Muriel Hazel Wright

Muriel Hazel Wright (born March 31, 1889 in Lehigh , Oklahoma , † February 27, 1975 in Oklahoma City ) was an American historian and campaigner for Indian rights . She became known as the chronicler of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Indians.

Muriel's father was a Choctaw and her mother was white. For a woman and a mixed blood, she enjoyed an excellent education. From 1924 she researched and published on the history of Oklahoma and its indigenous peoples. She was the author and editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma , a journal of the Oklahoma Historical Society . She was also a co-author of the encyclopedia A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma , which was published in 1951.

In addition to her work as a historian, Wright supported and advised the Choctaw on economic issues and helped them to get compensation from the government after the annexation of their territories. When the founding of the state of Oklahoma in 1907, the former tribal property should pass into private hands, she also stood by their side. Thanks to Wright's efforts, a government program to preserve the Choctaw's historic sites was carried out, placing important buildings such as the Choctaw Council House in Tuskahoma under government protection.

Muriel Wright has received several awards for her commitment. In 1971 the North American Indian Women's Association named her the "Outstanding Indian of the 20th Century". She died of a stroke at the age of 85.

Works (selection)

• The story of Oklahoma. 1923
• Our Oklahoma. 1939
• Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, 1951, ISBN 0806102381
• Civil War sites in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Historical Society, 1967

literature

• Patricia Loghlin: Hidden Treasures of the American West: Muriel H. Wright, Angie Debo, and Alice Marriott. University of New Mexico Press, 2005. ISBN 0826338011

Web links

• Muriel Hazel Wright. In: FemBio. Women's biography research (with references and citations).