deal (always a plus in my book), and better yet, had a number of chuckles along the way. Burrillo's writing style is easy to ready and entertaining.

The only problem with the style is that at times I got lost as to what actually was happening, or found some of it repetitive, particularly the personal information. I was never sure which trip into Grand Wash he was talking about or exactly where we were on the Lyme disease journey and which parts of which went along with what he was doing at the time (bartending, graduate school???).

Bar that, this is a must-read book if you want to know anything about the southeast area of Utah and the controversy that surrounds it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all my years of education, Native Americans were always portrayed as singular beings from a specific time and place, and this book does an absolutely fantastic job of deconstructing that narrative to instead focus on the radical idea - wait for it - that Native Americans (then, and now) were (and are) people. Not some ancient, mystic being, but people like you and me. The author tells the history of the people who lived in and around Bears Ears, and the way the archeological community interacted with them, in an approachable way. And he’s funny. So, even if you know nothing (or very little) about Bears Ears, like I did when I started this, give it a try.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this is a high-4 to -5 star read because I appreciated learning all the details Burillo included through his intense research and personal love of the area. It is a dense book, and I did find one error which caused me to question, just a bit, that research...but overall, it hugely increased my understanding of the long history of the Bears Ears area and enriched my most recent foray to the Colorado Plateau area. It also educated me to the extent of varied peoples with roots in the Bears Ears.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun romp through Southwestern Archaeology with a focus on Bears Ears and fun tidbits from R.E.'s life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it even though a lot of the material was familiar to me he managed to contextualize it in ways I hadn't thought of before. It is readable for an interested but non-professional reader. If you plan to join the throngs going to this area I highly recommend it.

[Jeff Macey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about an amazing area! This was a great road trip read that was very relatable and yet covered a lot of stuff. Loved the author's wit as he made fun of people's racism and general uncaring about any native people and things. Went to Bears Ears last year when it became apparent that the orange pedophile was going to get back in. Loved the area and want to go back if it survives! House on Fire was pure magic!

[Emily Ballard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very opinion based. Much of book is very strong opinions based on what you think is actual experience. I was suspicious of this, then I read that the author had been to Chaco one time? That was enough. You can’t write the majority of your opinions of a culture and Chaco if you have been there one time. I guess you can, but all the rants about every hot topic was just too much as well.

[River James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An iconoclast in ones field is so much more revealing than a happy character reporting from the field. This book bristles with the excitement I found in reading Lekson's "Chaco Meridian" and David Robert's "The Lost World of the Old Ones."

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and easy to read. I loved it.

[Rob Melich · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a difficult read. So much interesting information cluttered with difficult narration. Another book crying out for a good editor.
The last chapter and the afterword are very good.

[Ryan G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is sooo dense. It definitely took me a long time to get through but it was so informative and made me appreciate my travels In the area significantly more.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author has a ton of knowledge about the area and when he focuses on that, it's fascinating and engaging. Those sections are the reason I continued reading the book. However, the author is also all over the place in the book, which makes it hard (and sometimes downright annoying) to follow. Do I need to know about his struggle with Lyme disease and that he was misdiagnosed and mistreated by the medical community? Probably not. I definitely don't need to know about past girlfriends, that he dropped out of college at one point, etc. The book also includes a lot of mansplaining about fairly basic ideas, especially in the early chapters of the book. Nevertheless, in the spots where he stayed focused and really dug into the cultural history of the land or otherwise talked about Bears Ears, it was fascinating enough to keep me going.