Edna Ahgeak MacLean facts for kids

Edna Ahgeak MacLean, also known as Paniattaaq, was born on November 5, 1944. She is an Iñupiaq leader, language expert, and teacher from Alaska. She has spent her life working to save and bring back the Iñupiaq language. This language is spoken by the Iñupiat people, who are native to northern Alaska.

Early Life and Learning

Edna Ahgeak was born in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. This town was known as Barrow before 2016. Her mother was Maria Brower Ahgeak, and her father, Joseph A. Ahgeak, was a hunter. Edna grew up speaking both Iñupiaq and English.

When she was a child, she went to Barrow Day School. She remembers a teacher who would punish children for speaking their Iñupiaq language. This experience showed her how important it was to protect her native language.

Later, she attended boarding schools like Wrangell Institute and Mount Edgecumbe High School. In 1965, she received a scholarship to Colorado Women's College in Denver, Colorado. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in history. She then got a teaching certificate from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969. She continued her studies, earning a master's degree in Bilingual Education from the University of Washington in 1991. In 1995, she completed her education with a Ph.D. in education from Stanford University.

A Career in Language and Education

Edna MacLean began working at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1963. She taught Iñupiaq and helped create the first degree programs for Eskimo languages. She became a tenured associate professor and worked there until 1987.

During the 1970s and 1980s, she wrote and published many materials for the Iñupiaq language. This included a shorter Iñupiaq dictionary in 1981 and an Iñupiaq grammar book in 1986. These books helped many people learn and understand the language.

From 1987 to 1990, she worked for the State of Alaska Department of Education. She was a special assistant focusing on education for rural and Alaska Native communities. In 1995, MacLean became the president of Iḷisaġvik College. This was Alaska's only nationally recognized tribal college. She led the college until 2005, when Beverly Patkotak Grinage took over.

In the 2000s, she spent two years working on a Rosetta Stone software program. This program helped people learn the North Slope dialect of Iñupiaq.

After 30 years of hard work, she finished a very complete Iñupiaq-English dictionary in 2014. She retired in 2014 but still helps with Iñupiaq language projects in Alaska. She serves on the North Slope Borough’s Iñupiaq History, Language, and Culture Commission.

Awards and Special Recognition

Edna MacLean has received several important awards for her work.

• In 2005, she received the Citizen of the Year Award from the Alaska Federation of Natives.
• In 2006, the Governor of Alaska gave her the Distinguished Service to the Humanities Award.
• In 2018, she was honored by being added to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.

Family Life

Edna MacLean is married to Stephen MacLean, who is an ecologist. They have two sons. Their son Stephen Ahgeak MacLean works to protect nature. Their other son, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, is a filmmaker. He wrote and directed the 2011 movie On the Ice. Edna helped her son by translating the Iñupiaq lines for the film. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.