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Constance "Connie" Friend
Connie Friend has been a long-time resident of interior Alaska. For many years, she worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, based out of Tok, Alaska. Connie has done a lot of anthropological work with the Athabascan residents of the upper Tanana region, and has developed many close connections with the communities of Healy Lake, Dot Lake, Tanacross, Northway, Tetlin, and Tok. Some of her publications include: Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007), and The Adventures of Yaabaa Teeshaay: First Man Stories from Healy Lake (as told by Ellen Demit and David Joe, edited by Constance Ann Friend, Athabascan transcribed and translated by Irene Arnold and Richard Thoman, Alaska Native Knowledge Network, 2010). Connie has recently retired from the Fish and Wildlife Service.
As Interviewer
| Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Demit, Interview 1 | 2000-105-01 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
Ellen Demit was interviewed on August 15, 2000 by Don Callaway and Connie Friend in Healy Lake, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). The interview continued on August 16, 2000. She also gave a speech to her relatives on January 19, 2001 where she tells more about her personal and family history at Healy Lake and Big and Little Gerstle. In this first interview, Ellen talks about her childhood and adoptions, her affection for her adoptive parents and their struggles to survive a hunting and gathering lifestlye, and her own strength in raising three children on her own while hunting and trapping to survive. |
| Ellen Demit, Interview 2, Part 1 | 2000-105-02-PT.1 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
This is a continuation of the interview with Ellen Demit by Don Callaway and Connie Friend for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). This second interview was conducted on August 16, 2000 in Healy Lake, Alaska. Ellen also gave a speech to her relatives on January 19, 2001 where she tells more about her personal and family history at Healy Lake and Big and Little Gerstle. In this second interview, Ellen talks about the 1927 Potlatch at Healy Lake given by Chief Healy, potlatch preparations, preserving cultural traditions, rules and taboos related to animals, men and women, preparation of traditional foods, and being a strong, self-sufficient woman. |
| Ellen Demit, Interview 2, Part 2 | 2000-105-02-Pt.2 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
This is a continuation of the interview with Ellen Demit on August 16, 2000 by Don Callaway and Connie Friend in Healy Lake, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). Ellen also gave a speech to her relatives on January 19, 2001 where she tells more about her personal and family history at Healy Lake and Big and Little Gerstle. In this second part of the second interview, Ellen talks about things her father did despite his blindness, gardening, preserving and preparing food for the winter, learning cultural lessons, the importance of prayer and respect, and Athabascan words for some of the months. |
| JoAnn Polston | 2000-105-06 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
JoAnn Polston was interviewed on August 17, 2000 by Don Callaway and Connie Friend in Healy Lake, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). In this interview, JoAnn talks about her memories of her grandmother, Jeany Healy, living at Healy Lake, her work to establish the village council, changes in the community, and the ups and downs of living in rural Alaska. |
| Lee Saylor, Interview 1 | 2000-105-07 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
Lee Saylor was interviewed on December 8, 2000 by Connie Friend at his home in North Pole, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). In this interview, Lee talks about the history of Healy Lake and the families that lived there, how people moved around to surrounding communities, the epidemic in the 1940s that killed many in Healy Lake, and the Native traditions and lifestyle. The original audio of this interview is unavailable, so only the transcript appears. |
| Paul Kirsteatter | 2000-105-03 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
Paul Kirsteatter was interviewed on August 16, 2000 by Don Callaway and Connie Friend at his son Fred's home in Healy Lake, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). In this interview, Paul talks about his experience living at Healy Lake, the seasonal round and hunting activities of the people of Healy Lake, and learning from the elders of the community. Paul discusses the epidemic in the 1940s, and the relationships between the local people and the miners and traders in the area. Paul also talks about his wife, Margaret, who was raised in Healy Lake, her role in Native land claims, and how much he learned from her about Native traditions. |
| Fred Kirsteatter | 2000-105-03 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
Fred Kirsteatter was interviewed on August 16, 2000 by Don Callaway and Connie Friend at his home in Healy Lake, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). In this interview, Fred talks about growing up in a traditional lifestyle and learning Native ways and values from his mother, getting an education and college degree, and what he accomplished for his village. He emphasizes the importance of getting an education, despite the difficulties and challenges of doing so when coming from a small rural Native community. |
| Patrick Saylor | 2000-105-04 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
Pat Saylor was interviewed on August 16 and 17, 2000 by Don Callaway and Connie Friend in Healy Lake, Alaska for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). In this interview, Pat talks about learning traditional values and practices as a child, subsistence hunting and trapping practices, and his role as chief of Healy Lake. He also talks about fighting for Native and tribal rights, and gives advice to young people about the importance of carrying on traditions. |
As a Person Present at Interview
| Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract | People Present |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Demit, Speech to Relatives | 2000-105-08 | Wrangell-St.Elias National Park |
This is a speech that Ellen Demit gave to her relatives in the village of Healy Lake, Alaska on January 19, 2001 which was recorded by Connie Friend for Mendees Cheeg Naltsiin Keey': An Oral History of the People of Healy Lake Village (annotated and edited by Donald G. Callaway and Constance A. Friend, Revised June 2007). In this speech, Ellen shares stories about her life living at Healy Lake, Big and Little Gerstle, Dot Lake, and Five Mile Hill, and the hardships they suffered after the epidemic in the mid-1940s and after the death of Chief John Healy. She sings the song that she composed in the 1950s after returning to Healy Lake after the epidemic. She emphasizes the importance of being a strong person, and mentions how being a strong woman helped her in life. She also is instructing the younger generation in traditional values and the importance of knowing their language, culture, history, and stories. |
Connie Friend |