Pablita Velarde Hardin is a famous Tewa Indian artist, born in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico in 1918. She has helped revive and reinterpret traditional Indian art forms, preserving both for the pleasure of people today and for future generations. From ancient tales told to her by her father she has written and illustrated "Old Father, the Story Teller", a book of Tewa legends. Pablita's life has been one of conflict between her Indian heritage and her life in the Anglo world. Her years were much like those of any other Tewa baby, although when she was three her mother died. She was educated in Indian boarding schools and in the eighth grade received her first art training at the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school in Santa Fe. There Indian children were taught basic art concepts but were encouraged to develop their own art styles and to reflect their own cultures. By the end of the first year her detailed paintings of pueblo life were chosen for exhibit in Chicago and Washington, D.C. She graduated from high school in 1936, a feat seldom accomplished by girls of her tribe at that time. At 23 she married Herb Hardin, an accomplished Anglo, and became the mother of two, Herby and Helen, the latter being an artist in her own right. She kept to her art resulting in fame for her murals and paintings. Her work is related to her Indian culture and she has attempted to preserve Santa Clara Pueblo culture; she uses her art to interpret Indian life. Today she is the most famous Indian woman painter in the world. This biography is written for grades five and up. (Author/DS)