Annette Arkeketa facts for kids

Annette Arkeketa is a talented writer, poet, and playwright. She is a proud member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma. Annette has shared her skills by leading workshops on writing, creative thinking, and making documentary films. She even directed Native American film studies at Comanche Nation College.

Annette Arkeketa's Journey

Annette Arkeketa also has family roots in the Muscogee Creek tribe. Her essay, "Repatriation: Religious Freedom, Equal Protection, Institutional Racism," was published in a book called American Indian Thought in 2004. This book was a collection of philosophical writings edited by Anne Water.

Annette believes that writing is very important for Native people. She says,

It's really important for Native people to write and create amazing stories about ourselves. We should challenge ourselves to try writing in different ways, even if they are new to us. The more we write, the better we become at telling stories, writing plays, making screenplays, reporting news, writing poems, and doing research.

Lately, I've been focusing on making movies and TV shows. I think TV and the big screen are the most powerful ways to share stories today.

It's so important for our children to see us in writing and media. They deserve to see our work performed on stage and in films. They look for us in libraries, magazines, and newspapers. They look up to us as guides and role models, so let's make them proud.

Her Amazing Plays

Annette Arkeketa has written several plays that have been performed. Her play Hokti was shown by the Tulsa Indian Actors' Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1997. It was also performed at The Thunderbird Theatre at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas in 1998.

Hokti was later published in a book called Stories of Our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays in 1999.

Another one of her plays, Ghost Dance, has been read aloud at different places. These include the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2001), Tulsa University (2002), and the American Indian Community House in New York City (2003). It was also part of acting workshops in Lawton, Oklahoma. In 2004, the full play was produced by the Drama Department at the Institute of American Indian Arts. Ghost Dance is also published in a book called Keepers of the Morning Star: An Anthology of Native Women's Theater (2003).

Making Documentaries

More recently, Annette Arkeketa has been working as a documentary producer. She even started her own production company called Hokte Productions. The word "Hokte" means 'woman' in the Muscogee language.

Her first documentary was about a visual artist named Jimmy Pena from Corpus Christi. It's called Intrinsic Spirit: The Artway of Jimmy Pena (2002) and is about 24 minutes long. It shows Jimmy Pena's artwork, including his paintings and murals.

Her next project was Muh-Du Kee: Put Them Back (2004). This hour-long documentary follows Jimmy Arterberry, who is the NAGPRA coordinator for the Comanche Nation. NAGPRA stands for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This law helps Native American tribes bring back the remains of their ancestors and sacred items from museums and other places. The documentary shows Jimmy Arterberry working with different groups to bring his people's remains home. It explores his thoughts on this important human rights issue for Native Americans.

In 2005, she released Pahdopony: See how deep the water is. This 21-minute film tells the story of Juanita Pahdopony, a Comanche artist, teacher, and activist.

Her 2009 film, Chief George, looks at Rev. George Akeen (Cheyenne/Wichita) and his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

Awards and Recognition

Annette Arkeketa has received special awards for her work:

• In 2000, she was named Mentor of the Year by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. This award recognized her for guiding and inspiring other writers.
• In 1998, she won the Writer of the Year award for Playwriting for her play Hokti from the same organization, the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers.

Her Published Works

Plays She Has Written

• Pahdopony: See How Deep the Water Is
• Ghost Dance, found in Keepers of the Morning Star: An Anthology of Native Women's Theater, published by UCLA American Indian Studies Center.
• Publisher's page for the book
• Hokti, included in Stories of Our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays, edited by Hanay Geiogamah and Jaye T. Darby, UCLA American Indian Studies Center, 1999.

Her Poetry

• The Terms of a Sister, which she published herself.

Books She Contributed To

Annette Arkeketa's writings have appeared in many collections of works by different authors:

• American Indian Thought: Philosophical Essays, edited by Anne Waters, Blackwell Pub.
• Gatherings, Volume X, A Retrospective of the First Decade, edited by Greg Young-Ing & Florene Belmore, Penticton: Theytus Books
• Windward Review, edited by Patricia Wimberly, Texas A & M University, 1998.
• Gatherings, Volume VIII: Shaking the Belly, Releasing the Sacred Clown, Edited by Joyce B. Joe and Susan M. Beaver, Penticton: Theytus Books
• The Indian Summer issue of phati'tude Literary Magazine
• Gatherings, Volume VII, Standing Ground: Strength and Solidarity Amidst Dissolving Boundaries, co-edited by Kateri Akiwenzie Damm and Jeannette Armstrong, Penticton: Theytus Books
• Returning the Gift: Poetry and Prose from the First North American Native Writers' Festival, Sun Tracks Books, No 29), University of Arizona Press.
• Indian Market Magazine, Santa Fe, NM, 1994.
• Durable Breath: Contemporary Native American Poetry, edited by John E. Smelcer, D. L. Birchfield, Salmon Run Pub.
• Plains Native American Literature, Simon and Schuster, 1993.
• That's What She Said: Contemporary Poetry and Fiction by Native American Women, edited by Rayna Green, Indiana University Press.
• Oklahoma Indian Markings, edited by Francine Ringold, Nimrod, Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, 1989.

Her Writing You Can Find Online

• Too Much For The Average Indian IX.
• Too Much For The Average Indian XI.
• Too Much For The Average Indian XII.
• The terms of a sister
• Project Muse