TSOAI-TALEE:

N. Scott Momaday is one of the most recognized and critically acclaimed Native American poets and authors in American history. He was also a Kiowa man, a teacher, a painter, and a bear. He was given the name Tsoai-Talee, Rock Tree Boy, by an elder when he was just a few months old. Momaday's connection to his Kiowa heritage and the larger contemporary Native American experience directly influenced and informed much of his work. 

His 1968 House Made of Dawn propelled Momaday into the upper echelon of American writers. Often seen as the founder of the Native American Renaissance, Momaday helped bring the contemporary Native American experience to the forefront of the American consciousness.

This exhibit provides a timeline of N. Scott Momaday's life and legacy, highlighting the motivations and influences that shaped his work for more than fifty years. His life exemplifies how a deep connection to family, community, and heritage can inspire profound self-expression, one so powerful that it drives change and evolution. can inspire profound self-expression, one so powerful that it drives change and evolution.