Archie Thompson (Yurok) facts for kids

Archie Thompson (born May 26, 1919 – died March 26, 2013) was an important Yurok elder. The Yurok are the largest Native American tribe in California. There are about 6,000 Yurok members.

When he passed away in 2013, Thompson was the oldest living Yurok person. He was also the last known active speaker of the Yurok language who was born speaking it. He was one of about twenty Yurok elders who worked hard to bring the Yurok language back to life.

During the 1990s and 2000s, he worked with experts and language scientists. Their goal was to save and teach the language to younger Yurok generations. These experts once thought the Yurok language would disappear by 2010. Many people give Thompson credit for saving it.

Today, the Yurok language is taught in five high schools. These schools are in Humboldt and Del Norte counties in northern California. The language is still considered endangered. However, the effort to save Yurok is seen as the most successful language rescue in California.

Early Life

Thompson was born on May 26, 1919. He was born in a smokehouse in Wa'tek Village. This village is now called Johnsons, California. When he was five, he went to a government school in Hoopa, California. At this school, he was told not to speak Yurok.

He returned home when he was eight years old. His grandmother, Rosie Jack Hoppell, took him in. She only spoke Yurok at home. His uncle also helped raise him. His relatives taught him the traditional Yurok way of life. As a child, Thompson trapped ducks for feather mattresses. He also gathered seaweed and fished for eulachon and salmon. He even tracked elk.

School and Military Service

Thompson was a great athlete in high school. He earned special awards in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He graduated from Del Norte High School in Crescent City, California, in 1939.

Thompson was one of the first Native American students to get his name on the Coach's Cup. This school award honors amazing skills in many sports. He then went to the Sherman Institute. This was a Native American boarding school in Riverside, California. It is now called Sherman Indian High School. There, he learned welding.

He joined the United States Navy during World War II. He served in the South Pacific.

Family Life

In 1959, Thompson and his wife, Alta McCash, moved to Crescent City. Alta was a member of the Karuk people. They had eight children together. Alta passed away in 1968 due to complications from a fall.

Awards

In 2009, Thompson received a special award. It was the Silver Honor in the Mentor Category. The MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging gave him this award. The ceremony was held in Washington D.C..

Later Years and Legacy

Archie Thompson passed away on March 26, 2013. He was 93 years old. He died at a hospital in Crescent City. He left behind eight children, twenty-nine grandchildren, seventy-two great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. He also had one sister. His work helped save the Yurok language for future generations.