WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 align:middle line:90% 00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:03.950 align:middle line:90% Guess who I was named after? 00:00:03.950 --> 00:00:06.480 align:middle line:90% 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.710 align:middle line:84% It's kind of confusing here at the U of A, so I go by Liz. 00:00:10.710 --> 00:00:11.700 align:middle line:90% Sorry. 00:00:11.700 --> 00:00:15.768 align:middle line:84% OK, so I'm currently a graduate student in the Knowledge River 00:00:15.768 --> 00:00:17.310 align:middle line:84% program and also a graduate assistant 00:00:17.310 --> 00:00:21.037 align:middle line:90% at Special Collections. 00:00:21.037 --> 00:00:22.620 align:middle line:84% I had to write it all down just to let 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:24.245 align:middle line:84% you know, because I was a middle school 00:00:24.245 --> 00:00:25.650 align:middle line:90% teacher so I'm kind of goofy. 00:00:25.650 --> 00:00:28.380 align:middle line:90% Just to warn you. 00:00:28.380 --> 00:00:31.140 align:middle line:84% When the idea of introducing Dr. Zepeda was broached, 00:00:31.140 --> 00:00:34.000 align:middle line:84% my natural inclination was "Can I roast her?" 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.900 align:middle line:84% Well, after some considerable thought, 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:40.320 align:middle line:84% I realized there really wasn't any good dirt on her to reveal. 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:43.650 align:middle line:84% So I figured I should go the more respectable route. 00:00:43.650 --> 00:00:47.310 align:middle line:84% You all know Ofelia Zepeda as Dr. Ofelia Zepeda, 00:00:47.310 --> 00:00:49.470 align:middle line:84% an internationally renowned linguist who 00:00:49.470 --> 00:00:52.480 align:middle line:84% has pioneered the grammar of the Tohono O'odham language. 00:00:52.480 --> 00:00:54.810 align:middle line:84% You may also know her as longstanding director 00:00:54.810 --> 00:00:57.600 align:middle line:84% of the American Indian Language Development 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:00.900 align:middle line:84% Institute, the interim director of American Indian Studies, 00:01:00.900 --> 00:01:03.240 align:middle line:84% and of course, you know her as a poet. 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:07.680 align:middle line:84% Much of our thanks for her poetry goes to Dr. Larry Evers. 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:10.170 align:middle line:84% As one of my classmates, Ian, put it, 00:01:10.170 --> 00:01:13.410 align:middle line:84% Dr. Zepeda and Dr. Larry Evers have had an epic partnership 00:01:13.410 --> 00:01:14.730 align:middle line:90% throughout the years. 00:01:14.730 --> 00:01:17.040 align:middle line:84% Dr. Evers has helped to cultivate and motivate 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:18.390 align:middle line:90% Dr. Zepeda's work. 00:01:18.390 --> 00:01:21.090 align:middle line:84% Their work on Sun Tracks series through the use of press 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:23.430 align:middle line:90% has been truly epic. 00:01:23.430 --> 00:01:25.410 align:middle line:84% One thing most of you can't really 00:01:25.410 --> 00:01:27.720 align:middle line:90% see her as is a relative. 00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:31.620 align:middle line:84% When I look at her, sorry, I see my aunt. 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:34.140 align:middle line:84% Growing up, my name, our name, already 00:01:34.140 --> 00:01:37.050 align:middle line:84% had like legacy of her-- of its own. 00:01:37.050 --> 00:01:38.970 align:middle line:84% Her daughter, Christina, and I discussed 00:01:38.970 --> 00:01:42.600 align:middle line:84% this interesting phenomena that is Ofelia Zepeda. 00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:45.360 align:middle line:84% Christina, her daughter, is perplexed by the way people 00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:47.580 align:middle line:90% revere her-- rightly so. 00:01:47.580 --> 00:01:52.230 align:middle line:84% But in our culture, that's not how you do it. 00:01:52.230 --> 00:01:54.450 align:middle line:84% You should remain humble and avoid 00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:56.940 align:middle line:84% the dreaded [SPEAKING O'ODHAM] or acting like you're 00:01:56.940 --> 00:01:58.650 align:middle line:90% better than someone else. 00:01:58.650 --> 00:02:00.750 align:middle line:84% Thankfully, my aunt is not the type of person 00:02:00.750 --> 00:02:03.510 align:middle line:84% to go around shouting her many accomplishments. 00:02:03.510 --> 00:02:07.470 align:middle line:84% If she did, there would be no time to discuss other matters. 00:02:07.470 --> 00:02:10.139 align:middle line:84% However, I can speak of her achievements, 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:12.210 align:middle line:84% but will not list them all since we 00:02:12.210 --> 00:02:13.980 align:middle line:90% don't have that kind of time. 00:02:13.980 --> 00:02:16.080 align:middle line:84% She has received too many prestigious awards 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:18.900 align:middle line:84% to mention tonight, but a few important ones 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:21.990 align:middle line:84% are that she is a Regents Professor, a MacArthur fellow, 00:02:21.990 --> 00:02:25.020 align:middle line:84% and a recent nominee to the Stanfill Hall of Fame, 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:27.570 align:middle line:90% our hometown. 00:02:27.570 --> 00:02:29.130 align:middle line:84% I'm pretty sure she'll be inducted. 00:02:29.130 --> 00:02:31.950 align:middle line:90% 00:02:31.950 --> 00:02:35.160 align:middle line:84% It is truly fitting that she is reading in this series "Poetics 00:02:35.160 --> 00:02:38.640 align:middle line:84% and Politics of Water" since she and her writing are like 00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:39.870 align:middle line:90% [? ṣudagĭ ?], water. 00:02:39.870 --> 00:02:42.450 align:middle line:84% She flows across the swirl and providing a much needed 00:02:42.450 --> 00:02:43.320 align:middle line:90% sustenance. 00:02:43.320 --> 00:02:46.560 align:middle line:84% The way her words glide across our ears and through our brains 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:48.570 align:middle line:84% is reminiscent of a summer rain-- 00:02:48.570 --> 00:02:51.360 align:middle line:90% calming and restorative. 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:55.260 align:middle line:84% And if the stories my Uncle Tony tells are true, 00:02:55.260 --> 00:02:57.570 align:middle line:84% she can be like a raging storm who 00:02:57.570 --> 00:03:00.720 align:middle line:84% will tear the Earth asunder, but manages to bring new life 00:03:00.720 --> 00:03:03.120 align:middle line:90% and hope to the world. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.670 align:middle line:84% Just like the weather, people may not always 00:03:05.670 --> 00:03:09.270 align:middle line:84% agree with her words, for instance, a book Manning. 00:03:09.270 --> 00:03:11.250 align:middle line:90% She does provide what is needed. 00:03:11.250 --> 00:03:12.840 align:middle line:90% Hers are beautiful words. 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:15.270 align:middle line:90% She shares with you. 00:03:15.270 --> 00:03:15.900 align:middle line:90% Sorry. 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:19.410 align:middle line:84% She shares with you all of our family, our collective memory, 00:03:19.410 --> 00:03:21.400 align:middle line:90% and our culture. 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:23.520 align:middle line:90% So that's my aunt. 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:25.310 align:middle line:90% Thank you.