Elizabeth Willis DeHuff facts for kids

Elizabeth Willis DeHuff (1886–1983) was an important person in the world of art and books. She helped develop a style of painting in the 1920s and 1930s. She also wrote many children's books. These books often used stories and ideas from Native American cultures.

Some of her famous children's books include Blue-Wings-Flying and Taytay's Tales. Elizabeth DeHuff was very good at recording Native American stories. She made sure they were told in a real and true way. She wrote 65 works in total, published in 118 different ways. These included books for adults and articles about Native American, Hispanic, and New Mexico topics.

Life and Early Career

Elizabeth Willis DeHuff was born in 1886 in Augusta, South Carolina. Her parents were John Turner and Ann Boyd Wilson Willis. She was one of five children. She went to school at Lucy Cobb Institute in Athens, Georgia. Later, she studied at Barnard College in New York City to become a teacher.

In 1910, she traveled to the Philippine Islands to teach. There, she met her future husband, Jeff David DeHuff. They returned to the United States and married in 1913. They then moved to Pennsylvania, where her husband worked at the Carlisle Indian School.

Teaching Art to Native American Students

In 1916, Elizabeth DeHuff moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband. He became the superintendent of the Santa Fe Indian School. She was 24 years old at the time. She quickly became very interested in Native American culture.

At that time, the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not allow art training in schools. So, Elizabeth DeHuff started teaching art, especially painting, from her own home. Many of her students were Native Americans from different tribes. Some famous students included Fred Kabotie and Otis Polelonema from the Hopi tribe. She also taught Velino Shije Herrera from the Zia Pueblo tribe, and Awa Tsireh. Her teaching helped Native American artists show their culture through their art.

Impact on Native American Art

Many people believe her art classes were a very important step. They helped start the Southwest Movement of Native American painting. In 1919, the artwork created by DeHuff's students was shown at the Museum of New Mexico. This was a big deal for her students and for Native American art.

Some people criticized her teaching methods. They said she was promoting "pagan" beliefs. This was because the art her students created often showed tribal stories and customs. Elizabeth DeHuff believed it was important for students to express their own culture.

Writing Children's Books

Elizabeth DeHuff's first children's book, Taytay's Tales, came out in 1922. It was special because it included art from her students, Fred Kabotie and Otis Polelonema. This was the first book ever illustrated by Native Americans. She often asked her students or former students to draw pictures for her children's books.

Her next children's book, Taytay's Memories, was published in 1924. In the same year, a play she wrote called Kaw-eh was performed by students from the Santa Fe Indian School.

While living in Santa Fe, Elizabeth DeHuff was also involved in many community and art events. She wrote articles for magazines about American Indian, Latin American, and New Mexico history and culture. She also wrote regularly for the Museum of New Mexico's magazine, El Palacio.

Later Life and Legacy

Around 1927, Elizabeth DeHuff and her husband moved to another school. She no longer taught students directly. From this time until about 1945, she gave lectures several nights a week at the La Fonda Hotel as part of the Santa Fe Indian Detours. This allowed her to stay close to Native American communities. She continued to support and encourage Native American artists, especially Fred Kabotie, who became a lifelong friend.

In 1943, she published Say the Bells of Old Missions: Legends of Old New Mexico Churches. In this book, she recorded 30 different folktales. These stories were told by Catholic Native Americans in New Mexico. Like her other books, this one also used many illustrations. However, this book used photographs instead of hand-drawn artwork. It also shared history about the missions started by the Catholic Church in New Mexico.

In 1945, her husband, John David, passed away. Elizabeth DeHuff then moved back to Georgia. She continued to write there and also worked on family history research until she died in 1983. Her last children's book, Blue-Wings-Flying, was published in 1977.

Elizabeth DeHuff had three children: David, Ann, and Frances. After her death, her collection of Native American artwork became a large part of the Elizabeth Willis DeHuff Collection of American Indian Art. This collection has 199 pieces of art from over 55 different Native American artists from various tribes. Historians remember Elizabeth DeHuff and her husband as important supporters of Pueblo culture.

Works

• Taytay's Tales (1922)
• Taytay's Memories (1924)
• Kaw-eh (1924)
• From Desert and Pueblo : Five Authentic Navajo and Tewa Indian Songs (1924)
• Telling Stories to Primitives (1926)
• Swift-Eagle of the Rio Grande (1928)
• Five Little Kachinas (1930)
• Books for Indian Children (1932)
• Pals (1936)
• Two little Hopi (1936)
• Hoppity Bunny's Hop (1939)
• Say the Bells of Old Missions: Legends of Old New Mexico Churches (1943)
• Little-Boy-Dance (1946)
• Toodle's Baby Brother (1946)
• The New Junior Classics : Volume Three ; Myths and Legends (1949)
• Coyote Wisdom (1965) – Part of a collection of stories by Texas Folklore Society
• Blue-Wings-Flying (1977)