Marie Smith Jones
Marie Smith Jones (in her native language Udach 'Kuqax * a'a'ch ( sound that calls people from far away )) (born May 5, 1918 in Cordova , Alaska , † January 21, 2008 in Anchorage ) was the last spokeswoman for the language of Eyak in Alaska. She was chief and at the same time the last member of the tribe who only had Eyak ancestors.
Marie Smith Jones grew up at a time when the traditional lifestyle of her tribe was almost obliterated. Even as a child, at the age of twelve, she had to work in one of the fish farms that displaced wild fish. When she was 15, her tribe, now only a few dozen members, was recognized as one of the last in the United States.
When the US authorities discovered that several tribes lived in the Eyak area, they also allowed the Indians , Aleutians and Eskimos who had come to Cordova to join the tribal assembly. The Eyak became a small minority in their own area. When logging began on the Eyak River, contrary to what had been agreed, Marie Smith Jones tried to defend herself as a member of the council, but the tribal council was of little interest in the cultural artefacts on the Eyak River and they were thus lost.
Jones moved to Anchorage in the early 1970s to be closer to their children who lived there. Her short-term alcohol addiction may have been related to this move, but she soon broke away from it.
After the death of her sister Sophia in 1993, Marie Smith Jones became the last spokeswoman for the preservation of the Eyak language . From 2000 to 2005 she worked on the Eyak Language Project , which should give everyone the opportunity to learn the language.
Jones died on January 21, 2008. Of the nine children she had with Oregon fisherman William F. Smith (they married in 1948), seven were still alive when she died. Jones had taught them English, not Eyak, assuming it would be more useful to them.
Movie
- Laura Bliss Spaan: More than Words ... The Life and Language of Eyak Chief Marie Smith. 1996
Web links
- Interview with Marie Smith Jones: From Stewards to Shareholders. Eyaks Face Extinction
- Chief Marie Smith Jones Prays for the Eyaks, video
- Dune Lankard's projects
- Speech excerpt from 1995
- How Do You Learn a Dead Language? , in: Slate January 28, 2008
- Mary Smith Jones born, last Eyak speaker - 14.05.2009 , Das Kalenderblatt, ARD Mediathek
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smith Jones, Marie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Udach 'Kuqax * a'a'ch' |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | last speaker of the Eyak language |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 5, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cordova , Alaska |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 21, 2008 |
| Place of death | Anchorage |