N. Scott Momaday facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
N. Scott Momaday
|
|
|---|---|
Momaday receiving the National Medal of Arts from George W. Bush in 2007
|
|
| Born | Navarre Scott Momaday February 27, 1934 Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 2024 (aged 89) Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Kiowa Tribe United States |
| Alma mater | University of New Mexico (BA) Stanford University (PhD) |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Literary movement | Native American Renaissance |
| Notable works | House Made of Dawn (1968) |
Navarre Scott Momaday (born February 27, 1934 – died January 24, 2024) was an American writer. He was a member of the Kiowa Tribe. He wrote novels, short stories, essays, and poems.
His book, House Made of Dawn, won the important Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969. This book is seen as the start of a new era for Native American writing, called the Native American Renaissance. His next book, The Way to Rainy Mountain, mixed old tribal stories with his own memories.
In 2007, he received the National Medal of Arts. This award honored his efforts to celebrate and keep alive the stories and art of Native American people. He earned many special degrees from universities. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Navarre Scott Momaday was born on February 27, 1934. His birthplace was Lawton, Oklahoma. He was born in a hospital for Kiowa and Comanche people. His mother was Mayme 'Natachee' Scott Momaday. She was a writer. His father, Alfred Morris Momaday, was a full-blooded Kiowa. He was a painter.
In 1935, when Momaday was one year old, his family moved to Arizona. Both his parents became teachers on a Native American reservation. Growing up in Arizona, Momaday learned about his father's Kiowa traditions. He also learned about the traditions of other Native American groups. These included the Navajo, Apache, and Pueblo peoples.
In 1946, Momaday moved to Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. He lived there with his parents until his last year of high school. After high school, he went to the University of New Mexico. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1958. He continued his studies at Stanford University. There, he earned a Ph.D. in English Literature in 1963.
Momaday appeared in a 2023 documentary. It was called The American Buffalo by Ken Burns.
Writing Career and Achievements
Momaday's first book was published in 1965. It was called The Complete Poems of Frederick Goddard Tuckerman. This book was based on his university research.
His novel House Made of Dawn became very famous. It helped bring Native American literature into the main American culture. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969.
House Made of Dawn was the first novel of the Native American Renaissance. This term was created by a literary expert, Kenneth Lincoln. The book is still a very important work of Native American literature.
As other Native American writers became known, Momaday started writing poetry. He released a small collection called Angle of Geese. One writer, John Finlay, said it was Momaday's best work. He believed it should give Momaday a lasting place in literature. The poems from Angle of Geese were later part of a bigger collection. This collection was called The Gourd Dancer (1976). Most of Momaday's later works mixed poetry and prose.
In 2007, Momaday moved back to Oklahoma. This was the first time since his childhood. The governor of Oklahoma, Brad Henry, named him the Oklahoma Poet Laureate. Momaday held this special position for two years.
Teaching and Academic Life
Momaday taught at several universities. These included Stanford University, the University of Arizona, and the University of California-Berkeley. He also taught at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
He was a visiting professor at places like Columbia and Princeton. He was also the first professor to teach American Literature in Moscow, Russia. This was at Moscow State University.
In 1963, Momaday started teaching English at the University of California-Santa Barbara. From 1966 to 1967, he focused on literary research. He earned a special Guggenheim Fellowship at Harvard University. In 1969, Momaday became a professor of English at the University of California-Berkeley. He taught creative writing. He also created new courses about American Indian literature and stories.
During his long teaching career, Momaday became known for his knowledge. He specialized in Native American oral traditions. He also studied the sacred ideas of Native American cultures. He received 12 honorary degrees from different American universities.
Momaday was a visiting professor at the University of New Mexico in 2014–2015. He taught about poetry and Native American oral traditions.
Later Activities and Legacy
Momaday started two organizations. These were the Rainy Mountain Foundation and Buffalo Trust. These groups work to protect Native American cultures. Momaday was also a watercolor painter. He designed and illustrated his book, In the Bear's House.
Awards and Recognition
Momaday received many awards for his important work:
- In 1969, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel "House Made of Dawn."
- He was featured in the 1996 documentary The West. This was for his great way of telling Kiowa history and legends.
- He was also in PBS documentaries about boarding schools, Billy the Kid, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
- He was honored as the Oklahoma Centennial Poet Laureate.
- In 1992, he received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas.
- In 1993, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
- In 2000, he received the St. Louis Literary Award.
- In 2007, President George W. Bush gave him a National Medal of Arts.
- In 2010, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
- In 2018, Momaday won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. This award honors books that deal with racism and fairness.
- In 2018, he was one of the first people inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame.
- In 2019, Momaday received the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize.
- In 2019, he received the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.
Death
Navarre Scott Momaday passed away on January 24, 2024. He was 89 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Navarre Scott Momaday para niños
- Poets Laureate of Oklahoma
- List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas
- Native American Renaissance
- Native American Studies
