Guess who I was named after?
It's kind of confusing here at the U of A, so I go by Liz.
Sorry.
OK, so I'm currently a graduate student in the Knowledge River
program and also a graduate assistant
at Special Collections.
I had to write it all down just to let
you know, because I was a middle school
teacher so I'm kind of goofy.
Just to warn you.
When the idea of introducing Dr. Zepeda was broached,
my natural inclination was "Can I roast her?"
Well, after some considerable thought,
I realized there really wasn't any good dirt on her to reveal.
So I figured I should go the more respectable route.
You all know Ofelia Zepeda as Dr. Ofelia Zepeda,
an internationally renowned linguist who
has pioneered the grammar of the Tohono O'odham language.
You may also know her as longstanding director
of the American Indian Language Development
Institute, the interim director of American Indian Studies,
and of course, you know her as a poet.
Much of our thanks for her poetry goes to Dr. Larry Evers.
As one of my classmates, Ian, put it,
Dr. Zepeda and Dr. Larry Evers have had an epic partnership
throughout the years.
Dr. Evers has helped to cultivate and motivate
Dr. Zepeda's work.
Their work on Sun Tracks series through the use of press
has been truly epic.
One thing most of you can't really
see her as is a relative.
When I look at her, sorry, I see my aunt.
Growing up, my name, our name, already
had like legacy of her-- of its own.
Her daughter, Christina, and I discussed
this interesting phenomena that is Ofelia Zepeda.
Christina, her daughter, is perplexed by the way people
revere her-- rightly so.
But in our culture, that's not how you do it.
You should remain humble and avoid
the dreaded [SPEAKING O'ODHAM] or acting like you're
better than someone else.
Thankfully, my aunt is not the type of person
to go around shouting her many accomplishments.
If she did, there would be no time to discuss other matters.
However, I can speak of her achievements,
but will not list them all since we
don't have that kind of time.
She has received too many prestigious awards
to mention tonight, but a few important ones
are that she is a Regents Professor, a MacArthur fellow,
and a recent nominee to the Stanfill Hall of Fame,
our hometown.
I'm pretty sure she'll be inducted.
It is truly fitting that she is reading in this series "Poetics
and Politics of Water" since she and her writing are like
[? ṣudagĭ ?], water.
She flows across the swirl and providing a much needed
sustenance.
The way her words glide across our ears and through our brains
is reminiscent of a summer rain--
calming and restorative.
And if the stories my Uncle Tony tells are true,
she can be like a raging storm who
will tear the Earth asunder, but manages to bring new life
and hope to the world.
Just like the weather, people may not always
agree with her words, for instance, a book Manning.
She does provide what is needed.
Hers are beautiful words.
She shares with you.
Sorry.
She shares with you all of our family, our collective memory,
and our culture.
So that's my aunt.
Thank you.