Honorary degree recipient Katie John

June 3, 2013

Cornerstone

Athabascan Elder and UAF honorary degree recipient Katie John passed away at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage Friday, May 31. She was 97. John received an honorary doctorate of laws degree in 2011.

John, of Mentasta Lake, was best known for the landmark subsistence case that bears her name and her advocacy for indigenous rights. She was also well regarded for her contributions to the preservation and teaching of her Native language and culture. She helped create the Ahtna alphabet and the first Ahtna Noun Dictionary and dedicated a large portion of her life to teaching language and culture. Daughter of Chief Charlie Sanford and Sara Sanford, John was raised near Batzulnetas, “Roasted Salmon Place,” at the confluence of the Copper River and Tanada Creek.

She and her husband, Mentasta Traditional Chief Fred John, raised 14 children and six foster children in the area, and she continued to serve as a mentor to younger generations, both in her community and throughout the state.