The life and work of Vine Deloria Jr., author of "Custer Died for Your Sins" and one of the leading figures of the American West, will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 by the University of Colorado at Boulder's Center of the American West.
The center will present Deloria with its highest honor, the Wallace Stegner Award, during the festive event in the University Memorial Center's Glenn Miller Ballroom. The UMC is located at Broadway and Euclid Avenue on the CU-Boulder campus.
The Stegner Award presentation will feature an interview and discussion of Deloria's distinguished career conducted by John Echohawk, executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, and Charles Wilkinson, distinguished professor of law at CU-Boulder.
The event is free and open to the public and no reservations are required. CU-Boulder Chancellor Richard Byyny will introduce the occasion and a reception and book signing will follow.
Deloria, a former professor at CU-Boulder and the University of Arizona, is the author of more than 20 books. " 'Custer Died for Your Sins' is perhaps the single most influential book ever written on Indian affairs," Wilkinson said. "At once fiery and humorous, uplifting and sharply critical, 'Custer' received a broad readership nationally and lived up to its pointed subtitle, 'An Indian Manifesto.' "
Born into a distinguished Yankton Sioux family, Deloria served in the Marines and then graduated from Iowa State University and earned a master's degree in theology from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago and a law degree from CU-Boulder.
In 1964 he became executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, the largest intertribal organization. "This was a crucial era for Indian people," Wilkinson said. "They faced desperate economic conditions, political and religious repression on the reservations, and the infamous termination policy of Congress.
"Deloria plunged into his new job, writing op-ed articles, giving inspiration to Indian country, building coalitions, and, on Capitol Hill, fighting confiscatory bills and proposing reform measures. His leadership at NCAI and in the ensuing years marked a turning point in Indian policy."
Deloria's other books include "God is Red," "We Talk, You Listen," "American Indian Policy in the Twentieth Century" and "Singing for a Spirit." He is now retired from teaching and lives in Golden with his wife, Barbara, but continues to write, lecture and speak out on the issues he influenced.
Each year, the Center of the American West presents the Wallace Stegner Award to an individual who has made a sustained contribution to the cultural identity of the West through the literature, art, history, lore or understanding of the West. The handmade certificate features a personalized inscription to reflect the recipient's distinguished accomplishments and includes a $1,000 cash award.
The mission of the CU-Boulder Center of the American West is to explore the distinctive character and issues of the region and to help Westerners become well-informed, participating citizens in their communities.
For more information call (303) 492-4879 or visit .