The Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman is set mainly on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. The characters in the novel reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the region and the interactions between different Native American tribes and the white culture surrounding the reservation.
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Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is theprotagonist of the novel. Himself a member of the Navajo tribe, he has been educated at Arizona State University and balances Navajo tradition with Anglo cultures and knowledge. He is investigating the disappearance of George Bowlegs.
George Bowlegs is a Navajo boy interested in Zuni spiritual practices. He is murdered by Dr. Chester Reynolds.
Dr. Chester Reynolds is the main antagonist of the novel. He is falsifying his findings as an archaeologist and commits murder to preserve his secrets.
Ernesto Cata is a Zuni boy who is a friend of George Bowlegs and also dies.
The main character in Tony Hillerman's 1973 novel is Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police; he works out of the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation. Leaphorn becomes involved in the case of two missing boys: Ernesto Cata, a Zuni, and George Bowlegs, a Navajo. Leaporn's counterpart in the Zuni tribe is Ed Pasquaanti.
Ted Isaacs is an anthropologist who is working at a dig overseen by Professor Chester Reynolds, an academic whose theories are not widely accepted in his field. Reynolds murders Ernesto and George and Shorty Bowlegs. He is eventually caught and presumably murdered at a Zuni ceremony.
Susanne is a member of a hippie commune, The Golden Fleece, which is camped near the dig. She is friendly with George Bowlegs and helps Lieutenant Leaphorn in his investigation.
The main character is Joe Leaphorn, a Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant trying to solve a case concerning a missing boy.
George Bowlegs is the missing boy, who, although he does not actually appear in the book, is the object of the mystery.
Dr. Chester Reynolds is an archaeologist and murderer.
Suzanne is a member of the Golden Fleece commune who helps Leaphorn.
Ted Isaacs is a young archaeologist under Reynolds who has a lot of decisions to make concerning his identity and loyalties.
Father Ingles is a Catholic priest who helps Leaphorn with information about Bowlegs and Zuni traditions.
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