JUNE 1, 1947

YUP’IK LINGUIST ARNAQ (MARIE MEADE) BORN

From Nunapiciaqa, Alaska (AK), Marie’s Yup’ik name means “Woman.” A graduate of University of Alaska (UA) Fairbanks, Meade taught the 1^st bilingual program in her village. She spoke Yup’ik but later learned to read & write in Yup’ik at the AK Native Language Institute in Fairbanks. Meade helped the Yup’ik Language Workshop create a curriculum and taught Yup’ik at Kushokwim Community College (KCC). In 1990, Marie & Ann Fienup-Riordan teamed to document Yup’ik culture & language. A Yup’ik tradition bearer, she teaches AK Native dance at UA Anchorage (UAA). Meade researched & helped assemble the mask exhibit, Agayuliyararput; Our Way of Making Prayerand; and translated 1^st-person accounts of elders for both Kegginaqut, Kangiit-llu/Yup’ik Masks and the Stories They Tell; and Yup’ik Words of Wisdom: Yupiit Qanruyutait. Awards & Honors: Governor’s Award, Distinguished Humanities Educator (2002); UAA Meritorious Service Award (2014); and AK Women’s Hall of Fame (2015).

Sources:

“Marie Meade,” Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame.  Retrieved 2/11/2023, Marie Meade | Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame (alaskawomenshalloffame.org)

Jessica Bissett Perea, “Traditioning a Resurgence Anthem: Sound Relations: Native Ways of Doing Music History in Alaska,” Oxford Academic, 10/2021.  Retrieved 10/26/2023, Traditioning a Resurgence Anthem | Sound Relations: Native Ways of Doing Music History in Alaska | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Wikipedia

Photo:  Courtesy of Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame.