Viola Cordova

Viola Cordova (October 20, 1937 – November 2, 2002) was a philosopher, artist, author, and member of the Jicarilla Apache tribe. She was one of the first Native American women to earn a PhD in philosophy.^[1][2]

Early life

Viola Cordova grew up in Taos, New Mexico; her father was a member of the Jicarilla Apache tribe, and her mother was Hispanic.^[3] She earned her bachelor's degree from Idaho State University, and her MA and PhD in philosophy from the University of New Mexico.

Career

She served with Anne Waters as co-editor of the American Philosophical Association's Newsletter on American Indians in Philosophy from its inception in 2001 until her death.^[4]

In his book, What Has No Place, Remains, Nicholas Shrubsole notes that "Viola Cordova reminds us that the act of listening to understand cannot be premised upon the desire to see a distortion of one’s self."^[5]

Death and legacy

Cordova died on November 2, 2002.^[6] After her death, the University of New Mexico named an annual lecture series in her honor.^[7]

Works

• Conceptual frameworks as a source of cultural distinctions (Master's thesis, University of New Mexico, 1985)
• The concept of monism in Navajo thought (PhD dissertation, University of New Mexico, 1992)
• How It Is: A Native American Creation Story by V. F. Cordova (Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity, Colorado State University, 1994)
• Who We Are: An Exploration of Identity by V. F. Cordova (Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity, Colorado State University, 1994)
• Hearing Other Voices: A Series of Talks and Lectures by Viola Cordova, PhD (Colorado State University, 1995)
• Cordova, V. F. (2007). How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova. Edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lacy. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-2649-9. OCLC 137331382.