“Her American Indian name is P’oe Tswa, or Blue Water, but many knew her as Ko’oe Esther, or Aunt Esther.
“She spent much of her childhood living with her grandparents and traveling back and forth in a covered wagon to visit her parents.
“She was a major conservator of the Tewa language, teaching her native language from 1974 to 1989 at schools in Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo.
“She also helped translate the New Testament of the Bible into Tewa and compiled Tewa dictionaries for pueblos that have distinct dialects of the language…”
Last week she “was honored along with 11 other folk and traditional artists for being named a 2006 National Heritage Fellow, the nation’s highest honor for such artists, the NEA said in a news release. The fellowship includes a one-time award of $20,000.”
Saturday night, as Esther Martinez was nearing home on the return from the awards ceremony in Washington, an apparently intoxicated driver crossed the center line and collided with the Dodge Dakota in which she was riding with her daughters.
She died at the scene. She was 94.
Above quotations and information from story in The New Mexican.