Tucson Festival of Books

Dorothy Denetclaw


Dorothy Denetclaw is Tótsohnii born for Tł’ááschí’í. She has lived in Indian Wells, Arizona, her whole life. Dorothy is a survivor of the U.S. government’s boarding school system. After studying business in college, she worked on community development projects across the Navajo Nation as an organizer, activist, and interpreter. Dorothy especially enjoys researching her family history, a legacy for her children and grandchildren. "The Sons of Gunshooter" is Dorothy's first book.

Arizona author


Scheduled events:
Dorothy Denetclaw
The Sons of Gunshooter: A Navajo Resistance Story In 1919, the brother of one of the West’s most famous Indian traders was shot to death in a remote corner of the Navajo Nation. Part history, part true crime, The Sons of Gunshooter reexamines the killing and subsequent murder trial, while simultaneously embedding the story in a much larger saga of colonization and resistance. The result is a book that’s sweeping in its scope and surgical in its approach. Rewinding the clock to 1868, the authors follow the intertwining paths of two families to offer a riveting, deeply personal account that has been hailed as “a new way of doing historiography.” One of the authors is a descendant of participants in the case; the other is an investigative journalist. By merging Diné oral traditions with archival evidence, they succeed in upending one false narrative after another.

University of Arizona Press, Booth #247 (Seats 1)
Sat, Mar 14, 11:00 am - 11:50 am
History / Biography

Author: Dorothy Denetclaw
Untold Stories
Some of the early twentieth century West's most interesting crime stories are the ones documented in history wrong. Authors Dorothy Denetclaw, Matt Fitzsimons, and Mark Archuleta correct the record and reveal the untold stories.

UA Library/Special Collections (Seats 110)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sat, Mar 14, 1:00 pm - 1:55 pm
History / Biography
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Mark Archuleta, Dorothy Denetclaw, Matt Fitzsimons
Moderator: Jennifer Jenkins
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, University of Arizona Press, Brenda Quick

Book:
The Sons of Gunshooter
A Navajo Resistance Story
History / Biography
University of Arizona Press
March 2026
ISBN 9780816556168
240 pages
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