Walter Northway

Walter Northway
Author: Yvonne Yarber
Publisher:
Total Pages: 74
Release: 1987
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

This collection of oral histories of life in Nabesna, interior Alaska, focusses on the biography of Walter Northway and provides accounts of Indian life over the past century. Includes a family tree and translations from Upper Tanana.

The Upper Tanana Dene

The Upper Tanana Dene
Author: William E. Simeone
Publisher: University of Alaska Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2023-06
Genre: Indian elders (Indigenous leaders)
ISBN: 164642333X

"This volume conveys the history and knowledge of Dene elders. Oral accounts reveal a unique perspective and offer commentary on continuity and change over the past hundred years. These narratives, along with photographs and illustrations, show the history of the region alongside a portrait of the people themselves."--

Native Heritage

Native Heritage
Author: Arlene B. Hirschfelder
Publisher: VNR AG
Total Pages: 330
Release: 1995
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780028604121

Arguably, the most eloquent, powerful portrayal of Native Americans are written or narrated by Natives themselves. In Native Hermitage, authentic accounts of Natives voices are bought together, some for the first time, for readers who want an informed, authentic perspective about Native Americans. This work is significant because until recent times the literature has been largely devoid of firsthand perspectives. The need for accurate, authentic materials on native Americans has never been greater.

Rifles, Blankets, and Beads

Rifles, Blankets, and Beads
Author: William E. Simeone
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780806135083

Whoever heard of a party at which the hosts lavishly give away presents, refusing to accept any gifts in return, keeping little for themselves? This is the custom of the Northern Athapaskan potlatch, a tradition that has long fascinated Americans. In Rifles, Blankets, and Beads, William E. Simeone explores the potlatch and its role in balancing competition and cooperation among the Tanacross people, a Northern Athapaskan culture. According to Simeone, the potlatch tradition helps the Tanacross people uphold standards of acceptable behavior through curbing competitiveness and stressing the ideals of cooperation. Simeone also examines Northern Athapaskan leadership practices, the introduction of trade goods into Athapaskan culture, and the complexities of cultural identity for the Tanacross.

Taatsaa' Shaa K' Exalthet

Taatsaa' Shaa K' Exalthet
Author: Kenny Thomas
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780806136592

Born in 1922, Kenny Thomas Sr. has been a trapper, firefighter, road builder, river-freight hauler, and soldier. Today he is a respected elder and member of a northern Athabaskan tribal group residing in Tanacross, Alaska. As a song and dance leader for the Tanacross community, Thomas has been teaching village traditions at an annual culture camp for more than twenty years. Over a three-year period, folklorist Craig Mishler conducted a series of interviews with Thomas about his life experiences. Crow Is My Boss is the fascinating result of this collaboration. Written in a style that reflects the dialogue between Thomas and Mishler, Crow Is My Boss retains the authenticity of Thomas’s voice, capturing his honesty and humor. Thomas reveals biographical details, performs and explains traditional folktales and the potlatch tradition, and discusses ghosts and medicine people. One folktale is presented in both English and Tanacross, Thomas’s native language. A compelling personal story, Crow Is My Boss provides insight into the traditional and contemporary culture of Tanacross Athabaskans in Alaska. Volume 250 in the Civilization of the American Indian series