Notable American Indians 

The Writer

N. Scott Momaday (b. February 27, 1934)

N. Scott Momaday won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for his first novel, House Made of Dawn. He was the first American Indian to win the award.

Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Navarre Scott Momaday grew up during the Great Depression on Navaho, Apache, and Pueblo reservations. His Kiowa tribal name, Tsoai-Talee, means Rock-tree Boy, which refers to the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, a volcanic monolith sacred to the Kiowas.

From an early age, Momaday knew he wanted to write. His mother, a writer, introduced him to books, and his father, an artist, influenced his love of storytelling by reciting legends from the Kiowa oral tradition. As an adult, Momaday began to write the stories of the Kiowa to preserve them for future generations.

Although he is most recognized as a novelist, Momaday has written many poems and considers himself a poet. In July 2007, Momaday was named the 16th poet laureate of Oklahoma.

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