Raven Hail was a member of the Cherokee Nation known for her writings on Cherokee culture.

Early life

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Hail was born in 1921 in Washington County, Oklahoma, a member of the Cherokee Nation.[1] In her early life, Hail lived with her mother on designated Cherokee grounds in Welch, Oklahoma.[2]  She attended West Anthracite and Prairie Center elementary schools before attending Oklahoma State University and Southern Methodist University.[3][4]

While in Texas, Hail worked as a bookkeeper and secretary.[5] She unsuccessfully[6] campaigned for the Texas legislature in 1972.[7][8] She established the American Indian Theater in Dallas, Texas in 1963; the group toured Dallas and presented examples of Indian arts.[9] Hail was a singer whose songs are preserved on an album called The Raven Sings.[2] She was also a writer of plays such as The Raven and the Redbird,[10] a newsletter called The Raven Speaks that was published from 1968 until 1972,[11] and books on foods associated with Cherokee culture.[12][13] Hale owned a bookstore called Ravenscove[12] and led traditional instructions on Cherokee beadwork, basketry, singing, dancing, and folklore, preserving Native culture.[5]

In 1997 Hail was living in Mesa, Arizona, and spending her time writing about Cherokee culture.[14] She then moved to North Carolina.[5]

Hail died in 2005.[15][16]

Selected publications

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  • Hail, Raven (1965-01-01). The Raven and the Redbird - Sam Houston and his Cherokee Wife. Raven Hail.
  • Hail, Raven. "Native American foods : foods the Indians gave us". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  • Hail, Raven (1986-09-01). Windsong: Texas Cherokee Princess. Raven Hail Books. ISBN 978-0-9617696-1-1.
  • Hail, Raven (2000-01-01). The Cherokee Sacred Calendar: A Handbook of the Ancient Native American Tradition. Destiny Books. ISBN 978-0-89281-804-4.[17]

Awards and honors

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Hail's poem "Magic Song of the Little People" won best poem in a native language award from the Southwest Association of Indian Arts in 1995.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Bataille, Gretchen M.; Lisa, Laurie, eds. (2003-12-16). Native American Women (0 ed.). Routledge. pp. 99–100. doi:10.4324/9780203801048. ISBN 978-1-135-95587-8.
  2. ^ a b Birchfield, D. L. (1997). The encyclopedia of North American Indians. New York: Marshall Cavendish. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-7614-0227-5.
  3. ^ Public Forum Before the Committee on Urban Indians in Dallas: Texas of the National Council on Indian Opportunity, February 13-14, 1969. National Council on Indian Opportunity (U.S.). 1969.
  4. ^ Conley, Robert J. (2007-12-16). A Cherokee Encyclopedia. UNM Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-3953-9.
  5. ^ a b c Neal, Dale (1 February 2000). "'WE ARE A SPIRITUAL PEOPLE'". Asheville Citizen - Times; Asheville, N.C.. pp. A1 – via Proquest.
  6. ^ Blansett, Kent; Cahill, Cathleen D.; Needham, Andrew (2022-02-17). Indian Cities: Histories of Indigenous Urbanization. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-8061-9049-5.
  7. ^ "GOP women enjoy tenth". Irving Daily News. 1972-03-14. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  8. ^ "Raven Hail tries harder for post". Irving Daily News. 1972-04-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  9. ^ "TWU regional children's theater conference". The Courier-Gazette. 1965-03-31. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  10. ^ "Mission School Yule Program to be Saturday". Stilwell Democrat-Journal. 1969-12-18. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  11. ^ "Raven Hail: Baker & Taylor Author Biographies". Baker & Taylor Author Biographies: 1. 2000-01-05.
  12. ^ a b Anderson, Owanah (1982). Ohoyo One Thousand: A Resource Guide of American Indian/Alaska Native Women, 1982. Women's Educational Equity Act, U.S. Department of Education. p. 49.
  13. ^ Native American women : a biographical dictionary. New York: Garland. 1993. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-8240-5267-6.
  14. ^ "Nothing impromptu about new troupe". Arizona Republic. 1997-09-05. p. 147. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  15. ^ "Raven Hail". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  16. ^ "October 17 '05-Special- Raven Hail Obituary". www.snowwowl.com. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  17. ^ Review of Cherokee Sacred Calendar
  18. ^ Webb, C Anne (March 1995). "Native American poetry". English Journal, High School Edition; Urbana. 84 (3): 94 – via Proquest.
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Further reading

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