Identity area
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Date(s)
- 1932-2016 (Creation)
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16.21 linear feet (16 records center boxes, 1 oversize box)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn was born in 1930 in Fort Thompson, South Dakota, on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation. An enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, she currently resides near Rapid City, South Dakota. Cook-Lynn earned a B.A. in English and Journalism from South Dakota State College (now South Dakota State University) in 1952 and completed an M.Ed. in Psychology and Counseling at the University of South Dakota in 1971. She also pursued doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska in the late 1970s.
Her professional career began in secondary education, teaching in South Dakota and New Mexico, before transitioning to higher education. From 1971 to 1990, she taught English and Native American Studies at Eastern Washington University, where she was instrumental in founding Wicazo Sa Review: A Journal of Native American Studies alongside Beatrice Medicine, Roger Buffalohead, and William Willard. She later served as a visiting professor at the University of California, Davis, and remains active as a speaker and mentor, co-organizing the Oak Lake Writers’ Retreat for Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota writers in South Dakota.
Following her retirement from academia, Cook-Lynn became a full-time writer. Her work spans multiple genres—including fiction, poetry, and nonfiction—centered on Native American experiences, sovereignty, and identity. Her first publications, Then Badger Said This and Seek the House of Relatives, appeared in 1983, followed by The Power of Horses and Other Stories (1990), and the novel From the River’s Edge (1991), which evolved into Aurelia: A Crow Creek Trilogy (1999). Notable nonfiction works include Why I Can’t Read Wallace Stegner and Other Essays: A Tribal Voice (1996), The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty (1998, with Mario Gonzalez), and the poetry collection I Remember the Fallen Trees (1998).
Cook-Lynn’s writing has been featured in major anthologies such as Harper’s Anthology of 20th Century Native American Poetry and Reinventing the Enemy’s Language: Contemporary Native Women’s Writing of North America. Her scholarship, book reviews, and editorials have contributed significantly to Native American literary and political discourse.
In recognition of her work, Cook-Lynn has received numerous honors, including a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship (1978), the Oyate Igluwitaya Award from South Dakota State University’s Native American Club (1995), and the Mountain Plains Library Association’s Literary Contribution Award (2002). Her essay collection Why I Can’t Read Wallace Stegner was also cited by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights. Cook-Lynn is widely recognized for her leadership in advancing Native rights and scholarship through literature and education.
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn died on July 5, 2023 at Monument Hospital in Rapid City.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The Elizabeth Cook-Lynn Papers document the life and work of Dakota scholar, writer, editor, and educator Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. The collection includes biographical material, extensive correspondence, and a wide range of her literary and scholarly output. Her writings include published and unpublished articles, essays, editorials, poetry, novels, novellas, and book reviews, many of which address Native identity, tribal sovereignty, and the decolonization of education and literature.
The collection also contains teaching files, course materials, and academic papers from her tenure at institutions such as Arizona State University and Eastern Washington University, reflecting her efforts to establish and expand Native American Studies as an academic discipline. Research files and documentation from her participation in conferences, symposia, and public speaking engagements highlight her role as a national voice in Indigenous intellectual and political discourse.
A significant portion of the collection relates to Wicazo Sa Review: A Journal of Native Studies, which Cook-Lynn co-founded and edited. These records include editorial correspondence, manuscript submissions, issue drafts, grant applications, and administrative documents that trace the development of this influential scholarly publication.
Supplementary materials cover a broad range of Native American issues and topics, including legal, cultural, and educational matters, and include clippings, reports, advocacy literature, and publications.
The Elizabeth Cook-Lynn Papers are a vital resource for researchers studying Native American literature, tribal sovereignty, and the evolution of Indigenous scholarship in the United States.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The Elizabeth Cook-Lynn papers are arranged into series:
- Series 1. Biographical material
- Series 2. Recognition
- Series 3. Correspondence
- Series 4. Writings
- Series 5. Teaching career
- Series 6. Other activities
- Series 7. Research
- Series 8. Wicazo Sa Review
- Series 9. Native American issues and topics
- Series 10. Collected material
- Series 11. Photographs
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Reproduction of materials from the collection is subject to the following conditions:
- Permission: Written permission must be obtained from the SDSU Archives for any reproduction, publication, or quotation of materials.
- Copyright: Users are responsible for complying with copyright laws and securing any necessary permissions from copyright holders.
- Fragile Materials: Some items may not be reproduced due to their fragile condition.
- Charges: Reproduction charges may apply, and users will be informed of any costs in advance.
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Acknowledgment: Any reproduced material must include proper acknowledgment of the South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections as the source.
For more information or to request permission, please contact the SDSU Archives.
Conditions governing reproduction
Anti-Indianism in Modern America : a voice from Tatekeya's Earth, Urbana by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 2001
Aurelia : a Crow Creek trilogy by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 1999
From the river's edge by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 1991
I remember the fallen trees : new and selected poems by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 1998
New Indians, old wars by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 2007
Notebooks of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 2007
The power of horses and other stories by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 1990
The politics of hallowed ground : Wounded Knee and the struggle for Indian sovereignty by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn with Mario Gonzales
Publication Date: 1999
A separate country : postcoloniality and American Indian nations by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 2012
That guy Wolf Dancing : a novella by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 2012
Then Badger said this by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 1983
Why I can't read Wallace Stegner and other essays : a tribal voice by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
Publication Date: 1996
Language of material
English
Script of material
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Finding aids
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Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
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Bibliography
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Anti-Indianism in Modern America: A Voice from Tatekeya’s Earth. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Aurelia: A Crow Creek Trilogy. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1999.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. From the River’s Edge. St. Paul, MN: Living Justice Press, 2012.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. I Remember the Fallen Trees: New and Selected Poems. Cheney, WA: Eastern Washington University Press, 1998.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. In Defense of Loose Translations: An Indian Life in an Academic World. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2018.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Notebooks of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2007.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. The Power of Horses and Other Stories. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1990.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Seek the House of Relatives. Marvin, SD: Blue Cloud Quarterly Press, 1983.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. A Separate Country: Postcoloniality and American Indian Nations. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2012.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. That Guy Wolf Dancing: A Novella. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2014.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Then Badger Said This. 2nd ed. Fairfield, WA: Ye Galleon Press, 1983.
Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth. Why I Can’t Read Wallace Stegner, and Other Essays: A Tribal Voice. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1996.
Gonzalez, Mario, and Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. The Politics of Hallowed Ground: Wounded Knee and the Struggle for Indian Sovereignty. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1999.
Lawrence, Elden, Florence Seaboy, Dorothy Gill, and Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. Elders Panel “Coming Home.” American Indian History Conference, 4th, South Dakota State University, 1996. Video recording.
White Face, Charmaine. Testimony for the Innocent. Introduction by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. Brunswick, ME: Audenreed Press, 1998.
Notes area
Note
Elizabeth Cook-Lynn’s heirs retain the literary rights, including copyright, to this material. Patrons wishing to publish from this material must obtain permission from the heirs of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn. For further information, consult with Archives staff.
Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
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Name access points
- Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth (Subject)
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Archivist's note
Care was taken to keep materials in the order that Cook-Lynn maintained. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by last name, or by organization (i.e. presses, universities, etc.), and chronologically within the folders. Some materials were removed to other locations because of inappropriate storage including photographs, floppy discs, and artwork. Files from floppy disks in the collection have been printed and the disks removed to more appropriate storage. Photographs were relocated to the MA Photograph Archives. Most news prints items are original, some have been photocopied due to deterioration of the original. Other materials considered irrelevant to the collection were returned to Cook-Lynn.