Paula Gunn Allen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paula Gunn Allen
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Paula Gunn Allen (2007)
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| Born | Paula Marie Francis October 24, 1939 Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States |
| Died | May 29, 2008 (aged 68) Fort Bragg, California |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist |
| Nationality | Laguna Pueblo |
| Alma mater | University of Oregon, University of New Mexico |
| Literary movement | Native American Renaissance |
Paula Gunn Allen (born October 24, 1939 – died May 29, 2008) was an important Native American writer. She was a poet, a novelist, a literary critic, and a professor. She also worked as an activist for Native American rights.
Paula Gunn Allen had a mixed background. Her family included European-American, Native American, and Arab-American roots. However, she felt most connected to her mother's people, the Laguna Pueblo. She grew up with their traditions and stories. These traditions greatly influenced her writing. She wrote many poems and stories based on Laguna oral traditions. She also edited several collections of Native American stories. She wrote two biographies about Native American women.
In 1986, she published a major book. It explored the role of women in American Indian traditions. She argued that European accounts often ignored or downplayed women's importance. This was because European societies were mostly led by men. Her work inspired many other writers and scholars.
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Biography
Paula Marie Francis was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She grew up in a village called Cubero, New Mexico. This village was next to the Laguna Pueblo reservation. Her background was a mix of Laguna, Sioux, Scottish, and Lebanese-American heritage. But she always felt closest to the Laguna people. She spent her childhood and grew up among them.
Her father, Elias Lee Francis, was Lebanese-American. He owned a store in Cubero. He later became the lieutenant governor of New Mexico from 1967 to 1970. Her brother, Lee Francis, was also a writer. He was a Laguna Pueblo-Anishinaabe poet and storyteller.
Paula first attended a mission school. In 1957, she graduated from a boarding school. It was called the "Sisters of Charity" in Albuquerque.
She went to the University of Oregon and earned two degrees in creative writing. She also earned a PhD at the University of New Mexico. There, she began studying tribal religions. While at the University of New Mexico, she sought advice from a poetry professor. He suggested she read other poets like Charles Olson and Allen Ginsberg. These poets greatly influenced her work. Later, at the University of Oregon, she had a poetry professor named Ralph Salisbury. He was from a Cherokee tribe and also had a big impact on her writing.
Professor Allen taught at several colleges and universities. These included Fort Lewis College, San Diego State University, and the University of California, Berkeley. From 1990 to 1999, she taught at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She was a professor in the English department and the UCLA American Indian Studies Center.
Understanding Native American Cultures
Paula Gunn Allen wrote an important book called The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions (1986). This book was based on her own experiences and studies. She looked at different Native American cultures.
In her book, she said that many people misunderstood Native American societies. She believed that European explorers and settlers saw Native peoples through their own ideas. These ideas often focused on men being in charge. Gunn Allen showed that women played a very important role in many Native American cultures. This included leadership roles in politics. European visitors often did not see or understand these roles. Allen argued that most Native American groups, before Europeans arrived, were matrifocal. This means women were central to the family and community. They were also often egalitarian, meaning everyone was treated equally. Only a few groups were like the European patriarchal societies.
Some scholars did not agree with all of Allen's ideas. However, her book had a huge impact. It encouraged other feminist writers to study Native American cultures. It is still a very important book in Native American Studies and Women's Studies today.
Literary Career
Paula Gunn Allen is well known for her novels, poems, and short stories. Her writing often used traditional Pueblo tales. She was inspired by stories of Grandmother Spider and the Corn Maiden. Her work also often had strong political messages. Another writer, Leslie Marmon Silko, who is also from Laguna, also used these traditional tales.
Her novel, The Woman Who Owned The Shadows (1983), tells the story of Ephanie Atencio. Ephanie is a young woman of mixed heritage. She struggles with feeling left out and finding her own identity.
As a poet, Allen published a collection of her work from over 30 years. This book was called Life Is a Fatal Disease: Collected Poems 1962-1995. Many people consider it her most successful poetry book. Allen's work is often grouped with the Native American Renaissance. This term describes a time when many Native American writers gained recognition. However, Allen herself did not like this label for her work.
Awards
Paula Gunn Allen received many awards for her writing. In 1990, she won an American Book Award. This was for editing short stories by American Indian writers. She also received the Hubbell Medal and the Native American Prize for Literature. She won the Susan Koppelman Award. In 2001, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas. In 1999, the Modern Language Association gave her the J. Hubbell Medal for American Literature.
Personal Life
Paula Gunn Allen's father, E. Lee Francis, was Lebanese American. Her mother was of Scotch and Laguna Pueblo descent. One of Allen's sisters, Carol Lee Sanchez, was also a Laguna writer. Paula Gunn Allen was also related to the writer Leslie Marmon Silko.
Paula Gunn Allen had four children. Two of her sons, Fuad Ali Allen and Eugene John Brown, passed away before her. She was survived by her two children, Lauralee Brown and Suleiman Allen.
See also
In Spanish: Paula Gunn Allen para niños
