Bonnie G. Manley

Born 1906-12-14 Nehawka, NE (USA)

Died 1971-11

Manley grew up near Whitney, NE. She attended Chadron State Teachers College and taught in rural schools. In 1934 and again in 1937-8, she taught school on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She then worked for the Nebraska State Employment Service in Fremont, and served as Dawes County Nebraska Superintendent of Schools from 1966 until her death in 1971.

During her stay on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the 1930s, Manley compiled her Lakota Primer, but despite repeated attempts, could not get it published. In 1936 she was formally adopted by the Sioux, and given the name Waze Wash-te, or Beautiful Leaves. She was still living when the Lakota Primer was published in 1971, the year of her death, as the only line by line English-Lakota text in print. She was able to publish an edition (photocopied) of 500 copies because of an order by the Office of Economic Opportunity. There was a tape recording of the book, made by Pine Ridge Sioux Sam Bearkiller. Her other books were collections of poems.

The Nebraska State Historical Society has a collection of Bonnie G. Royal Berry Manley papers, inclusive dates 1937-1940 with correspondence with Addison Sheldon.

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Places Lived

Chadron, NE

Author Of

Nonfiction
Poetry

Keywords

Lakota Language; Sioux Indians; Native American Languages; Indian Schools

Education

Chadron State College

Occupation

Educator

Honors

Official adoption by Lakota Sioux Tribe.

Bibliography

La Ko Ta Rodeo and Fair and Other Poems. 1939.
Editor, Old Timer's Tales, Vol 1. 1970.
Lakota primer: Sioux Indian translation. 1971. In HR.

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