[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF ESTHER MARTINEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 19, 2006

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart 
today to honor the memory of a very special New Mexican, Esther 
Martinez.
  Esther Martinez is renowned for her work as an educator, author, and 
master storyteller. But it is her life story that is very unique.
  Born in 1912, her grandson Matthew notes that Esther typically 
introduced herself by saying she was born the same year New Mexico 
became a State and the Titanic sank. As a young girl, she traveled by 
covered wagon with her grandparents from her home in the Ute Country of 
Colorado to what was then known as San Juan Pueblo, now Okay Owingeh.
  After arriving at Okay Owingeh, Esther was sent to the Santa Fe 
Indian Boarding School, as a part of the Federal Government's efforts 
to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream society. There she was 
scolded and often punished for speaking Tewa, her native tongue. As a 
lonely young girl, Esther longed to hear the voices and stories of her 
grandparents.
  Story telling in her native Tewa language would be Esther's greatest 
legacy. She dedicated herself to maintaining and preserving the various 
forms of the Tewa language. Among her Pueblo people Esther or Aunt 
Esther, as many called her, is best known for her storytelling, but 
also recognized for her linguistic and educational contributions.
  Esther taught Tewa at the San Juan Day School and for more than 20 
years served as the school's director of bilingual education.
  She also published her stories and used them as learning tools in the 
classroom. As a master of the Tewa language, she compiled Tewa 
dictionaries in various dialects for the northern New Mexico Pueblos 
and also translated the New Testament into Tewa.
  Last Thursday, Esther was in Washington, DC, where I had the 
privilege of helping present her with the Nation's highest honor for 
folk and traditional artists. At the age of 94, Esther was named a 2006 
National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. With 
members of her family in the audience, Esther rose to be honored and 
received a standing ovation for her life's work preserving her native 
Tewa language and traditions.
  Tragically, while making her way back home from the airport Saturday 
evening, Esther was killed in a traffic accident. Two of her daughters 
traveling with her suffered injuries but survived the crash.
  Our hearts weigh heavy with the news of Esther's tragic passing but 
her legacy will forever live in the contributions she made to our 
Nation as an educator, linguist, and master storyteller. Her greatest 
role, however, was as a mother of 10 and grandmother who was loved by 
many. Our deepest sympathies are with them today.

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