Emory Sekaquaptewa facts for kids

Emory Sekaquaptewa (born December 28, 1928 – died December 14, 2007) was an important Hopi leader and a smart scholar. He came from the village of Hotevilla, located on the Third Mesa. People sometimes called him the "First Hopi" or "First Indian." He is most famous for helping to create the very first dictionary of the Hopi language.

Emory Sekaquaptewa started working at the University of Arizona in 1972 as an assistant professor. He later became a full professor there, teaching from 1990 until 2007. In October 2007, he received the 4th Annual Spirit of the Heard Award from the Heard Museum. This award honored his great work.

Early Life and Leadership

Emory Sekaquaptewa was born in 1928 in Hotevilla. This village is part of the Hopi Reservation in northern Arizona. His birth was not officially recorded, so he used December 28 as his birthday.

He is thought to be the first Native American from Arizona to attend West Point. This is a famous military school. Later, he studied law at the University of Arizona. He finished law school in 1970.

Emory Sekaquaptewa held many important jobs in his community. He was a leader in the village of Kykotsmovi. He also served on the Hopi Tribal Council. Plus, he worked as a judge in the Hopi Tribal Court.

His parents were Helen and Emory Sekaquaptewa, Sr. They met around 1915. His mother's life story was shared in a book called Me and Mine. His father was a farmer and also a tribal court judge. Emory had siblings, including Abbott, who was a longtime Tribal Chairman, and Marlene, a political leader.

In October 2007, Emory Sekaquaptewa received the Spirit of the Heard Award. The Heard Museum gave him this award. It was for his efforts to teach people about Native cultures and art.

Creating the Hopi Dictionary

Emory Sekaquaptewa was a key person in the Hopi Dictionary Project. He was the "Cultural Editor" for this big project. In 1998, they finished the first-ever Hopi dictionary. Its full name is Hopi Dictionary/Hopìikwa Lavàytutuveni: A Hopi–English Dictionary of the Third Mesa Dialect.

This dictionary is very large, with 900 pages. It has about 30,000 Hopi words. It also explains how Hopi grammar works. The dictionary is important because it helps keep the Hopi language strong. It took Emory Sekaquaptewa 30 years to complete this work. The Hopi language is very complex and did not have a standard way of writing before this dictionary.

As a scholar, Sekaquaptewa also wrote other books and articles. One chapter he co-wrote was about the Hopi idea of clowning. It was called “One More Smile for a Hopi Clown.”

Hopicrafts Jewelry Business

Around 1961, Emory Sekaquaptewa and his brother Wayne started a business. It was called Hopi Enterprises and was in Phoenix. They hired Hopi silversmiths to make special jewelry. This jewelry used a style called "overlay." Two of the artists they hired were Harry Sakyesva and Bernard Dawahoya.

In 1962, Emory and Wayne moved their business. They took it to the village of Kykotsmovi on the Hopi Reservation. They also changed its name to Hopicrafts. This business created its own unique jewelry designs. It did very well and was a strong competitor to another jewelry group. Many talented silversmiths worked at Hopicrafts.

All the jewelry made at Hopicrafts had a special mark. It was a joined capital "H" and a small "c." Emory Sekaquaptewa made silver jewelry that had his own mark, "SEKAQUAPTEWA." His brother Wayne made jewelry only sometimes. Hopicrafts closed in 1983. Emory's nephew, Phillip Sekaquaptewa, was also a very skilled silversmith. He was good at the Hopi overlay style and also created new designs with stone and silver.

See also

• List of Native American artists
• Native American jewelry

Images for kids

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