Tuwalanki: Fortress Village of the Sinagua

A 700 year step back in time: Tuwalanki, Fortress Village of the Sinagua It was a cold day in early December when Hamilton Geddes, a retiree in search of adventure, and Charley Wilmot, an eccentric archeologist, joined their guide, E. Gavin Griggs, for a three-day trek in search of the fortress ruins of the Sinagua Indians known as Tuwalanki. Hamilton and Gavin quickly discover that they were Scout mates in their youth who had lost touch with each other over the years. Both had been Indian lore enthusiasts as youths and Gavin had gone on to become a reclusive anthropologist who specializes in the ancient native cultures of the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. While finding the ruins, the intrepid trio is beset by a blinding snow storm and forced to take refuge in one of the rooms at Tuwalanki. During the night, Hamilton is visited in a dream by Tuwutsmoki, the storyteller, of the Honngyan (Bear) clan who had built and occupied Tuwalanki over 700 years ago. The story is set in the beautiful red rock valley of Sedona, Arizona and, though fictional, is loosely based on the oral traditions of the Hopi Indians, descendants of the Sinagua, and archeological research. The reader will not only escape into the world of the Sinagua but will learn much about the geologic and anthropologic history of the red rock valley, while joining this intrepid and sometimes humorous trio of senior-age adventurers in their search for Tuwalanki, Fortress Village of the Sinagua.