[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 108 (Thursday, July 25, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S5966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING ``AUNTY'' MARY BOURDUKOFSKY

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
pay my respects to an Aleut elder and spiritual leader, ``Aunty'' Mary. 
It is with a heavy heart I say that Mary-Nicolai Bourdukofsky, age 90, 
passed away on June 2, 2013 in Anchorage, AK.
  ``Aunty'' Mary was a dedicated leader and fought to preserve the 
Aleut culture, language and traditions by the formation of the Aleut 
Dancers, sharing her knowledge of Aleut songs and stories, and native 
food preparation. She participated in educating youth and leaders in 
various venues including the Pribilof, Unalaska and Sand Point Aleut 
Culture Camp and the Anchorage Aleut culture camp. She worked with the 
Alaska Federation of Natives, AFN, Youth and Elders and served as an 
AFN delegate for many years. ``Aunty'' Mary also assisted with 
developing the Aleut culture exhibits at the Alaska Native Heritage 
Center and the Smithsonian Institution's Alaska Native Collections. 
Additionally she was honored as 2004 Aleut Corporation Elder of the 
Year. As a lifelong educator of traditional knowledge, she understood 
the importance of western education; she was one of the first women on 
the school board in St. Paul Island and later taught at the University 
of Alaska (both Fairbanks and Anchorage) and at Alaska Pacific 
University. ``Aunty'' Mary was a positive role model for all. She was 
the heart and soul of the family and the Aleut Community of St. Paul 
Island. She was also a proud shareholder of TDX, the St. Paul Village 
Corporation.
  Mary Bourdukofsky was born January 9, 1923 on St. Paul Island to 
Nicolai and Olga Kozloff. Her role as natural leader began at an early 
age when she lost her own mother during childbirth and stepped up to 
help raise her three siblings. In 1939 she married George Bourdukofsky, 
and they had seven beautiful children. Despite being stricken by TB at 
birth and losing one of her sons to polio, she pressed on and grew into 
a well-respected community leader, advocating for equal rights and fair 
treatment of her fellow Aleut people.
  During World War II, her family and the rest of the Aleut Community 
of St. Paul Island were forced from their homes and placed in 
internment at Funter Bay, AK. While all the Aleut men left as they 
volunteered to join the war effort, she led female advocates in filing 
a petition with the U.S. Government about the inhumane and unlivable 
conditions they were being forced to live in, knowing all the while 
that the Island managers had threatened them all with expulsion from 
their homes back on St. Paul forever if they complained. Some 50 years 
later she testified before the U.S. Congress, seeking an apology and 
retribution for how she and her fellow Aleut U.S. citizens were 
mistreated during WWII.
  On behalf of the Senate I extend condolences to Mary's family, the 
Aleut community and every life she touched through her tireless 
advocacy. ``Aunty'' Mary was a truly remarkable individual, and I am 
proud to honor her as the outstanding leader that she was.

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