Manuel Bob Chavez (1915-2003) Ow-u-Te-Wa - Echo of a Song

Manuel Bob Chavez was an artist and teacher in the Cochiti Pueblo. He sign(ed) his paintings "Ow U Te Wa" - Echo of a Song, the Hopi name given to him by his grandmother.

Chavez was in the first graduating class of St Catherine's Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was drafted in World War II and was sent to the Pacific where he survived the Bataan Death March and spent five years in Japanese POW camps.

After the War, Chavez returned to St. Catherine's as a teacher. After a few years coaching he was determined to give the school an art department even without a budget. He and his wife, Mary, completed the excavation of a basement room at the school. He outfitted the room with army surplus stools, lamps and tables.

Chavez taught art for four decades at St. Catherine's. He held annual student art shows to raise money for supplies. 

Chavez has been honored as a "Living Treasure" by the community of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Biography Source:  from AskArt website

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