Ofelia Zepeda is a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation
and was born and raised in Stanfield, Arizona.
She is a Regents' Professor of Linguistics and recipient
of the MacArthur Fellowship for her work
in American-Indian language education, maintenance,
and recovery.
Dr. Zepeda has published two books of poetry, Ocean Power,
Poems from the Desert and Jewed 'i-hoi, Earth Movements.
She is co-editor of Home Places, a celebration
of 20 years of Sun Tracks publications
and of Home, Native People in the Southwest.
Her poetry has also been published
in reinventing the enemy's language, fever dreams,
Poetry Of The West, a Columbia Anthology, and other journals
and publications.
Professor Zepeda teaches and researches
the Tohono O'odham language and issues
of language documentation and revitalisation.
She published the first grammar textbook of O'odham, a Tohono
O'odham Grammar.
She is a co-founder and director of the American-Indian Language
Development Institute, one of the longest running indigenous
language institutes with an international reputation
for training educators and Native American students.