Marie Smith Jones facts for kids

Marie Smith Jones (born May 14, 1918 – died January 21, 2008) was an American woman. She was the very last person to speak the Eyak language. This language comes from Southcentral Alaska. Marie was born in Cordova, Alaska. She was also an honorary chief of the Eyak Nation. She was the last person who was fully Eyak by blood. In an interview from 2005, Marie Smith Jones shared that her Eyak name was 'udAch' k'uqAXA'a'ch'. She said this name means "a sound that calls people from afar."

About Marie Smith Jones

Marie Jones married William F. Smith, a fisherman, on May 5, 1948. They had nine children together. However, her children did not learn to speak Eyak. This was because people often looked down on the language at that time.

In the 1970s, Marie moved to Anchorage, Alaska. She wanted to make sure the Eyak language would not be lost forever. So, she worked with a language expert named Michael E. Krauss. Together, they created a dictionary and grammar book for the Eyak language. This helped record the language for future generations.

Marie's last older brother or sister passed away in the 1990s. After that, she became very active in politics. She spoke at the United Nations two times. She talked about important topics like peace and the rights of native languages. She also worked on environmental issues that affected Native American communities. This included speaking out against clearcutting, which is when all trees in an area are cut down. Marie Smith Jones died peacefully at her home in Anchorage on January 21, 2008. She was 89 years old.

See also

• Language death
• Linguistic rights