American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 36 (2015) Winner
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
ロクサンヌ・ダンバー＝オルティス
Rokasannu Danbā-Orutisu
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1938-09-10 （San Antonio, Texas, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Central Oklahoma → San Francisco, California
Career
- Occupations
- historian, activist, writer, professor
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- California State University, Hayward (now CSU East Bay), International Indian Treaty Council, American Indian Movement (AIM)
- Memberships
- American Indian Movement (AIM), International Indian Treaty Council
- Influenced By
- Labor movement (influence from her grandfather), Women's liberation movement (1960s)
- Influenced
- Indigenous rights activists, Scholars in ethnic studies and Indigenous studies
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco State College (San Francisco State University) | — | History | BA | 〜1963 | United States |
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | — | Department of History (graduate) | PhD | 1960s–1974 | United States |
| International Institute of Human Rights (Strasbourg) | — | — | Diplôme（国際人権法） | 1983 | France |
| Mills College | — | Creative Writing | MFA | 1993 | United States |
San Francisco State College (San Francisco State University)
History
Degree:
BA
Period:
〜1963
Year of Graduation:
1963
Country:
United States
Graduated with a BA in History
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Department of History (graduate)
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1960s–1974
Year of Graduation:
1974
Country:
United States
Completed doctorate in history
International Institute of Human Rights (Strasbourg)
Degree:
Diplôme（国際人権法）
Period:
1983
Year of Graduation:
1983
Country:
France
Completed Diplôme in International Law of Human Rights
Mills College
Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1993
Year of Graduation:
1993
Country:
United States
Completed an MFA in creative writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Lannan Cultural Freedom Award | — | — | Lannan Foundation | 受賞 |
Lannan Cultural Freedom Award
2017
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (2015) Winner
Works
Major Works
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States
2014 History / Non-fictionReframes United States history from Indigenous perspectives, critiquing conquest, settler colonialism, and dispossession. Discusses the Discovery Doctrine and the lasting impacts of colonization on Native peoples.
settler colonialism critiqueIndigenous rightsreinterpreting history
The Great Sioux Nation
1977 Policy document / HistoryEdited volume presented as a key document on Sioux nationhood and claims; addresses sovereignty and historical grievances, and was presented at an international conference.
sovereigntyland rightsIndigenous politics
Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment
2018 History / Political non-fictionExplores the historical background of the Second Amendment in the U.S., examining its intersections with power, race, and social context.
gun regulation historyrace and power structures
Red Dirt: Growing up Okie
1997 MemoirA memoir of growing up in Oklahoma, describing family history, class, and regional culture and their impacts on personal development.
identity and originsworking-class life
Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War
2005 Memoir / Political reportageA memoir and reportage of Dunbar-Ortiz's travels and monitoring of Nicaragua and Honduras during the Contra War, combining personal experience and field reporting.
Central American conflicthuman rights and intervention
Bibliography
- Not "a Nation of Immigrants": Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion (Beacon, 2021)
- Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment (City Lights Books, 2018)
- All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths about Native Americans (Beacon, 2016)
- An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States (Beacon, 2014)
- The Great Sioux Nation (Random House, 1977; Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2013)
- Roots of Resistance: Land Tenure in New Mexico, 1680–1980 (1980)
- Red Dirt: Growing Up Okie (1997; new ed. 2006)
- Blood on the Border: Memoir of the Contra War (2005)
- Outlaw Woman: A Memoir of the War Years, 1960–75 (2002)
- The Miskito Indians of Nicaragua (Minority Rights Group, 1988)
Adaptations
- She's Beautiful When She's Angry (featured in documentary)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly yet activist voiceclear, critical exposition
- Recurring Motifs
- critique of colonialism and land dispossessionre-evaluating history from Indigenous perspectivessocial justice and feminism
Legacy
Significant scholar-activist whose writings on Indigenous history, settler colonialism, feminism, and social movements have influenced academia and grassroots activism; important impact on subsequent generations in ethnic and Indigenous studies.
Academic Societies
- Ethnic studies academic community
Archives
- Archives at California State University, East Bay (teaching and lecture materials)
In Popular Culture
- Featured in the feminist history documentary 'She's Beautiful When She's Angry'
Quotes
-
Native peoples have vast claims to reparations and restitution, yet no monetary amount can compensate for lands illegally seized, particularly those sacred lands necessary for Indigenous peoples to regain social coherence.
Source: An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States (2014) (2014)
Trivia
- Founded the feminist organization Cell 16 in 1968, promoting separatist feminism and self-defense training.
- Her claims of Indigenous ancestry have been a subject of controversy; in 2021 she stated on C-SPAN that there is no certain evidence her mother was Cherokee.
- Received the Lannan Foundation's Cultural Freedom Award in 2017.