“Chickaloon Spirit, The Life & Times of Katherine Wickersham Wade”
By A.J. McClanahan, Historian

Katie Wade’s wisdom and forthright honesty shine through on every page of her new book, “Chickaloon Spirit,” published by the Chickaloon Village Council and edited by her daughter Larraine Wade.

“Through this gift of her stories, her memories, her sense of humor despite tragedy, resilience despite setbacks, we learn some larger messages,” Nancy Yaw Davis writes in the foreword to the book. Davis undertook oral history interviews with Wade, and portions are included in the book. “Family tragedies could have been the focus of this book, but it isn’t. Rather, Katie captures the last of some Indian traditions she witnessed and experienced, and we gain a fuller awareness of the basic Indian values that she continues to live by and to advocate.”

For Larraine Wade, her mother’s strength is a theme that threads through all the stories. “How does a person cope with such extreme changes within a lifetime? From hunting and birch bark to automobiles and computers? And with so much loss? It’s because of her sense of humor and grounded spirituality,” Larraine Wade writes in her editor’s comments.

The stories in the book are down-to-earth recollections of life in Chickaloon, as well as surrounding communities, such as Wasilla, where racial harassment by non-Natives in the 1930s left deep scars. The book is also filled with dozens of historic photos, illustrating family life, and there are maps, as well as a timeline.

The book is divided into six sections: Traditional Knowledge and History, Early Childhood, Growing up in Chickaloon, Life Lessons and Experiences, Travels in the Teen Years and Spirituality and Reincarnation.

Katie Wade was born Dec. 15, 1922, and in her long life she has experienced many changes in Chickaloon. As a child, one of her nicknames was “Big Eyes.” The name fits because Wade not only witnessed events ranging from the hilarious to the tragic, but she made note of them and remembered. Proceeds from the book go to Ya Ne Dah Ah School.