[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING HANNAH SOLOMON

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I come before you today with a 
heavy heart, as another of Alaska's treasured elders has passed. 
Yesterday would have marked the 103rd birthday of Hannah Solomon, a 
revered Athabascan elder and Gwich'in matriarch. Hannah passed away 
peacefully at her home in Fairbanks, September 16, 2011.
  Grandma Hannah, as she was lovingly referred to, was surrounded by 
family and loved ones as she passed from this world. She spoke her last 
words softly, saying to family in Gwich'in, her traditional language, 
that it was time.
  Hannah was known for her devotion to God. She was a very familiar 
face at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Fairbanks, and it is said 
that she was the last person alive to remember the sound of 
Episcopalian Archdeacon Hudson Stuck's voice. In the days following her 
passing, a red rose sat atop a crocheted pink and blue pillow in the 
empty pew seat where Hannah sat in devotion for so many years.
  She was also well known for her beautiful and intricate beadwork; 
many of her pieces can be seen in museum collections around the world. 
Hannah was not only an artist but a culture bearer. She was born in the 
Interior of Alaska near the Porcupine River and raised 14 children in a 
traditional subsistence lifestyle. With no running water or 
electricity, the family enjoyed all the wealth their traditional 
homelands offered and never considered themselves to be poor.
  Hannah may be best remembered for her social activism. With the 
wellbeing of her Gwich'in people always in mind, she and her husband 
Paul Solomon, Sr., helped to form many Alaska Native organizations, 
including the Fairbanks Native Association and Denakkanaaga. Fluent in 
her Native language, Hannah also worked as one of the first early 
social workers in Alaska, helping to create services for those in need.
  Her passing will leave a void in our hearts that is difficult to 
fill. With the passing of each Alaska Native elder we lose a connection 
to the past and our unique history. Hannah took her responsibility as a 
culture bearer very seriously, ensuring that future generations knew 
the stories and traditions of the Gwich'in culture. She was a role 
model, matriarch, and a leader of exceptional courage and strength, 
inspiring people to appreciate and love one another.
  I would like to offer Hannah's Solomon's family and countless friends 
my heartfelt condolences. She served the Native people and our beloved 
State of Alaska brilliantly over the course of her entire life. It is 
my hope that her extraordinary life will continue to serve as an 
inspiration to all of us.

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