Silko, Leslie Marmon (1948-)

Leslie Marmon Silko was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1948, and grew up on the Laguna Pueblo reservation near her birthplace. She claims a mixed heritage of Pueblo, Laguna, Mexican, and white blood. Her great-grandfather, Robert G. Marmon, was a white man who came to the reservation in the late 19th century, married a Pueblo woman, and became deeply involved in tribal politics. Over several generations, the Marmons have become an established part of the tribe, yet their position has always been complex, at once insiders and outsiders. Silko's own life has been rooted in the culture of the Laguna Pueblo, although she left the reservation to attend school, and later college, in Albuquerque. With the exception of a 2-year stay in Alaska, she ...