Native American speaks on behalf of her tribe
■A member or the Pawnee
and Otoe-Missouria nations
shows her Web site for the
first time publicly at the UO
By Brooke Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
Anna Lee Walters patiently wait
ed for the audience to quiet down as
she stood in front of a crowd of 50
on Friday in Grayson Hall. When
she began speaking, her voice float
ed clearly through the room and
captured everyone’s attention.
Walters, a Native American au
thor and instructor at Dine College
in Tsaile, Ariz., presented her new
Web site for the first time publicly
Friday afternoon at the University.
It is an accomplishment for herself,
(( / write for myself, and
being Otoe-Missouria and
Pawnee, it’s always from
that perspective.
Anna Lee Walters
Native American author,
Dine College instructor
for her people of the Pawnee and
Otoe-Missouria nations and for
women throughout the world. She
also spoke about her writing of Na
tive American experiences.
Her presentation, along with her
husband Harry Walter’s speech on
environmental issues, was spon
sored by the history department
and various University groups.
Walters has been writing stories
that reflect the values of her tribal
people since she was 17. But she
has now taken her need to convey
the message of her people one step
further by creating her own Web
site, www.womanearth.org. It is
written in both the Pawnee and the
Otoe-Missouria languages.
One part of the Web site focuses
on Native American women and
shows all the stages of a woman’s
life, from a young girl to an elderly
woman. The section of the site is in
the format of a lesson to teach visi
tors about the Pawnee language.
There are also lessons in the Otoe
Missouria language.
This is something new for Wal
ters because most tribal Web sites
are made by men.
“To do this is very different,” she
said. “It breaks a lot of rules.”
In a typical tribal atmosphere, she
said, if she wants to convey infor
mation to the group, she will speak
through a male family member.
With her Web site, she speaks
through no one.
“This is one reason why I wanted
to do the Web site from a woman’s
perspective,” she said.
Walters said she chose not to do
the site in English because her in
tended audience is the Pawnee and
Otoe-Missouria people. She is legal
ly registered as Pawnee.
“I didn’t want to explain to any
one what I was doing,” she said.
“Kind of like writing a story, I just
wanted to go right into it.”
Walters said she is concerned
about what her people will think of
the Web site. So she included a pho
tograph of her grandmother because
many of the Pawnee people will
recognize her and know that Wal
ters is a genuine member of their na
tion.
“Everything I do reflects on the
people, so I am always conscious of
that,” she said.
Although Walters said everything
she does, including her writing, is
done for the Native American audi
ence first, she writes in English be
cause it is easier for her and because
there are very few readers of her
tribal languages.
“I write for myself, and being
Otoe-Missouria and Pawnee, it’s al
ways from that perspective,” she
said.
Matthew Dennis, an associate
Chrystal McConnell Emerald
Author Anna Lee Walters spoke Friday at Grayson Hall about her most recent novels on Native American issues and presented her new
Web site on Pawnee and Otoe-Missouria women. Though bucking tribal customs, her site speaks with a native woman’s voice.
history professor at the University,
said one reason the history depart
ment wanted Walters to speak was
that she would provide a different
perspective than the history profes
sors.
“It’s very important to try to rep
resent the diverse community that
we have on campus and introduce
other voices, native voices in our
conversations,” Dennis said.
Sophomore Bryce Arndt, who
watched Walters’ presentation, said
she admires everything Walters has
done for her people and for women
in general.
“She’s saying she’s a voice for her
people because they have not had a
voice for so long,” she said.
Though Walters primarily writes
for a Native American audience,
she said it is also important for
everyone to be familiar with other
cultures. Anyone can learn Pawnee
words on the Web site, but it is in
tended to reconnect her own people
with the linguistic aspect of their
heritage.
“Other cultures present other
ways of living, and that’s worth
while,” she said. “If this encourages
people to speak the language, if it
just does that, that’s enough.”
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