Oklahoma Humanities Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2008
Contact: Carla Walker, Director of Communications
Oklahoma Humanities Council
(405) 235-0280 • carla@okhumanitiescouncil.org

Oklahoma City, OK—N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Oklahoma Centennial State Poet Laureate, was honored as recipient of the 2008 Oklahoma Humanities Award. The award, sponsored by the Oklahoma Humanities Council (OHC), recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the understanding of the humanities in Oklahoma. The humanities include the study of literature, history, philosophy, languages, religious studies, and other disciplines that inform and interpret the human experience.

Momaday received the award on February 12th at a formal dinner held in the Chesapeake Room of the Oklahoma History Center. Upon receiving the award, Momaday stated that Oklahoma roots ran deep in his family and that he was honored to receive the award in a place he calls home.

“I am mindful of my very distinguished predecessor and dear friend, Wilma Mankiller, who received this award last year,” said Momaday. “I am deeply honored to follow in her footsteps.” Mankiller, former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2007.

“I want to thank the Oklahoma Humanities Council for all their work that has made this award possible,” said Momaday, “and I especially want to thank the staff of the Oklahoma Humanities Council with whom I have worked as Oklahoma Centennial Poet Laureate this year.” In closing, Momaday stated, “I want to greet you all warmly, thank you sincerely, and wish you well.”

Ann Thompson, Executive Director for the Oklahoma Humanities Council, noted that Momaday’s achievements have been recognized around the world and that it was fitting to honor him as he completed his first year as Oklahoma Centennial State Poet Laureate.

“We chose Dr. Momaday as the recipient of this year’s award for the important contributions he has made to Oklahoma. Those contributions include not only great literary works and scholarship but also his work to preserve and perpetuate the cultural identity of Native Peoples. An example of that is the concerted effort he’s made as State Poet Laureate to reach out to Native American schools. He shares his love of language and encourages students to claim and maintain their identity as American Indians.”

Thompson further stated that the public forum, held immediately followed the dinner, gave audience members a chance to speak with Momaday personally and ask questions about his work. “It was wonderful to see the deep appreciation people have for Dr. Momaday,” said Thompson. “The evening was truly the humanities at their finest—people engaging with each other, asking questions, hearing about the oral tradition of Native cultures and witnessing that tradition for themselves in Dr. Momaday’s stories.”

Sponsors for the event included: BancFirst, Chesapeake Energy, the Chickasaw Nation, Joullian Vineyards, the Oklahoma Gazette, the Oklahoma Historical Society, and The Oklahoman.

Dinner guests included: Bob and Debbie Blackburn; Bill Bleakley; Drew and Linda Edmondson; Ken Fergeson; Lou Kerr; Linda Lambert; Norris and Betty Price; H.E. “Gene” Rainbolt; Chris and Meg Salyer; Jim and Beth Tolbert; and Blake Wade.

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