Description: (Anthropologist, Educator, Linguist, Ethnographer, and Novelist)
Ella Cara Deloria, also known as Aŋpétu Wašté Wiŋ (Beautiful Day Woman), was a Yankton Dakota educator, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist. She made important contributions to Native American studies through her work in recording oral histories, studying languages, and exploring cultural and religious practices of the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota people. Deloria was recognized as a leading authority in these fields due to her expertise. In the 1940s, she authored the novel Waterlily, a significant work that illuminates Native American culture and traditions.