Annette Arkeketa facts for kids

Annette Arkeketa is a talented writer, poet, and playwright. She is a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma. She has also taught workshops on writing, creativity, and making documentary films. She even directed Native American film studies at Comanche Nation College.

About Annette Arkeketa

Annette Arkeketa also has Muscogee Creek family roots. 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.

Her Beliefs on Writing

Annette Arkeketa believes that writing is very important for Native American people. She says:

My personal feelings about writing is that it is necessary for our Indian people to write and produce great works about ourselves. It is important to challenge ourselves to write in the genres that we are unfamiliar with. The more we write the better we become as fiction writers, non-fiction writers, playwrights, screenplay writers, journalists, poets, research and essay writers.

My more recent work has been concentrated in the area of media production for feature films and television documentaries. I believe television and the big screen is the most powerful media available to us today.

The importance of our visibility in these areas writing and the media is for our children. They deserve to perform our work on stage and film. Always they seek us on the shelves of libraries, magazine racks, and newspaper stands. They seek us as mentors and role models, let's not disappoint them.

She also believes that movies and TV are very powerful ways to share stories today. She feels it's important for Native American stories to be seen and heard for the sake of future generations.

Her Plays

Annette Arkeketa has written several plays. Her play Hokti was performed by the Tulsa Indian Actors' Workshop in 1997. It was also shown at The Thunderbird Theatre in 1998 at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. Hokti was later published in a book of plays called Stories of Our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays in 1999.

Another play she wrote is Ghost Dance. This play has been read aloud at different places like the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Tulsa University. It was also performed with acting workshops in Lawton, Oklahoma. In 2004, the full play was produced by 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.

Her Documentaries

Annette Arkeketa has also worked as a producer for documentary films. She started her own company called Hokte Productions. The word "Hokte" means 'woman' in the Muscogee language.

Her first documentary was about an artist named Jimmy Pena. It was called Intrinsic Spirit: The Artway of Jimmy Pena (2002). It showed Jimmy Pena's artwork and murals.

Her next film was Muh-Du Kee: Put Them Back (2004). This documentary followed Jimmy Arterberry, who works for the Comanche Nation. He helps bring back the remains of his people from museums and other places. The film explores his thoughts on this important process for Native Americans.

In 2005, she made Pahdopony: See how deep the water is. This film was about Juanita Pahdopony, a Comanche artist, teacher, and activist.

Her film Chief George (2009) is about Rev. George Akeen (Cheyenne/Wichita). It shows his work to bring peace to the Middle East.

Annette Arkeketa is also working on a film called Being Indian in Oklahoma. She is also looking for someone to help produce a family movie screenplay called A Good Day to Dance. It's a story about dance, family love, and what it takes to win.

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 supporting other writers.
• In 1998, she won the Writer of the Year award for Playwriting for her play Hokti. This award was also from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers.

Her Published Works

Annette Arkeketa's writings have been published in various books and online.

Plays

• Pahdopony: See How Deep the Water Is
• Ghost Dance, found in Keepers of the Morning Star: An Anthology of Native Women's Theater.
• Hokti, found in Stories of Our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays.

Poetry

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

Anthologies

Her work has appeared in many collections of writings, including:

• American Indian Thought: Philosophical Essays
• Gatherings, Volume X, A Retrospective of the First Decade
• Windward Review
• Gatherings, Volume VIII: Shaking the Belly, Releasing the Sacred Clown
• The Indian Summer issue of phati'tude Literary Magazine
• Gatherings, Volume VII, Standing Ground: Strength and Solidarity Amidst Dissolving Boundaries
• Returning the Gift: Poetry and Prose from the First North American Native Writers' Festival
• Indian Market Magazine
• Durable Breath: Contemporary Native American Poetry
• Plains Native American Literature
• That's What She Said: Contemporary Poetry and Fiction by Native American Women
• Oklahoma Indian Markings

Writing available online

You can find some of her poems 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