American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1992) Winner
Lucy Thompson
ルーシー・トンプソン
Lucy Thompson
Aliases:
Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah
Pen Names:
Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah（Birth name in Yurok (given/ethnic name)）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1856-10-29 （Pekwan (a Klamath River village), California）
- Died
- 1932-02-23 （Eureka, California） age 75
- Nationality
- Yurok, United States
- Languages
- English, Yurok
- Residence History
- Pekwan village on the Klamath River (birthplace, childhood) → Lived along the Klamath River; moved to Eureka around 1910
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Spiritual leader (trained as a Talth)
- Active Years
- 1916-1932
- Influenced By
- Yurok oral tradition and elders, Her father (trained her as a Talth/spiritual leader)
- Influenced
- Native American authors and scholars engaged in preserving oral histories, California indigenous history and environmental stewardship movements
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | American Book Award | To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman | — | Before Columbus Foundation (awarder of the American Book Award) | 受賞 |
American Book Award
1992
Work:
To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation (awarder of the American Book Award)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman
1916 Nonfiction, memoir, oral-historyLucy Thompson records her life and the traditions, practices, beliefs, and lives of the Yurok people. The memoir documents late 19th- and early 20th-century Yurok society, her concerns about Klamath River salmon and overfishing, criticism of settler violence and its genocidal impacts, and the importance of preserving her people's stories.
Cultural preservationIndigenous rights and historyEnvironmental stewardship (salmon and river resources)Oral tradition
Bibliography
- Thompson, Lucy. (1916). To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman. (Reprinted 1991, Heyday Books)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Oral-history-like memoir styleConcise and direct prose recording oral narratives in English
- Recurring Motifs
- Klamath River and salmonRitual and spirituality (role of the Talth)Loss of land and resourcesMemory and cultural transmission
Legacy
Lucy Thompson is recognized for recording Yurok oral histories and culture in English. Her 1916 book raised awareness of indigenous history and environmental issues; it remains a foundational work in Native American literature preservation and was honored with an American Book Award in 1992.
Archives
- Lucy Thompson letters (1916) — Online Archive of California (OAC)
- To the American Indian (reprint 1991) — Heyday Books (bibliographic/archive reference)
Trivia
- Her Yurok name was Che-na-wah Weitch-ah-wah.
- She published To the American Indian: Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman in 1916.
- The book received the American Book Award in 1992 (recognition following later reprints and reassessment).
- She married Milton "Jim" Thompson in 1875 and moved to Eureka around 1910.
- Her writing criticizes settler violence and advocates for protection of Klamath River salmon.