The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions
by Paula Gunn Allen
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Description
This pioneering work, first published in 1986, documents the continuing vitality of the American Indian tradition and of women's leadership within that tradition. In her new preface to this edition, Allen reflects on the remarkable resurgence of American Indian pride and culture in recent times.Tags
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"Paula Gunn Allen is professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an American Indian of Laguna Pueblo and Sioux heritage. She is the author of many books, including 'Grandmothers of the Light: A Medicine Woman's Sourcebook, and editor of 'Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women', which won an American Book Award in 1990." The reviewer for 'Booklist' said of this work, "In these beautifully written essays, Paula Gunn Allen. . .makes a vital contribution to American Indian and feminist scholarship. . .Allen brings to vivid life America's powerful female roots."
This pioneering work, first published in 1986, documents the continuing vitality of American Indian traditions and the crucial role of women in those traditions. Source: Publisher
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Author Information
28+ Works 2,049 Members
Of Laguna Pueblo and Sioux descent, Allen was one of the best-known Native American writers and critics and cousin to another, Leslie Marmon Silko. She was born in Grants, New Mexico, on October 24, 1939. She received a bachelor's degree in English in 1966 and a master's degree of fine arts in creative writing in 1968 from the University of Oregon show more and a doctorate in American studies in 1975 from the University of New Mexico. She taught at numerous schools during her lifetime including San Francisco State, University of California at Berkeley and University of California at Los Angeles. She wrote 17 books including volumes of her own poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. She also edited important collections of Native American writing. She received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, and the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was a postdoctoral fellow in American Indian Studies. She received numerous awards including an American Book Award for editing Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Short Stories by American Indian Writers in 1990 and the Hubbell Medal in 1999. She devoted much of her work to combating oppression by critiquing the ideas that have sanctioned it. The Woman Who Owned the Shadows (1983), is about a woman who comes to realize that she is a lesbian. Allen explores and affirms for women and lesbians the ideas of Spider Grandmother who, in many Native American traditions, is the creator of the heavens, the earth, and all the spirit beings, and therefore an icon of female power. The Sacred Hoop (1986), is a collection of essays written over a number of years that explicitly argue that Native American literature, traditions, mythology, and spirituality can be powerful antidotes to white racism, sexism, and homophobia. She died of lung cancer on May 29, 2008. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1987
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Sexuality and Gender Studies, History, Religion & Spirituality, Literature Studies and Criticism
- DDC/MDS
- 970.004 — History & geography History of North America History of North America North America Ethnic and National Groups
- LCC
- E98 .W8 .A44 — History of the United States America Indians of North America
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 524
- Popularity
- 57,031
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.05)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 6
