Cherie Marunde

Cherie Marunde is Upper Tanana River Athabascan Dene from Northway, Alaska. She is a member of the Che chel yuu clan. She is the daughter of Mary Jane Albert Fix of Northway, and the granddaughter of Oscar Albert of Northway and Mary Luke of Tetlin, Alaska. Cherie grew up in Northway, one of eight children, living a seasonal subsistence lifestyle of hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, and gardening. She has continued the family tradition of running a trapline in the winter, where she both sells and uses the furs herself. Cherie is a talented seamstress and beader, and is interested in preserving her Native Upper Tanana Dene Athabascan language. She has participated in University of Alaska Fairbanks Upper Tanana language courses, has worked on language revitalization in Northway by recording words that haven’t yet been captured and developing Upper Tanana language books for children, and serving on Doyon Foundation's Language Revitalization Committee. Cherie also has worked as a United States Post Master for many years.