You might be curious about the woman for whom this summer school is named. Here's a little bit about her from the National Baha'i Archives in Wilmette, IL.
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| Marian Steffes at the First Baha'i Council Fire Gathering Pine Springs, AZ, June 1962 |
Marian steffes was born June 14, 1900
in Oneida, Wisconsin on a farm owned by her family. Her parents were
of the Oneida tribe of the Iriquois Nation. She and her husband Fred
had a son, Wayne, and a daughter Ramona, whose married name was
Ortega. She spent most of her life as a Milwaukee resident, moving to
northern California in latter days. She died in Grenada Hills,
California on June 14, 1978.
Marian began investigating the Baha'i
Faith in Milwaukee in 1935. It is not possible to determine who was
the first American Indian to accept the Faith, but Marian was
definitely among the earliest to do so. She immediately began to
spread the news of the Cause among her people and continued doing so
as long as she lived in Wisconsin. She was accompanied by one of her
earliest teachers, “Auntie Victoria” Bedikian on some of her
travels. In 1953 she attended the International Conference in
Chicago-Wilmette as one of a handful of Indian representatives. She
addressed the Great Council Fire in Papago Land in Arizona in
February 1963 and her son Wayne was master of ceremonies at one of
the sessions. Upon her passing the Universal House of Justice began
its cable, “GRIEVED LOSS STAUNCH OUTSTANDING NATIVE AMERICAN
TEACHER CAUSE MARIAN STEFFES.”
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