Marie Smith Jones (1918 - 2008) - Find A Grave Memorial

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Marie Smith Jones

Birth:	May 14, 1918 Cordova Valdez-Cordova Census Area Alaska, USA
Death:	Jan. 21, 2008 Anchorage Anchorage Borough Alaska, USA
Native Eyak Chief. She was the last full-blooded Eyak Indian and last Native speaker of the Eyak language. Born Udach' Kuqax*a'a'ch which means "a sound that calls people from afar", she was made honorary chief of the Eyak Nation, in the 1990s. The Eyak ancestral homeland runs along 300 miles of the Gulf of Alaska from Prince William Sound and by the 21st century only about 50 Eyaks remained. Well known as an activist for Alaska Indian rights, she spoke at United Nations conferences on indigenous peoples and oversaw the repatriation of bones when the Smithsonian Institution was forced to give them back. She also compiled an Eyak dictionary and grammar book, as a written record of the language for future generations. She died of natural causes. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith) Search Amazon for Marie Jones Inscription: no stone

Burial: Angelus Memorial Park Anchorage Anchorage Borough Alaska, USA
Maintained by: Find A Grave Originally Created by: John "J-Cat" Griffith Record added: Jan 23, 2008 Find A Grave Memorial# 24124076