Katie John, champion of traditional Alaska Native fishing and hunting rights and culture bearer, becomes Dr. Katie John: Part 3 - honored in Fairbanks

At a reception held for Katie John the day before, Dr. Bernice Joseph, UAF Vice Chancellor and an Athabascan herself, stated that all students in Alaska should be taught the story of Katie John - that Katie's is a story that everyone who lives in Alaska should know. I agree, and I had hoped to post a few highlights from that story here so that readers unfamiliar with it could get an idea of the magnitude of what Katie John has done with her life, and what her fight has meant to every Alaska Native - and also to non-Natives who have made this place home yet still believe that respect and justice must be paid to the original people of this state, that the rights that they held prior to our coming did not simply disappear because we came and wrote down a pantheon of legalities upon paper.

My time has been so filled and my schedule so busy that I have not yet been able to do that.*

So, for now, at least understand this about Katie John:

She was born on October 15, 1915 in the upper Copper River basin, into country and society where the only real law was Indian law -specifically, Ahtna Athbascan law. There were no roads, an airplane was a rare sight as was the appearance of a white or other non-Native person. Yet, as it happened, there was a white man in the area who was befriended by her family and he recorded the date of her birth.

Katie grew up in a society where knowledge was found not in books but in stories and teachings passed down and memorized, to be held fast in the head. Knowledge was also gained by living upon the land, by observing the animals and fish that yielded their flesh to the people so that they might survive.

That knowledge was deep and complex. Not many hold it today.

Katie John grew up in this world, speaking her own language, eating her own food, following her parents to the places that they would go to catch their fish, kill their moose and caribou and do all the things necessary for their survival. They did this without the oversight of game rangers, State or federal, without the incursion of law written by people who did not know their ways.

They worshipped and prayed in their way and danced according to their own tradition. 

And then one day as she sought to feed her family by setting up a fishwheel in the same place where her "Daddy" had set up a fish trap and caught salmon to feed her, a ranger, new to her ancient country, knowledgable about what was written in books and on paper but ignorant of her history and the Indian law by which she lived, showed up and told her that she must take that wheel down.

And so began a fight that lasted well over a decade until finally Katie's lawsuit forced the federal government to take jurisdiction over fishing in the waters where she set her wheel away from the State of Alaska. This because, in its over-zealousness to grant "equal" rights to all to what had once been the exclusive right and property of Native people, State law has always refused to recognize any aboriginal right to hunt and fish. The federal government, despite all the many wrongs it had brought down upon indigenous Americans, does recognize aboriginal rights, including those of "subsistence" users to be given a preference over sport users, at least in times of shortage.

Thanks to Katie John, the federal government must now regulate fishing in navigable waters with "subsistence" as the highest priority.

The story is much more complex than this, of course, but I need to move along and complete this post so that readers will know that Katie John not only stood up for her people against the State of Alaska and won, but has now been honored by the State of Alaska, through its most important university, for the determined, principled, courageous stand that she took against it.

The main University of Alaska, Fairbanks, graduation was held at the Carlson Center, not far from the bank of the Chena River. Graduates would number 1141. Dr. Katie John would precede them all onto the graduation floor. As the moment for her to enter drew near, she waited with her granddaughter, Kathryn Martin, for the door to be opened.

While Martin had received her bachelor's degree the previous Friday in ceremonies at the UAF Interior-Aleutians Campus in Tok, just as Katie had received her honorary Doctor of Laws degree, graduates from the rural UAF extensions also earn the right to walk with and be honored with their larger graduating class at the main Fairbanks ceremony.

Ninety-five year-old Katie John raises her hands to acknowledge the applause she receives as she enters the stadium. The red sashes signify that graduates are Native.

Katie takes her position of honor among the seats set for the graduates.

She is followed by the Ahtna Heritage Dancers - most of them her direct descendants.

Then the Ahtna Heritage Dancers took the stage. With the Alaska flag and it's "eight stars of gold on a field of blue" standing large behind them, danced with energy and enthusiasm for their grandmother - for all the graduates - but grandma especially.

Does this look almost identical to a picture that I posted yesterday from the Tok ceremony? Yep, same girl, giving her great or maybe great-great grandma a congratulatory hug. Katie and her late husband, Mentasta Traditional Chief Fred John, raised 14 children and six adopted children.

