“If I do not speak with care, my words are wasted,” he has said. “If I do not listen with care, words are lost.”

Momaday, acclaimed novelist, poet, playwright, storyteller, painter and professor, will speak at NMSU’s Pan American Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 14.

Perhaps best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “House Made of Dawn,” Momaday is considered the father of the contemporary American Indian literary renaissance, said Amanda Cobb, assistant professor of English at New Mexico State University.

“His impact on that body of literature and on thought about Native issues cannot be overstated,” Cobb said. “‘House Made of Dawn’ was the first work by a Native American author on a Native American topic that received that kind of national recognition.”

Momaday’s topic will be “Native American Oral Tradition: The Stories & Storytellers.” His appearance is part of the University Speakers Series, which brings a prominent speaker to Las Cruces each spring. No tickets are required and admission is free.

Momaday, a member of the Kiowa Nation, was born in Oklahoma and raised in the Southwest on reservations where his parents worked as teachers. He was surrounded by words -- Tanoan, Athabascan, Spanish and English words.

He is also well known for his paintings, drawings and prints, which have been exhibited in the United States and abroad.

The University Speakers Series, sponsored by the NMSU Honors Program and the Office of the Provost, strives to bring to Las Cruces distinguished lecturers who will appeal to a broad community audience.

For more information, call the Honors Program office at (505) 646-2005.

Julie Hughes
March 12, 2001

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