In Pueblo Gods and Myths, Hamilton A. Tyler asks, “Why do the Pueblos still dance? For whom do they dance? What do they mean by their dancing?” His examination of previous research revealed an obvious and conventionally satisfying answer: “For rain.” His response sheds light on the biased Western perspective in regard to Indigenous traditions, one that he did not share. He writes that “Rain is not a wrong answer, but it is a limiting one. My first premise was that these people do not worship rain, they invoke it.”

Tyler, Hamilton A. Pueblo Gods and Myths: University of Oklahoma Press, 1964.- pls note that Tyler was not a scholar, but just fell in love with the Indigenous Southwest. His research is approached with no agenda and I find him refreshing and poignant.