At the reception the day before, Kathryn put the number of Katie's grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren at 211.

Katie spoke of how she had set out to raise her children in the Ahtna way, always speaking Ahtna to them. Then came the time that her children were sent off to boarding school. In the summer, when they would come home and she would greet them in Ahtna.

No, her children told her. At school, their mouths had been taped shut when their teachers had heard them speak Ahtna. They told their mom to speak only English to them. Ahtna was the language of the past, English the future.

Katie did not know what to do. She hardly spoke English at all.

She did her best, and through it all fed them from the land.

In her old age, she has run a culture camp at Batzulnetas, which I have had the privilege of twice attending. There, she teaches not only her descendants and all others who wish to come and particpate the Ahtna way of living.

Noted scholars of significant achievement file past Katie and take their places alongside her.

Katie sits as many graduates file past after receiving their diplomas. A few stop to shake her hand, including Juliana Orczewska, an Ahtna who had just received a Masters in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Katie and granddaughter Sara Demit, who earned an associate degree while studying at the UAF Interior-Aleutians Campus, congratulate each other.

Granddaughter Kathryn Martin receives a congratulatory handshake from Chancellor Brian Rogers after being awarded her diploma and bachelor's degree in Rural Development. 

Dr. Katie John and her granddaughter, graduate Kathryn Martin.

Katie is congratulated by Chancellor Rogers and other dignataries.

Dr. Katie John - who rose from her wheelchair and under her own power walked onto the stage to accept this honor.

As she returns to her place, Katie raises her diploma for all to see. The Alaska flag, which she predates by nearly 40 years, rises behind her.

Katie blows a kiss...

...to one of her multitude of admirers.

When the time comes, Katie observes as Kathryn moves the tassel from the right side of her cap to the left.

Then Kathryn helps grandma Katie do the same.

As balloons are released to drift down upon the graduates, Katie double-checks the position of her tassel.

The ceremony over, Kathryn wheels her grandmother past graduates toward the exit. See the young woman at the far left with the red sash? She is Crystal Frank, the daughter of a good friend of mine, Kenneth Frank, Gwich'in of Arctic Village and has just received her Master's degree.

To the applause of scholars of merit, Katie leaves the stadium.

Outside, the temperature was in the mid-60's - by far the warmest weather I had felt since I paid a visit to Utah last October. Graduates took advantage of the pleasant weather to stand in the sun, shake many hands, and pose for many pictures.

Katie had been going hard for three days straight now. She is 95, going on 96. She chose to leave and get some rest. As she returned to her car, her family presented her with a copy of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that included a story on her.

*I will put a fuller telling of this story as one my priorities for the future. Perhaps I will tell it on October 15, when she turns 96. I won't commit to that date - I could be anywhere October 15, from the Arctic Slope to Wasilla, the Yukon River, Arizona or maybe India.

In time, I will tell this story in greater depth.

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Katie John, champion of traditional Alaska Native fishing and hunting rights and wisdom bearer, becomes Dr. Katie John: Part 2 - Graduation in Tok

Katie John, champion of Alaska Native fishing and hunting rights, wisdom bearer and teacher of her culture, was twice honored this past weekend with an honorary doctoral degree of laws from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The first honoring came on Friday, at UAF's Interior Aleutians Campus in Tok, where she joined 14 graduating UAF I-A students.

The ceremony began when 95 year-old Katie led the procession of graduates with an assist from her granddaughter, Kathryn Martin, who was about to receive a bachelor's degree. 

The red sashes designate students and faculty of Native heritage.

UAF Vice Chancellor Bernice Joseph and Miranda White, Director of the UAF Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development, during opening remarks. The ceremonies took place in the Tok community center.

Along with Kathryn, Katie was also joined by another granddaughter, Sara Demit, who would be receiving an associate degree.

Katie smiles as a graduating student is hugged by her daughter as she receives her diploma.

UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers congratulates Kathryn.

Kathryn Martin with her diploma.

Katie waits as Vice Chancellor Joseph and Chancellor Rogers prepare to place the sash upon her that will tell the world that, although Katie John had very little formal schooling and never attended college, she has always been a student of her land, the animals upon it, the culture fostered by it, and has obtained a degree of knowledge easily worthy of a Ph.D.

Dr. Katie John.

Chancellor Rogers congratulates Dr. Katie John.

