The Hopi community of Awat'ovi existed peacefully on Arizona's Antelope Mesa for generations. Then one bleak morning in the fall of 1700 raiders from nearby Hopi villages descended on Awat'ovi, slaughtering their neighboring men, women, and children. Why did kinsmen target it for destruction? Drawing on oral traditions, archival accounts, and extensive archaeological research, Brooks unravels the story and its significance, and argues that a perfect storm of internal and external crises revitalized an ancient cycle of ritual bloodshed and purification.

A gate unguarded -- The sorcerer's kiva -- The singing house -- Wolves from the east -- At play in the fields of the Lord -- You will find me poor, while you return in the grandeur of plenty -- Across this deep and troubled land -- Liminal men, liminal souls -- At the moment of the yellow dawn.