Marilou Awiakta
Encyclopedia
Marilou Awiakta is an Eastern Band Cherokee author.
She is renowned for writing several books that blend stories, essays and poetry. She graduated from the University of Tennessee
in 1958 receiving a B.A. magna cum laude, in both English
and French
. She worked as a civilian liaison officer and translator for the U.S. Air Force
at Laon-Couvron Air Base
, France
from 1964-1967.
She worked in the Arts-In-Schools program in Memphis, Tennessee
, and formed poetry workshops in the Women's Prison. She was co-founder of the Far Away Cherokee Association] which is now the Native American Intertribal Association. She lives in Memphis, with her husband, Paul Thompson. They have three children.
(Cherokee Nation
)..
She is renowned for writing several books that blend stories, essays and poetry. She graduated from the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in 1958 receiving a B.A. magna cum laude, in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. She worked as a civilian liaison officer and translator for the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force In France
During the early years of the Cold War, the United States Air Force deployed thousands of personnel and hundreds of combat aircraft to France to counter the buildup of Soviet forces in Eastern Europe....
at Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais 1 Mile east of the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1964-1967.
She worked in the Arts-In-Schools program in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and formed poetry workshops in the Women's Prison. She was co-founder of the Far Away Cherokee Association] which is now the Native American Intertribal Association. She lives in Memphis, with her husband, Paul Thompson. They have three children.
Awards
- Jesse Hill Ford Award for Poetry, 1972
- Person of Quality Award, National Organization for Women, 1983
- United States Information Agency, Abiding Appalachia and Rising Fawn & The Fire Mystery chosen for Global Tour of American Writers, 1986
- Woman of Vision Award, Memphis Women of Achievement, 1988
- Distinguished Tennessee Writer Award, 1989
- Outstanding Contributions to Appalachian Literature, Appalachian Writers' Association, 1991
- Audio version of Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom, with music by Joy Harjo, nominated for a Grammy Award, 1995
- Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, Albion College, Albion, Michigan, 1999
- Award for Service to American Indian Peoples, American Indian Symposium, Northeastern University, Oklahoma, 1999
- Award for Educational Service to Appalachia, Carson-Newman College, 1999
- Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award, Shepherd College, 2000
- Excerpt from Selu engraved in the River Wall at Nashville's Bicentennial Capitol Mall
- Poem "Motheroot" from Abiding Appalachia selected to be inlaid in the walkway of Fine Arts Mall, UCLA Riverside
Books
- Abiding Appalachia: Where Mountain and Atom Meet. Memphis: Saint Luke's Press, 1978. Rpt. Bell Buckle, TN: Iris Press, 1995. 71 pp. Now available from Pocahontas Press, Drawer F, Blacksburg, VA 24063-1020. Poetry that weaves together Cherokee history, the legend of Little Deer, memories of growing up in Oak Ridge (where the atom was split in the 1940s), and thoughts on family, society, and the land.
- Rising Fawn and the Fire Mystery: A Child's Christmas in Memphis, 1833. Memphis: Saint Luke's Press, 1983.
- Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother’s Wisdom. Golden, CO: Fulcrum, 1993. A blend of story, essay, and poetry. Cherokee legends and images from the double weave of Cherokee baskets point us toward preserving a nurturing relationship between humanity and Mother Earth, by instilling appreciation for the earth and applying Native American philosophies to modern problems.
Analysis
Awiakta's poetry is analysed at length in Our Fire Survives the Storm by Daniel Heath JusticeDaniel Heath Justice
Daniel Heath Justice is a U.S.-born Canadian citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the author of Our Fire Survives the Storm: A Cherokee Literary History as well as an Indigenous fantasy trilogy, The Way of Thorn & Thunder--Kynship , Wyrwood , and Dreyd --all published by Kegedonce Press...
(Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
)..
See also
- List of Native American writers
- PoetryPoetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...