Compassionate Woman: The Life and Legacy of Patricia Locke

by John Kolstoe

Overview

Compassionate Woman is the biography of a woman of Lakota and Chippewa heritage who was the winner of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship in 1991 for her work to save tribal languages that were becoming extinct throughout the United States. This fascinating biography of Patricia Locke, who was given the name Compassionate Woman, gives us a glimpse into the life of someone dedicated to restoring justice and helping those in need. Her life of service began in Anchorage, Alaska, when she founded a community center aimed at assisting Native Americans, Eskimos, and Aleuts—who had moved to the city from villages—to cope with some of the problems they encountered. She then went on to work for the Western Interstate Counsel for Higher Education, where she focused much of her energy on establishing colleges on reservations. She was particularly concerned with improving education for American Indians and worked hard toward advancing education on reservations so that Native American culture and language could be woven into the curriculum. She also spent many years as a freelance writer, instructor at various universities, and activist on behalf of the poor and oppressed. In addition to the MacArthur Fellowship, Locke was the first American Indian to serve as a senior officer on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai's of the United States, and she was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781618510129
Publisher:	Baha'i Publishing Trust, U.S.
Publication date:	06/21/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	226
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

John Kolstoe is the author of several books, essays, and articles about the Baha'i Faith and various aspects of its teachings. He worked for ten years in the education field, including positions at the primary, secondary, college, and graduate level. Three of those years were spent living and teaching in a First Nations village in Alaska. He has also worked extensively in the field of group decision-making and consulting. He is the father of four adopted children and lives with his wife, Janet, in Montana.

Table of Contents

Author's Notes and Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Chapter I The Funeral 5

Chapter II The Early Years 9

Chapter III Heritage 19

Chapter IV Marriage and Family Life 39

Chapter V Alaska 45

Chapter VI Tribal Colleges 59

Chapter VII Freelance Years 73

Chapter VIII Reservation Life 89

Chapter IX Her Family 95

Chapter X Friends and Neighbors 105

Chapter XI Thawáchin Wašté Wín: Compassionate Woman 111

Chapter XII Mobridge Tribune 117

Chapter XIII Bolivia and Peru 133

Chapter XIV Patricia and the Bahá'í Faith 145

Chapter XV Her Passing 159

Chapter XVI Distinctions 167

Chapter XVII Tributes and Remembrances 175

Epilogue 195

Glossary of Lakota Words 203

Brief Guide to Pronunciation 207

Notes 219

Bibliography 222

Index 223