Clara Sue Kidwell facts for kids

Clara Sue Kidwell (born July 8, 1941) is a well-known Native American scholar, historian, and author. She is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and also has family from the White Earth Ojibwe tribe. Many people see her as a very important person in creating and growing "American Indian Studies" programs. These programs help people learn more about Native American history and cultures.

About Clara Sue Kidwell

Early Life and Education

Clara Sue Kidwell was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in 1941. She grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She was named after her two grandmothers, with whom she had a very close bond. Her grandmother helped raise her while her parents worked as clerks. They worked at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is a government agency.

Clara learned to pay close attention to details from her parents. They taught her to keep copies of important papers. A high school teacher, Glady Nunn, also taught her to be careful with grammar. In 1959, Clara graduated from Central High School. She then went to the University of Oklahoma (OU).

She earned her first degree in 1963. While studying, she joined the College Bowl Team. This led to her getting a special scholarship. She studied the history of science. She earned her master's degree in 1966 from OU. Finally, she received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1970.

Her Career and Work

Clara Sue Kidwell started teaching American Indian studies in 1970. She taught at Haskell Indian Junior College. Today, this school is called Haskell Indian Nations University. She worked there for two years.

After that, she became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She worked at Berkeley until 1993. During her time there, she did a lot of research and wrote many books. She also received special awards from the Newberry Library and the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, she was a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College.

Later, she took on a new role. She became the assistant director for cultural resources. This was at the National Museum of the American Indian. She helped move over a million items. These items came from the George Gustav Heye's Museum of the American Indian. They were moved from New York to Washington, D.C.

In 1995, she returned to the University of Oklahoma. She became the director of the Native American studies program. She also wrote a piece for a book called Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium. This book was put together by Robin Morgan in 2003.

Starting the American Indian Center

In 2007, Clara Sue Kidwell started the American Indian Center (AIC). This center is at the University of North Carolina (UNC). One of her main goals was to help Eastern tribes. These include tribes like the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc.. For different reasons, these tribes cannot get federal recognition. This means the U.S. government does not officially recognize them.

Under Kidwell's leadership, the AIC has done great things in North Carolina. They have created more programs for these state-recognized tribes. These programs help with education, health, and child welfare. She also helped make Native history and culture more visible on the university campus. Clara Sue Kidwell retired from her role as director of the AIC in June 2011.