Philip J. Deloria facts for kids

Philip Joseph Deloria, born on February 27, 1959, is a Native American author and historian. He is a member of the Yankton Dakota people. He writes about Native American history, the history of the American West, and environmental history. Philip is the son of famous scholar Vine Deloria Jr. and the great-nephew of ethnologist Ella Deloria. He has written several award-winning books, including Playing Indian and Indians in Unexpected Places. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University and now teaches history at Harvard University. In 2021, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society.

Philip J. Deloria's Family Background

Philip J. Deloria is a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. His parents are Barbara and Vine Deloria Jr.. His father, Vine Deloria Jr., was a well-known writer and activist. He fought for Native American rights. His book, Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto, became very famous in 1969.

Philip J. Deloria's great-aunt, Ella Deloria, was an ethnologist. This means she studied cultures and peoples. Ella's sister, Mary Sully, was an artist. Philip's grandfather, Vine Deloria Sr., and great-grandfather, Philip Joseph Deloria (also known as Thípi Sápa), were both Episcopal priests.

Philip J. Deloria is also the great-great-grandson of U.S. Army officer Alfred Sully. He is the great-great-great-grandson of the painter Thomas Sully. When Philip was growing up, his mother worked as a librarian. He and his brother often read at the library after school.

Education and Career Path

Philip Deloria graduated from the University of Colorado in 1982. He earned a degree in music education. In 1988, he completed his master's degree at the University of Colorado. This degree was in journalism and mass communications.

Deloria then earned his Ph.D. in American studies from Yale University in 1994. After that, he became a professor at the University of Colorado. He taught in the history department from 1994 to 2000.

Later, he became a professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He taught in both the American Culture and History departments. He also served as an associate dean there. In 2018, he became the first tenured professor of Native American history at Harvard University.

He is a trustee for the National Museum of the American Indian-Smithsonian. He also used to lead the Repatriation Committee. In 2022, he was the president of the Organization of American Historians.

• In 2021, he gave the Curti Lecture.

Philip J. Deloria's Published Books

Philip Deloria has written three non-fiction books. He has also written many articles and book chapters.

Playing Indian

Deloria's first book, Playing Indian, came out in 1998. It talks about how non-Native people in the United States have sometimes pretended to be "Indian." They did this by dressing up or doing rituals. This helped them create their own national and personal identities. The book was based on his Ph.D. paper from Yale. Playing Indian won the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award in 1999.

Indians in Unexpected Places

His second book, Indians in Unexpected Places, was published in 2004. This book looks at common ideas about Native American people. These ideas often make it seem like Native people only belong to the past. Deloria explores how Native people fit into modern life. Indians in Unexpected Places won the John C. Ewers Prize in 2006.

Becoming Mary Sully

Deloria's third book, Becoming Mary Sully: Toward an American Indian Abstract, was released in 2019. This book explores the artwork of his great-aunt, Mary Sully. It shows how her art connects with the larger history of Modernism in art.

Deloria also helped create a PBS program. He produced, directed, and edited Eyanopapi: Heart of the Sioux.

Selected Works by Philip J. Deloria

• Playing Indian. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. ISBN: 978-0-300-08067-4.
• Blackwell Companion to American Indian History, ed. Boston: Blackwell Publishers, 2002. ISBN: 978-1405121316
• Indians in Unexpected Places. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-7006-1459-2.
• American Studies: A User's Guide. University of California Press, 2017. ISBN 9780520287730
• Becoming Mary Sully: Toward an American Indian Abstract. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019.