Nick Yengich Memorial Editors’ Choice Award, to David L. Bigler for “‘A Lion in the Path’: Genesis of the Utah War, 1857-1858,” published in Utah Historical Quarterly, Winter 2008.

In more recent years, the Navajo Nation claimed them as sacred, ancient artifacts. The winning article explores the 20th century history of the shields and goes through the Navajo (and other tribal) claims.

My prejudices go very strongly against the credibility of claims based on oral tradition when there is something of scientific or monetary value at stake. This article was the first thing I’ve ever read that convinced me that, after applying certain scholarly standards, Native oral traditions may very well be credible. The Navajoes provided a detailed chain of ownership of those shields from the 17th century onward — they knew what they were, and how they were used, and even how they came to be buried where they were found. In 2005 the shields were turned over to Navajo custody.