Keith Hamilton Basso

I grew up living very near Keith in Weston CT. It was a small precious town at that time-with a very small population. Keith was a decent school mate and it is no surprise he had an outstanding life. He was liked and respected by all he came in contact with, including me.

I only knew him when I came to Tucson to teach his classes at the U. of Arizona while he was working on one of his beautiful studies of the Apache and their culture. That must have been in 1979 after I graduated from UC Berkeley, majoring in Anthropology and linguistics under the guidance of Prof. John J. Gumperz. He was a beautiful person, an excellent writer and ethnographer. Anyone who has "learned" about native Americans from Hollywood should read his works. They are so clearly...

My deepest condolences to his wife, family, and friends. He was a great man with a deep passion for our people. I am honored to have met Keith and talk with him about our Apache Language. He showed his love and compassion for my people as he talked. May his work forever be carried on! Bik'egho'ihi'dan bless you all.

I echo many of other commenters in offering my gratitude to Keith Basso as a mentor and role model. To his students, he quietly conveyed his deep respect for the Western Apache; he showed this beyond words through his lifelong commitment to mastering the language and understanding its deepest embedding of Apache ways of seeing and being. I came to appreciate his rather odd, halting way of speaking as a reflection of something he internalized in his decades in Arizona: the high value placed on...

Keith's work for and with the Western Apache is an inspiration to all. He gave of his time freely to help Western Apaches fight against telescope development on Dzil N'chaa Si An (Mt. Graham), to aid in repatriation, and to represent Apache points of view drawn from his work as an expert witness. His writing has influenced generations of students and scholars within many fields. He will be greatly missed, both personally and professionally.

Keith, you were surely one of us, in heart and spirit. Words can never, ever begin to express how deeply we miss you even with knowing that there's a lovely life after death and that you've lived your life to the fullest. Rest in peace our dearest brother!

Keith's work and life were inspirations to all of us who try to understand and help people save places of value and the stories with which they're associated. He'll be sorely missed.

To the Basso family. My family is sorry for your loss, may God give your family the strength to cope during this difficult time, also the care and love from others will make you feel that you are not alone. Proverbs I7:17 says "A true companion is loving all the time, and is a brother that is born for when there is distress."