N. Scott Momaday (1934–2024) was a groundbreaking American novelist, poet, and scholar, widely regarded as a central figure in the Native American literary renaissance. Born in Lawton and raised in the American Southwest, he was a member of the Kiowa Nation. His upbringing, shaped by Indigenous oral traditions and the landscapes of places like New Mexico, deeply influenced his writing and his commitment to preserving Native cultural identity.

Momaday achieved international acclaim with his debut novel House Made of Dawn (1968), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is often credited with bringing Native American literature into the mainstream of American letters. In addition to fiction, he published poetry, essays, and memoir, including The Way to Rainy Mountain, blending personal history with Kiowa mythology and storytelling traditions.

A longtime professor and lecturer, Momaday taught at institutions such as Stanford University and the University of Arizona. His work is known for its lyrical style and its emphasis on language, place, and memory as sources of identity. Through his writing and advocacy, he helped reshape the representation of Indigenous voices in American literature and remains a profoundly influential figure in both literary and cultural history.