Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve facts for kids

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (born February 21, 1933) is a famous Native American author. She writes many books, especially for children, about Native American life and history. Her stories help young readers learn about different cultures and important historical events.

Early Life and Education

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Her father, James Driving Hawk, was a priest, and her mother was Rose Driving Hawk.

She went to St. Mary's School for Indian Girls in Springfield, South Dakota. Later, she studied at South Dakota State University in Brookings. There, she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. It was also at the university that she met her husband, Vance M. Sneve.

Virginia is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, also known as the Sicangu Lakota. She studied journalism, which helped her become a great writer. She has three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Why She Writes for Kids

Virginia realized that there weren't many good children's books about Native Americans. She wanted to show Native American life in a modern way, not just as old myths. This was especially important to her because of her own children.

Her husband comes from a Norwegian family. To celebrate both cultures, she wrote The Trickster and the Troll. This book brings together the Lakota trickster Iktomi and a Norwegian house troll. They go on an adventure across the plains to find the troll's lost family.

Her Career and Books

Before becoming a full-time author, Virginia was an English teacher and counselor in schools. She also worked as an editor at Brevet Press. She and her husband even ran an antiques business for a while.

Virginia is still writing today! One of her recent books is "The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood," published in 2011. This book was even named one of the best children's books of 2011 by Smithsonian magazine. She continues to live in South Dakota with her husband.

She has written over twenty books. These books cover many topics, including South Dakota history, Native American history, poetry, and stories for children. She also wrote a book called "Completing the Circle" about her female ancestors.

List of Her Books

• Jimmy Yellow Hawk (1972)
• South Dakota Geographic Names (1973)
• Betrayed (1974)
• When Thunders Spoke (1974)
• The Medicine Bag (1975)
• That They May Have Life, The Episcopal Church in South Dakota 1850-1976 (1977)
• The Twelve Moons (1977)
• Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth (1989)
• The Chichi Hoohoo Bogeyman (1993)
• Completing the Circle (1995)
• The Hopis: A First Americans Book (1995)
• The Cherokees (1996)
• The Cheyennes (1996)
• The Apaches (1997)
• Grandpa Was a Cowboy and an Indian & Other Stories (2000)
• Lana's Lakota Moons (2007)
• The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood (2011)

Awards and Honors

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve has received many awards for her writing and her work promoting human rights:

• National Humanities Medal, 2000
• Human Rights Award, South Dakota State Counselors Association, 1996
• Author-Illustrator Human and Civil Rights Award, 1996
• Spirit of Crazy Horse Award, 1996
• South Dakota Education Association Human Services Award, 1994
• North American Indian Prose Award, University of Nebraska Press, 1992
• Woman of Achievement, National Federation of Press Women, 1975

See also

In Spanish: Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve para niños