Marriott, Alice, 1910-1992

Alice Marriott was born in Wilmett, Ill. in 1910. Her parents moved the family to Oklahoma City when she was still a young girl. She received a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma in 1930. In 1935, she became field specialist for the Indian Arts and Crafts Board. Marriott spent some time living in the Santa Fe area, near San Ildefonso Pueblo. She integrated her first hand observations of Native Americans and Hispanics of the area into her books. In the 1980's, she finished the manuscript, "Spanish-American folk stories of some New Mexico saints." Although the manuscript was never published, it was slated to be performed in the St. Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe in 1989. Marriott's ethnological reports, novels, short stories, and popular nonfiction helped promote a better understanding of American Indian culture, and aided in dispelling the "exotic savage" stereotype.

Alice Marriott was born in Wilmett, Illinois in 1910. Her parents moved the family to Oklahoma City when she was still a young girl. There, she developed a keen interest in American Indians. She was the first woman to receive a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma, in 1930. In 1935, she became field specialist for the Indian Arts and Crafts Board. In this capacity, she began collecting Native American art, and listening to artists' stories and legends. Her first book, The Ten Grandmothers, a biography of Kiowa women, was published in 1945.

Marriott spent some time living in the Santa Fe area, near San Ildefonso Pueblo. She integrated her first hand observations of Native Americans and Hispanics of the area into her fourth and fifth books, Maria: The Potter of San Ildefonso (1948) and The Valley Below (1949). In the 1980's, she finished the manuscript, "Spanish-American Folk Stories of some New Mexico Saints." Although the manuscript was never published, it was slated to be performed in the St. Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe in 1989.

Marriott' ethnological reports, novels, short stories, and popular nonfiction helped promote a better understanding of American Indian culture, and aided in dispelling the "exotic savage" stereotype. In her lifetime, more than 20 of her books were published. She contributed to periodicals including Mademoiselle, Harper's, and the Southwest Review. Alice Marriott died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on March 18, 1992.