Silvester John Brito (September 26, 1937 - October 7, 2018) was an American poet and academic. He was an associate professor of anthropology and folklore at the
University of Wyoming.
Early life and education
Brito was born September 26, 1937, in
Delta, Colorado
Delta is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Delta County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 9,035 at the 2020 United States Census. The United States Forest Service headquarter ...
. He was of
Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
and
Purépecha
The Purépecha (endonym pua, P'urhepecha ) are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro.
They are also known by the pejorative "Tarascan ...
descent. Brito completed a Ph.D. in Folklore at
Indiana University.
[Author biography from ]
Career
Brito was an associate professor for the
University of Wyoming, teaching anthropology, American folklore studies, Chicano, and religious studies. Brito was a member of M.E.C.h.A. and Keepers of the Fire.
[Laramie Boomerang Obituary, October 11, 2018](_blank)
Brito published several books of poetry, ''Man From a Rainbow, Looking Through A Squared Off Circle'', and ''Red Cedar Warrior'', and an ethnography, ''The Way of A Peyote Roadman''.
[Reviews of ''The Way of a Peyote Roadman'':
*
*
*] His poetry has appeared in CALLALOO (a creative writing publishing forum at the Texas A&M University in College Station), in the American Indian anthology, Studies In American Indian Literature: Returning The Gift (University of Arizona Press), and in The Blue Cloud Quarterly Vol. 28, No. 4 .
Personal life
Brito was married to Carol (Coble) Brito for 56 years and had four children: Desiree, Michael, Juan and Jude. His parents Benjamin and Jessie Brito predeceased him.
Brito died October 7, 2018, in
Cheyenne, Wyoming.
References
External links
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1937 births
2018 deaths
American writers of Mexican descent
American people of Comanche descent
American people of Purépecha descent
People from Delta, Colorado
Indiana University alumni
University of Wyoming faculty
20th-century American male writers
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