Evangeline Parsons Yazzie facts for kids

Evangeline Parsons Yazzie (born around 1952 – died May 22, 2022) was a Navajo teacher and writer. She wrote the very first textbook that schools in the United States officially used to teach the Navajo language.

Evangeline Parsons Yazzie's Life

Evangeline Yazzie earned advanced degrees in education from Northern Arizona University (NAU). She taught Navajo language classes there for 24 years, until 2014.

In 2007, Yazzie helped write a special book for learning the Navajo language. It was called Diné Bizaad Bínáhooʼaah: Rediscovering the Navajo Language. She wrote it with Margaret Speas, a language expert from the University of Massachusetts.

In 2008, New Mexico became the first U.S. state to use this book. It was the first time any state officially used a book to teach Navajo in public schools.

After she retired in 2014, Yazzie wrote several stories. These stories were about a made-up family's experiences during the Long Walk of the Navajo. Evangeline Yazzie passed away on May 22, 2022, when she was 69 years old.