Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve facts for kids

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, born on February 21, 1933, is a wonderful Native American author. She is especially known for writing children's books. Her stories often teach young readers about Native American cultures and history.

About Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Early Life and Family

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Her father, James Driving Hawk, was an Episcopal priest, and her mother was Rose Driving Hawk. Virginia attended St. Mary's School for Indian Girls in Springfield, South Dakota.

She later went to South Dakota State University in Brookings. There, she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. This is also where she met her husband, Vance M. Sneve. Virginia is a proud member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, also known as the Sicangu Lakota.

Virginia is a mother of three children. She is also a grandmother to five and a great-grandmother to two. Her family and heritage are very important to her.

Her Journey as a Writer

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve has written more than twenty books. These books cover many topics, including South Dakota history and Native American history. She has also written poetry, fiction, and non-fiction for children. One of her books, "Completing the Circle," tells the stories of her female ancestors.

Virginia realized there weren't many children's books about Native Americans that showed them in modern times. She wanted to change the old, untrue ideas about Native Americans. This inspired her to write stories that were real and relatable for young readers.

Her husband comes from a Norwegian family. To celebrate both cultures in her own family, 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.

Career and Achievements

Before becoming a full-time author, Virginia Sneve was an English teacher and counselor in public schools. She also worked as an editor at Brevet Press in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She and her husband even ran an antiques business for a while before they retired.

Virginia still writes today. Her book, "The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood," was published in 2011. Smithsonian Magazine named it one of the Best Children's Books of 2011. Her latest book, "The Summer of the Bone Horses," is a chapter book for older children. It was published in 2025. She continues to live in South Dakota.

Awards and Recognition

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve has received many important awards for her work. These awards celebrate her writing and her efforts to promote human and civil 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

Books by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

• That They May Have Life, The Episcopal Church in South Dakota 1850-1976 (1977)
• The Twelve Moons (Houghton Mifflin Reading Series) (1977)
• South Dakota Geographic Names, Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Brevet Press (1973)
• Betrayed (1974)
• When Thunders Spoke (1974) illustrated by Oren Lyons
• Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth (1989)
• The Chichi Hoohoo Bogeyman (1993)
• Completing the Circle (1995)
• The Hopis: A First Americans Book (1995) illustrated by Ronald Himler
• 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) illustrated by Ellen Beier
• The Summer of the Bone Horses: A Chapter Book (2025) illustrated by Steph Littlebird
• The Medicine Bag (1975)
• Jimmy Yellow Hawk (1972) illustrated by Oren Lyons

See also

In Spanish: Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve para niños