Wikipedia

Jeannette Henry Costo

Jeannette Henry Costo (1908–2001) was an American activist, author, editor, and journalist. She co-founded the American Indian Historical Society (AIHS), and the Indian Historian Press publishing company.[1][2][3]

Jeannette Henry Costo
Born
Jeannette Henry

(1908-06-27)June 27, 1908
DiedJanuary 31, 2001(2001-01-31) (aged 92)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesJeannette Dulce Henry-Costo
Occupation(s)Activist, author, editor, journalist
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1950; died in 1989)​

Background

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Jeannette Henry was born on June 27, 1908.[4] She identified as being "born to the Turtle clan of the Carolina Cherokee," as Gretchan Bataille and Laurie Lisa wrote in the Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary.[5]

She ran away from home as a teenager, and was a police reporter for the Detroit Free Press as a young woman.[6]

Marriage and activism

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In the 1950s Jeanette married Rupert Costo (Cauhilla) with whom she co-founded the American Indian Historical Society (AIHS) in 1962.[1][7] The AIHS was a cultural and activist organization.[8] Its headquarters were named Chautauqua House and was located at 1451 Masonic Avenue in the Ashbury Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California.[9] The organization dissolved in 1986.[9] At that time the couple donated many of the organization's library holdings to the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside),[10] and established an endowed chair in American Indian Studies at UC Riverside.[6]

In 1988, the Costos, both Roman Catholic, were vocal in protesting the beatification of Christian missionary Junípero Serra.[11][12]

Writing and publishing

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The couple also published several periodicals including Wassaja and the Indian Historian.[1] Additionally they had a publishing company similarly named the Indian Historian Press, which published some 59 book titles.[3]

Jeannette Henry Costo wrote Textbooks and the American Indian.[13] She edited Indian Voices: The Native American Today[14] and The American Indian Reader.[15] She also co-wrote a number of books with Rupert Costo,[2] including The Missions of California: A Legacy of Genocide (1987).[16]

Death

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Costo died on January 31, 2001, in San Francisco, California.[17]

Publications

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  • Costo, Rupert; Henry Costo, Jeannette (1987). The Missions of California: A Legacy of Genocide. The Indian Historian Press. ISBN 9780317645392.
  • Costo, Rupert; Henry Costo, Jeannette (1995). Natives of the Golden State: The California Indians. The Indian Historian Press. ISBN 9780713436266.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Native American women : a biographical dictionary (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. 2001. p. 133. ISBN 9781135955878.
  2. ^ a b "Jeannette Dulce Henry Costo". Native American Authors. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Waugh, Dexter (August 15, 1995). "Writing a longtime native Indian wrong". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 43. Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Transcription of an oral history interview with Jeannette Costo" (PDF). UC Riverside. July 27, 1998. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Bataille, Gretchen M.; Lisa, Laurie (2003). Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 133. ISBN 9781135955878.
  6. ^ a b Sahagun, Louis (May 2, 1986). "Indians Pull Up Scholarly Chair at UC Riverside". Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Rupert and Jeannette Costo Papers". UCR Library. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Ribbel, Arthur (September 28, 1966). "Publication Fights False Indian image". The Amarillo Globe-Times. p. 37. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Young, Kerri (June 25, 2021). "The Ashbury Heights Home of the American Indian Historical Society". San Francisco Heritage. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "Costo (Rupert and Jeannette) papers". Online Archive of California. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  11. ^ Hirsley, Michael (May 28, 1988). "To American Indians, Serra is anything but a saint". The Wichita Eagle. p. 32. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Berger, Joseph (September 15, 1987). "The Papal Visit: When Medical Progress and The Church's Moral Teachings Meet; Pope Warns Health Workers on Straying". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  13. ^ Charles, James P. (1989). "The Need for Textbook Reform: An American Indian Example". Journal of American Indian Education. 28 (3): 13. ISSN 0021-8731. JSTOR 24397958. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  14. ^ Indian voices: the native American today. San Francisco: Published for the American Indian Historical Society by the Indian Historian Press. 1974. ISBN 978-0913436189.
  15. ^ The American Indian reader. San Francisco: Published by the Indian Historian Press for the American Indian Historical Society. 1972–1977. ISBN 9780913436233.
  16. ^ "'Missions' book to focus on treatment of Indians". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1987. p. 107. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Riverside: Jeannette Costo". The Press-Enterprise. February 6, 2001. pp. B04.
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