Esther Martinez
Encyclopedia
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and storyteller for the Tewa people of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Martinez was given the Tewa
Tewa language
Tewa is a Kiowa–Tanoan language spoken by Pueblo people, mostly in the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico north of Santa Fe. The 1980 census counted 1,298 speakers, almost all of whom are bilingual in English...
name P'oe Tsawa (meaning Blue Water) and was also known by various affectionate names, including "Ko'oe Esther" and "Aunt Esther."
Martinez grew up in the southwest. At first, she lived with her parents in Ignacio, Colorado
Ignacio, Colorado
The Town of Ignacio is a Statutory Town located in La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The population was 669 at the 2000 census.Located within the boundaries of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, the town is the capital of the Southern Ute Indian tribe. It was named for their...
; later, she lived with her grandparents in Ohkay Owingeh. She attended the Santa Fe Indian School
Santa Fe Indian School
The Santa Fe Indian School is a secondary school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It was founded in 1890 as a boarding school for Native American children from the state's Indian pueblos. But in the course of its history, the school has also served as a major cultural catalyst for the...
and Albuquerque Indian School, graduating in 1930. Over time she developed a great love for the native language of the Tewa; as an adult she would become one of the greatest champions in the fight to preserve this language. That she survived her years in boarding school and went on to help her community by documenting and teaching the Tewa language is a powerful statement, said grandson Matthew J. Martinez.
After graduation, she raised ten children and worked various cooking and cleaning jobs. In the mid-60s, while she was working at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Pueblo, she met a linguist who asked for her help in documenting the Tewa language. From about 1974 to 1989, Martinez taught Tewa at Ohkay Owingeh. She was also the first person to translate the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Tewa, in association with Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe Bible Translators is an interdenominational organization mandated to making a translation of the Bible in every living language in the world, especially for cultures with little existing Christian influence. Wycliffe was founded in 1942 by William Cameron Townsend and is associated with...
. She also published a collection of stories My Life In San Juan Pueblo Stories of Esther Martinez University of Illinois Press in 2004. Martinez received an honorary Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Northern New Mexico College in 2006.
On September 16, 2006 Martinez was returning home from Washington, D.C. in which she was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. Near Española, New Mexico
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
the car in which she was riding was hit by another vehicle, whose driver had been drinking. Martinez was killed in this crash.
In December 2006, US H.R.4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act, was signed into law; it authorizes funding for new programs that tribes will use to prevent the loss of heritage and culture.
On November 8, 2008, a New Mexico State Historic Maker located on Ohkay Owingeh and dedicated to Esther Martinez, was unveiled and dedicated.
External links
- broken http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413579
- broken http://www.arts.endow.gov/honors/heritage/Heritage06/Martinez.html
- broken http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/49379.html
- broken http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/49437.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/18/AR2006091801264.html
- http://www.lamonitor.com/articles/2007/04/18/headline_news/news01.txt
- NPR radio appreciation with sound clip of her storytelling
- http://wilson.house.gov/Neighbors.aspx?ID=323
- http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/martinez_esther.html
- http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/65hxt7nn9780252028892.html
- http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2007/july/071807_01.pdf
- http://www.rlnn.com/ArtOct07/UofMStudentaicFundMellonFellowship.html
- https://santafe.com/Pages/2048
- http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/-A-way-to-honor-her-spirit-
- http://www.niea.org/media/news_detail.php?id=420&catid=
- http://santafe.com/Pages/2031
- http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/fellow.php?id=2006_05
- http://www.moifa.org/exhibitions/current.html