Louise Abeita
| Louise Abeita | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1926 Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico, United States |
| Nationality | Isleta Pueblo-American |
| Occupation | Author & educator |
| Known for | Author of I Am a Pueblo Indian Girl |
Louise Abeita Chewiwi (E-Yeh-Shure "Blue Corn")[1] is a Native American writer ane educator, who is an enrolled member of Isleta Pueblo.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Louise Abeita was born, in 1926, and raised at Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico, United States.[1] Her father, Diego Abeita[3], was active in tribal government. Her mother, Lottie Gunn Abeita, was from Laguna Pueblo.[citation needed]
[edit] I am a Pueblo Indian Girl
When Abeita was a young girl, her father noticed that she had a natural talent for poetry. In order to showcase his daughters work, he brought together Native artists from Navajo, Apache and Pueblo communities to create and print a book based around her poetry. This group would form the National Gallery of the American Indian (NGAI), and they would publish Abeita's illustrated book.[1] She was 13 years old.[2] The book, I am a Pueblo Indian Girl, has been described as the "first truly Indian book," by historians Gretchen Bataille and Laurie Lisa.[1]
I Am a Pueblo Indian Girl depicts the life of Abeita through prose and poetry. Themes throughout the book touch on Pueblo traditions, with illustrations by artists from NGAI complimenting Abeita's writing. This book is considered the first effort in the Pueblo community to document artistry and tradition to the English-speaking, non-Native community.[1]
[edit] Later life
She had a long career teaching within the BIA school system and continued be active in Indian education long after her retirement.[citation needed]
[edit] Further reading
- I am a Pueblo Indian Girl. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1939. ASIN B00085IHHU.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Gretchen M. Bataille; Laurie Lisa (12 June 2001). Native American women: a biographical dictionary. Taylor & Francis. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-415-93020-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=83LZvjUSPr0C. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Louise Abeita (E-Yeh-Shure 'Blue Corn')." Native American Authors. (retrieved 27 March 2011)
- ^ http://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=nmlcu1ms242.xml
[edit] References
- Louise Abeita (1939). I am a Pueblo Indian Girl. W.Morrow and Company.
- Marta Weigle, Kyle Fiore (2008). Santa Fe and Taos: The Writer's Era, 1916-1941. Sunstone Press. ISBN 978-0-86534-650-5.
