Jack R. Williams

Born in 1924 and raised in Medano Creek Canyon in southern Colorado, Jack R. Williams became interested in Native American history when he was still a child. He later studied Southwestern archaeology at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado.

He went on to spend about thirty years with the National Park Service, with assignments including Chaco Canyon, Bandelier, Aztec Ruins, Navajo National Monuments, and work connected with the Nez Perce people in Idaho. Those years, along with long friendships in Native communities and his adoption into the Mohawk Nation, informed the perspective behind his writing.

In addition to books such as Be Brave, Tah-hy! and The Indians of Carlsbad Caverns, Williams also wrote or co-wrote archaeology reports and articles, and he was noted as a photographer. He described himself not as an expert but as a lifelong student of Native American cultural arts.