Ofelia Zepeda

About the Author

Ofelia Zepeda is a renowned linguist, poet, and educator deeply rooted in the Tohono O'odham community of southern Arizona. As a professor emerita at the University of Arizona, she has dedicated her career to preserving and revitalizing the Tohono O'odham language, one of the Native American languages at risk of extinction. Zepeda's work bridges academia and cultural heritage, blending rigorous linguistic analysis with the poetic traditions of her people. Her seminal book, A Tohono O'odham Grammar, serves as a foundational resource for understanding the syntax, morphology, and phonology of this Uto-Aztecan language, while her poetry collections evoke the landscapes, rituals, and resilience of O'odham life. Through her writings and teachings, Zepeda inspires a new generation to embrace indigenous languages and stories.