GWICH’IN COLUMNIST EDITH JOSIE BORN
Edith, born in Eagle, Alaska, moved with her family to Old Crow, Yukon, when she was 16. Leaving school after 5th Grade, she learned to read & write from her brother. In 1957, she was appointed Justice of the Peace for Old Crow. Edith started writing for the Whitehorse Star in 1962 when the newspaper wanted a villager to write about life in the Yukon. Her column, Here Are the News, ran for 40 years. Josie wrote in English, using Gwich’in syntax, and with little attention to spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Yet, her stories appeared in newspapers in Toronto, Edmonton, Fairbanks (Alaska) and California. In 1965, Life Magazine published a 4-page article on Josie entitled Everybody Sure Glad. Edith’s work was recognized internationally and her articles have been published. She received the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967), the Yukon Historical Museums Award (1994), and the Aboriginal Achievement Award (2000). Edith is also a member of the Order of Canada (1995). Josie died January 31, 2010 in Old Crow.
Source: “Edith Josie,” Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7/22/2019, https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1469-e.html Photo: Richard Harrington, circa 1972. Edith Josie writing her newspaper column from Old Crow, Yukon. Source: Richard Harrington fonds 85/25 #337, PHO 278. Courtesy of Yukon Archives.
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