David Salmon (tribal chief)
Encyclopedia
Reverend Chief David Salmon (1912 – October 11, 2007) was an Alaska native and Episcopalian priest. He was also a Gwich'in elder who was known for his traditional toolmaking
skills and work ethic.
Salmon was born in Salmon Village and raised in Chalkyitsik. He was first chosen as Chief of Chalkyitsik at the age of 29 and helped shape his hometown and community.
Salmon was elevated to First Traditional Chief for the Athabascan people of the Interior in2003. following the death of the previous chief, Chief Peter John
of Old Minto
. The position of First Traditional Chief was nonpolitical and honorary. The title was held in very high esteem by the Athabascan and other indigenous Alaskan peoples. He was also the grandfather of former Alaska state representative
Woodie Salmon
.
He died at the age of 95 from cancer
at his home in Chalkyitsik on October 11, 2007. He had been diagnosed earlier in the summer of 2007. Salmon died just 10 days before the opening of the 2007 Alaska Federation of Natives
convention, which he was scheduled to address as a guest speaker.
Alaska governor Sarah Palin
ordered that all Alaskan flags
be lowered to half-staff in honor of Salmon. Palin stated that "Alaska has lost a true treasure."
Salmon's family received around 200 phone calls expressing sympathy from throughout Alaska
and the rest of the United States
following his death. He was buried near his home in Chalkyitsik on October 15, 2007, next to his wife, Sarah, in a hilltop cemetery under spruce
trees.
Toolmaking
The term toolmaking may refer to:* The act of making tools of any kind, from the simplest handtools made of plant fiber or stone, to the most technologically advanced tools. This form of toolmaking is a topic of interest in anthropology. Some non-human animal species also use tools.* Tool and die...
skills and work ethic.
Salmon was born in Salmon Village and raised in Chalkyitsik. He was first chosen as Chief of Chalkyitsik at the age of 29 and helped shape his hometown and community.
Salmon was elevated to First Traditional Chief for the Athabascan people of the Interior in2003. following the death of the previous chief, Chief Peter John
Peter John
Peter John is a German sprint canoer who competed in the late 1990s. He won a bronze medal in the C-2 1000 m event at the 1999 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan.-References:**...
of Old Minto
Minto, Alaska
Minto is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP is 258. The name is an anglicized version of the Lower Tanana Athabaskan name Menh Ti, meaning 'among the lakes'. After repeated flooding the village was...
. The position of First Traditional Chief was nonpolitical and honorary. The title was held in very high esteem by the Athabascan and other indigenous Alaskan peoples. He was also the grandfather of former Alaska state representative
Alaska House of Representatives
The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...
Woodie Salmon
Woodie Salmon
Woodie W. Salmon was a Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 6th District from 2005 to 2011. Salmon was defeated for re-election by Republican Alan S. Dick in the 2010 election...
.
He died at the age of 95 from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at his home in Chalkyitsik on October 11, 2007. He had been diagnosed earlier in the summer of 2007. Salmon died just 10 days before the opening of the 2007 Alaska Federation of Natives
Alaska Federation of Natives
The Alaska Federation of Natives is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 178 villages , thirteen regional native corporations, and twelve regional nonprofit and tribal consortiums that contract and run federal and state programs...
convention, which he was scheduled to address as a guest speaker.
Alaska governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
ordered that all Alaskan flags
Flag of Alaska
The flag of the state of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and the North Star, on a dark blue field.The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, an animal indigenous to Alaska...
be lowered to half-staff in honor of Salmon. Palin stated that "Alaska has lost a true treasure."
Salmon's family received around 200 phone calls expressing sympathy from throughout Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the rest of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
following his death. He was buried near his home in Chalkyitsik on October 15, 2007, next to his wife, Sarah, in a hilltop cemetery under spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
trees.