The Hohokam Dig

"The Hohokam Dig" by Theodore Pratt is a historical fiction novel that looks into how modern science and old history connect, telling the story of two researchers, George Arthbut and Sidney Hunt, as they try to solve the mysteries of the Hohokam people from prehistoric America. The story gets interesting when the characters, through unexpected events, meet real Hohokam Indians who have traveled to their time. George and Sidney, an ethnologist and an archaeologist, come to a dig site to figure out why these ancient desert people seemed to vanish suddenly. Their research takes a surprising turn when they meet actual Hohokam villagers who, led by their medicine man, Huk, have been moved forward in time. By talking to them, the scientists learn about the past, their troubles, and their worries about their changing world. The plot thickens when the scientists try to write down what they've learned but face the problem of sending these ancient people back to their own time and losing the knowledge they wanted. In the end, the novel mixes adventure, mystery, and the depth of human history with imaginative parts, inviting readers to think about culture and what happens when we discover new things.