| Sava Stephan, Sr. On January 18, 1920, the man believed to be the last fluent speaker of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina Athabascan dialect, Sava Stephan, Sr., was born at Susitna Station. Stephan, the son of Anderson and Inga Stephan, was one of 11 people who left the village in 1934 to move to Tyonek at the urging of Tyonek Chief Chickalusion. Stephan began hunting with his father when he was seven years old. He provided for himself and his family by trapping, fishing and other subsistence activities on the Deshka River for much of his life. |
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Sava Stephan, Sr. and family |
| Honor Song The Honor Song was sung by Donita Peter at the Anchorage CIRI Potlatch. She created the song in 1998 to recognize the significant role elders play in the lives of the Dene’ Peoples. When this song is sung to honor the elders, it is dedicated to the Inupiaq, Yup’ik, Cup’ik, Saint Lawrence Island Yup’ik, Aluttiiq, Aleut, Eyak, Tsimshian, Tlingit, Haida, Athabascans and to all Native and non-Native elders. Sava, we honor you, Way yuh way yuh huh huh huh Sava, you said we belong, Way yuh way yuh huh huh huh Sava, you told us stories, Way yuh way yuh huh huh huh Sava, you taught us how to cope, Way yuh way yuh huh huh huh Sava, you showed us how to give, Way yuh way yuh huh huh huh Sava, we honor you, |
| Stephan was an important source of information about Dena’ina lifeways for the book, “Shem Pete’s Alaska,” by James Kari and James A. Fall. The book is a classic reference of Upper Cook Inlet place names. Stephan was also one of 23 Alaska Native elders featured in The CIRI Foundation publication, “Our Stories, Our Lives,” re-issued in 2001, and he contributed greatly to the development of the Tyonek film, “Tubughna, The Beach People,” a color video documentary about life and changes in the Dena’ina Athabascan village of Tyonek, from 1964 to 1984. Over the years, Stephan and other Tyonek elders have taught dancing
and singing. Today he still enjoys speaking his Native dialect whenever
he can and he remains an important source of Dena’ina history.
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| Feodoria Kallander Pennington Feodoria Kallander Pennington was born April 5, 1921, in the village of Point Possession. During the summer, she and her family fished, first using fish traps and later using set nets. Her family hunted and trapped for animals using the meat for food and furs to make coats and moccasins. The family had gardens in the summer and operated a fox farm and logged to make a living. During the winter, she and her siblings moved to Anchorage to attend school. |
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Feodoria Kallander Pennington |
| Pennington, the eldest of nine, also helped her mother raise the family. In addition, she has been a self-employed fisherwoman and worked on the Alaska Railroad cleaning railroad cars during World War II. She also worked hard raising her own family and continued to fish in the summers and put up her famous smoked and kippered salmon until the age of 75. During the 1960s, Pennington supported the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and testified in federal court documenting the history of Point Possession, helping to gain group status of the village. She held the elected position of president of Point Possession until she retired at the age of 80. Pennington is also featured in “Our Stories, Our Lives.” She speaks of the importance of education and has passed on the traditions of living off the land to her family. She is recognized as a pioneer, an elder, a mother, a grandmother, and a great-great grandmother. |
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