Vice Chancellor Joseph, also Athabascan, congratulates Dr. Katie John.

Graduate Kathryn Martin explains how it was her grandmother who always taught her and encouraged her to learn and make the most of life.

After the degrees and honors, the Ahtna Heritage Dancers drummed and sang their way onto the floor to honor their Matriarch and the graduates.

Ahtna Heritage Dancers.

Ahtna Heritage Dancers.

Katie observes the dancers.

Katie is congratulated by a young dancer.

Katie with the Ahtna Heritage Dancers - about half of whom are her direct descendants.

Then the dancers brought the ceremonies to an end.

Before I make my post from the ceremonies that followed in Fairbanks, I need to do a phone interview with Kathryn Martin, who has been tied up in meetings all day today, so I am holding that post until tomorrow. I will also ask Kathryn to help me identify the young dancers and add their names in later.

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Katie John, champion of traditional Alaska Native fishing and hunting rights and culture bearer, becomes Dr. Katie John: Part 1 - getting there

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.

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Just prior to the honoring of Katie John, I see a Marine Corp veteran of the Vietnam War stop at a red light

This is not what I intended to post today, but it is 12:22 AM and I just drove into my driveway in Wasilla after adding 1000 miles to my odometer over the weekend as I made my way to three ceremonies for Katie John - one in Tok, two in Fairbanks. All this driving and ceremony coverage immediately followed my two weeks in the Arctic, so I am feeling kind of sleepy right now.

What I decided to do, then, so that I could post something quick and then go to bed, was to grab the very first picture that I took today - or rather, yesterday, Sunday.

This is the first picture. I took it at the stoplight on University Avenue and Airport Drive in Fairbanks. I was driving to Sam's Sourdough Cafe to eat a breakfast of ham, eggs, hashbrowns and sourdough pancakes. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day with temperatures that would rise into the mid-60's - an amazing thing to experience after two weeks spent largely on the Arctic ice, followed by a drive that had taken me through a snow storm and sub-freezing temperatures.

I wonder what this Marine's life story is? What kind of journey has he taken from there to here? I sure would like to know. If you ever see this, Marine, and care to share your story, just get ahold of me and I will help you tell it. If not, that's okay.

No pressure. No pressure at all.

After breakfast, I went straight to the site of the UAF graduation and very quickly found Katie John and then followed her through the process.

After I get some sleep, I will begin to piece together the story of the last three days and then post it Tuesday, probably in three to five parts. Then I will get back to the story of my most recent Arctic travels.

On my way to Tok and Fairbanks to witness the honoring of Katie John

This is Ahtna Athabascan elder Katie John addressing then-Governor Tony Knowles at her fishcamp at Batzulnetas on Tanada Creek in the summer of 2001. When she was small, her father would bring her family here and they would  catch salmon. Tanada Creek flows into the Copper River about 200 yards from this spot and it was there where, following in her father's way, Katie John once set up a fishwheel only to have a state ranger tell her she must take it down.

It may not look like it, but Katie John is fighting here - fighting for the rights of herself, her family, and all Alaska Natives to fish to feed their families free from state interference, as their ancestors had. So far, in an an extremely long and complicated battle that had gone to the US Supreme Court and just about back again.

She had won the latest appeal and now there was one step left - the US Supreme Court, and that step was in the hands of Governor Knowles. He had a deadline to appeal and if he did not, her victory would become permanent. Yet, it would also mean that the federal government, not the state, would have jurisdiction over navigable waters that the state now wanted to claim.

Knowles was under tremendous pressure from inside and outside Alaska government and it appeared that he likely would appeal. First, though, he wanted to visit Katie at her fish camp. Then he would make his final decision. This is that visit. After listening to Katie, he decided not to appeal. She had then won.

On Sunday, Katie, who is also highly respected for her contributions to the preservation and teaching of her Native language and culture, will be awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree. She helped create the Ahtna alphabet and dictionary. Through the summer camps that she has sponsored at Batzulnetas and other events, she has also labored lovingly to teach their culture to the children of her area. She and her husband, Mentasta Traditional Chief Fred John, raised 14 children and six foster children of their own John will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Today, she will be honored in a pre-graduation ceremony in Tok. I plan to be at both.

I do not expect to make any further posts until Monday, after I return home. Then I will share more.