When Karen Higgins, an Alaska Native and Cherokee descendant, began researching her Alaska Native ancestry in particular, she was so moved by what she learned that she hoped to share her findings with others. Since then, Karen has done just that in a narrative entitled “I Am Going Home.” Her ancestors’ lives and the period in which they lived reveal U.S. history as much as one family’s history. We think you’ll appreciate her easy-to-read approach and use of historic photographs throughout this short story. You will find it available for download on the Native Ancestry page.

Also on the Native Ancestry page are audio clips of Karen’s Ahtna Athabascan Indian great-grandfather singing his Native chants. In 1958, Douglas Billum was interviewed by Frederica De Laguna, a renowned anthropologist who spent much of her career among the Alaska Natives. She documented their history, songs, stories and languages. Karen came across this voice recording at Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives online. It is a piece of Americana, a truly unique listening experience that she is honored to share with you!

Because it was an Alaska Native phrase that set her on an historic path to find her ancestors, Karen also means to celebrate her family’s languages as much as she does their legacy! Because her ancestors were forbidden to speak their native tongue, it struck her to the core to realize the impact this would’ve had. She writes:

Although every Native language is unique in origin and history, how it was handed down through the generations was the same: by everyday use through the spoken word.

Imagine, though, if someone today came into your community and said you were no longer to speak English (assuming that's your language). Among other things, that's what happened to the Alaska Natives and Native American Indians. Newly formed governments and other forces in society forbade them from speaking their native tongue. The impact this would have had on individual lives, families and whole societies is hard to fathom. Stripped of their unique identity, at the very least it changed everyday conversation and instruction as much as it would have their oral history, singing, prayer and praise.

Native villages and Indian nations alike continue to suffer this loss. Countless elders have passed away without opportunity to teach younger generations. Often, writing systems were not in place to preserve what no one ever imagined could be lost. While there are learning institutions and gifted individuals who strive to preserve and teach what's left, it's a slow process to develop whole generations of speakers again—and now writers. But what a worthy challenge!