close
Jump to content

Ofelia Zepeda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ofelia Zepeda
Born1952 (age 73–74)
Stanfield, Arizona, United States
TitleProfessor
AwardsMacarthur Fellow[1]
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisTopics in Papago Morphology (1984)
Susan Steele
Academic work
DisciplineLinguistics
Sub-discipline
Language documentation, language revitalization, Tohono Oʼodham, indigenous languages of the Americas
InstitutionsThe University of Arizona
WebsiteUniversity of Arizona Faculty Page

Ofelia Zepeda (born 1952 in Stanfield, Arizona) is a poet and intellectual of the Tohono Oʼodham Nation located in the United States.[2] She is Regents' Professor of Tohono O'odham language and linguistics and Director of the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI)[3] at the University of Arizona.[4] Dr. Zepeda is also the recipient of a Department of Education grant that establishes a regional resource center for indigenous languages, the West Regional Native American Language Resource Center.[5]

Zepeda is the series editor for Sun Tracks.[6] University of Arizona Press publishes this series, which focuses on the work of indigenous artists and writers.[7] She is an inductee to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.

Life

[edit]

Zepeda is a professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona and is well-known for her efforts in the preservation of and promotion of literacy in Tohono O'odham. She served as director of the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona from 1986 to 1991.[8] She is a consultant and advocate on behalf of some American indigenous languages. She is the author of A Papago Grammar and co-author of the article "Derived Words in Tohono O'odham", published in the International Journal of American Linguistics.[9] She was a student of MIT linguistics professor Ken Hale.[10]

Zepeda has worked with her tribe to improve literacy in both English and Tohono O'odham.[11] In 1983, she developed A Papago Grammar from tapes of Native speakers because no textbook existed for the classes she taught.[11] Her work with the reservation committee for Tohono O'odham language policy yielded an official policy that encourages the speaking of the Native language at all grade levels.[11]

In 1995 she published a book of poetry, Ocean Power: Poems from the Desert, and she titled the introduction, "Things That Help Me Begin to Remember".

In 1999, Zepeda received a MacArthur Fellowship.[12] She was a member of the literary advisory committee for Sun Tracks, a publishing program featuring Native American works, and is the series editor.[9] In 2012, her book of poetry was banned by Tucson schools.[13]

Works

[edit]
  • ——; McCarty, Teresa L. (2014). "The Racializing Function of Medium-of Instruction Policies in Indigenous and Minoritized Education". In Dixon, Adrienne (ed.). Researching Race in Education: Policy, Practice and Qualitative Research. IAP. pp. 111–134. ISBN 978-1-62396-678-2.
  • —— (2008). Where Clouds Are Formed. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 9780816527786.
  • —— (2005) [1997]. Jewed 'i-hoi : O'odham c milga:n s-ke:g ha'icu cegĭtodag [Earth movements : a collection of poems in O'odham & English] (in O'odham and English). Kore Press. ISBN 9781888553062.
  • Hill, Jane H.; Zepeda, Ofelia (1999). "Language, gender and biology: pulmonic ingressive airstream in women's speech in Tohono O'odham". Southwest Journal of Linguistics. 18 (1): 15–40.
  • —— (1995). Home Places: Contemporary Native American Writing from Sun Tracks. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0816515212.
  • —— (1995). Ocean Power: Poems from the Desert. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0816515174.
  • —— (1983). A Papago Grammar. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0816507929.
  • —— (1982). Mat hekid o ju, 'O'odham Na-cegitodag [When It Rains, Papago and Pima Poetry]. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0816507856.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Pila Martínez (1999-06-23). "O'odham poet strives to preserve languages". The Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2018-03-24.
  2. ^ "Ofelia Zepeda". The Poetry Foundation.
  3. ^ "Ofelia Zepeda | AILDI". aildi.arizona.edu. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "Dr. Ofelia Zepeda Archived 2017-11-24 at the Wayback Machine". Department of Linguistics, University of Arizona. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  5. ^ "New center to help lead national Indigenous language revitalization efforts | University of Arizona News". news.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
  6. ^ "Sun Tracks". UAPress. 29 March 2017.
  7. ^ "Ofelia Zepeda". Poetry Foundation. 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  8. ^ "Ofelia Zepeda." Contemporary Authors Online. Gale: 2011. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, 2016-12-26.
  9. ^ a b "Ofelia Zepeda | The Department of Linguistics". linguistics.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  10. ^ "The Ken Hale Prize". SSILA. 2018-08-03. Archived from the original on 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  11. ^ a b c Native American Women. New York: Routledge. 2001. p. 343.
  12. ^ "MacArthur Fellow Ofelia Zepeda". dingo.sbs.arizona.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  13. ^ Brenda Norrell (January 14, 2012). "Tucson schools bans books by Chicano and Native American authors". narcosphere. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ofelia_Zepeda&oldid=1351847580"