Obituary for David Martin Brugge

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ALBUQUERQUE - David Martin Brugge, 85, passed away March 15 in Albuquerque. He was born and greq up in Jamestown, N.Y., to Oswald and Frances Brugge.

Dave served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II. He attended the University of New Mexico and graduated with a bachelor's degree in anthropology in 1950 after only three years.

Dave married Ruth (Sherlog) Brugge in 1959 who precedes him in death in 1990.

In 1958, he was hired by the Navajo Land Claims and Tribal Research Section of the Navajo Tribe, where he assembled documentation for the Navajo Tribe's case before the U.S. Land Claims Commission. His commitment to support the Navajo claim to their traditional lands led to his examination of Navajo land use through the fields of anthropology, Navajo oral tradition and history, and archaeology.

Along with Lee J. Correll, RIchard Van Valkenburgh, Milton Snow, and others, he assembled a Navajo bibliography, published by the Tribe's Parks and Recreation Department in 196, Based on claims, Dave published "Navajo in the Catholic Church Records of New Mexico, 1694-1875," which lay the groundwork for studies of Indian slavery in the Southwest.

Dave's book was republished by NCC Press in 1985 and in 2010 by SAR Press. His documentation of Navajo presence in Dine bikeyah and his work to validate Navajo claims to their homeland underlies Navajo studies today. His work also made him a strong supporter of Navajo sovereignty.

The Navajo Tribe often relied upon Dave's expertise for their legal cases, as well as their efforts to preserve and uphold Navajo sovereignty. The legal case that led to the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act relied heavily upon Dave's scholarship, and following the relocation of more than 12,000 Navajos from lands awarded to the Hopi Tribe, Dave often remarked upon the injustice and supported Navajo resisters at Big Mountain.

Dave saw Navajo relocation as no "solution" to the 1962 Healing v. Jones court case and was deeply perplexed, frustrated, and sad at the consequences for Navajos.

During his land claims research, Dave documented early Navajo sites all over Navajoland and collected ethnographic data as well. That was in addition to his archival studies.

He summarized some of his early Navajo site data in a series of articles in the Navajo Times and in The Navajo Exodus (1972)

In the 1970's, working for the National Park Service, Dave wrote up the historical archaeology results of the survey of Chaco Canyon in Archaeological Surveys of Chaco Canyon, N.M.(1981)

He analysed the survey material in more detail in his 1986 "Tsegai: An Archeological Ethnohistory of Chaco Region", in which he also described his excavations at the Doll House Site, occupied from about 1700-1920.

In 1986, along with longtime friend of the Navajos Charlotte Frisbie, he co-founded the Navajo Studies Conference, which hosted its 19th conference in Santa Fe in 2012. Honored by many groups for his tireless efforts and widespread interests, Dave was awarded an honorary Ph. D. by his Alma mater, UNM, in 2005.

After his retirement, he continued to support Navajo studies and was known for his support of Navajo scholars and students. A compassionate and wise elder, Dave will be deeply missed by his immediate family and his Navajo colleagues and friends.

Dave is survived by three children, who were raised on the Navajo Nation during their early childhood:

At Dave's request no memorial service was planned, but a celebration of his life will be held in June.