Katie John, champion of traditional Alaska Native fishing and hunting rights and culture bearer, becomes Dr. Katie John: Part 1 - getting there
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 1:11AM 
The graduation ceremony in Tok was scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM. I figured it would take close to six hours to drive there and so I figured that I had better give myself seven hours, just in case. My travels and time on the Arctic Slope, coupled with the many nights of limited sleep that I had experienced visiting whale camps offshore from Point Hope and Barrow, had left me close to exhausted.
Plus, Jimmy, my good black cat, was so glad to have me home that he kept waking me up all through the night and so I did not get much sleep at all.
Still, a bit after 6:00 AM, although it felt impossible, I forced myself to rise from my bed, stumble to the shower, then drive to the gas station, fill my tank, buy a breakfast burrito, muffin and coffee. Then I drove and I was happy to drive, for it was a day of brilliant beauty in the Matanuska Valley.
As I neared Eureka, a young moose darted onto the highway in front of me. I applied my brakes and so the moose made it safely to the other side of the road.
Now I found myself headed toward the Wrangell Mountains. Ahead of me, blue sky was giving way to overcast.
And then, as I worked my way north up the Copper River Valley, I found myself in a mild snowstorm amidst temperatures in the 20's.
A little road cuts into these mountains not far from here and leads to the village of Mentasta, where Katie John lives and where I crashed my airplane, the Running Dog. I drove on by, headed for Tok.
As the tourist season had yet to begin, there was very little traffic on the road and no active construction sites that I had to stop or slow down for so, even though I was on the ground, I virtually flew to Tok and arrived in not much more than five hours. This gave me plenty of time to eat lunch and then to head over to the community center, where Katie John - about to become Dr. Katie John - would be honored for the first of three times.
She would not be alone. Tok is the home of the Interior-Aleutians Campus of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and this was graduation day. Inside, I found a cake with Katie's name on it - along with the other 14 students who would graduate with her here on this day.
And in a reception room just beyond the cakes, I found Katie, waiting for the ceremonies to begin. I have mentioned that in Alaska, the role Katie played in standing up to the State of Alaska to fight for the traditional fishing rights that Alaska Native people have held since time-immemorial have caused many to liken her to Rosa Parks.
It is a good analogy, but when I saw her, sitting there at the age of 95 with a ceremonial staff and eagle feather, I could not help but also think of the many warriors and tribal leaders of the original nations of the Lower 48 who had fought for the rights of their people.
From there, I followed the sound of the excited voices of young people. This led me to where the Ahtna Heritage Dancers, many of them direct descendants of Katie, who had come to honor their grandma and those who would graduate with her this day, were making the final adjustments to their hair and regalia.
Then I returned to the reception room, where Katie had been joined by her granddaughter, Kathryn Martin, who on this day would receive her bachelor's degree. Both now wore their robes and caps - plus the red sashes worn as a token of honor by all UAF Native graduates.
Before this day ends, I plan to put up all the posts covering the honoring of Katie John, both in Tok and Fairbanks, so check back later.
Reader Comments (2)
Great post, thanks for covering. 95?! She doesn't look it in the photos.
Congratulations, Dr. John!