Hannah Paul Solomon (; October 10, 1908
[Solomon's birth year is variously given as 1908, 1909, and 1910 in sources, and she was adopted as a baby, which complicates the dating. Her obituaries gave 1908 as the date. Her marriage license in 1927 (from Ancestry.com) was signed by her mother because she was a minor under 18 years old, which might suggest a later year.] – September 16, 2011) was an American community leader and artist. She was the first female mayor of
Fort Yukon, Alaska
Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska Natives, was 583 at the 2010 census, down from 59 ...
, helped organize the Fairbanks Native Association, and was inducted into the
Alaska Women's Hall of Fame
The Alaska Women's Hall of Fame (AWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Alaska for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. It was conceived by the board of directors of the Alaska Women's Network (AWN) i ...
in 2012. Her traditional
beadwork
Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...
is in the collections of several museums.
Early life
She was born in
Rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...
, a village on the
Porcupine River
The Porcupine River (''Ch’ôonjik'' in Gwich’in) is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada and the United States. It rises in the Ogilvie Mountains north of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. From there it flows north through the community of ...
, near the Canadian-Alaskan border. Her first language was
Gwich'in. She was adopted by older
Athabascan
Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific Co ...
parents, Mardow and Eliza Mardow. She attended a one-room school run by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
in Fort Yukon.
Career
Solomon helped to organize the Fairbanks Native Association and the Fairbanks Native Community Center, along with her longtime friend
Poldine Carlo
Poldine Demoski Carlo (December 5, 1920 – May 9, 2018) was an American author and an elder of the Koyukon Alaskan Athabaskans, native people of Alaska.
Born in Nulato, Territory of Alaska, Carlo was a founding member of the Fairbanks Native ...
and others. She served on the board of directors of the
Gwichyaa Zhee Corporation. She was active in other organizations, including
Doyon Limited,
Tanana Chiefs Conference
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), the traditional tribal consortium of the 42 villages of Interior Alaska, is based on a belief in tribal self-determination and the need for regional Native unity. TCC is a non-profit organization that works toward ...
and the
Alaska Federation of Natives
The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 178 villages (both federally recognized tribes and village corporations), thirteen regional native corporations, and twelve re ...
. She served in the first city council of Fort Yukon in 1960, and was the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.
In 1991 she gave an oral history interview to the
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...
Rasmuson Library's Oral History Collection. She was inducted into the
Alaska Women's Hall of Fame
The Alaska Women's Hall of Fame (AWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Alaska for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. It was conceived by the board of directors of the Alaska Women's Network (AWN) i ...
in 2012.
Solomon was known for her traditional
beadwork
Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...
. "When I was young we had nothing to do when we got home from school so I learned to sew," she explained in 1965. In 1967, she demonstrated beadwork as part of the "Native Village" exhibit at the Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition. Beadwork items made by Solomon are in the collections of the Rasmuson Museum in Anchorage and the
Alaska Native Medical Center
The Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) is a non-profit health center based in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, which provides medical services to 158,000 Alaska Natives and other Native Americans in Alaska. It acts as both the secondary and ...
, among other institutions. A video about Solomon's art was shown at the
Sheldon Jackson Museum
Sheldon Jackson College (SJC) was a small private college located on Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska, United States. Founded in 1878, it was the oldest institution of higher learning in Alaska and maintained a historic relationship with the Pres ...
in 1988 and 1990.
Personal life and legacy
Mardow married Paul Solomon, a
trapper
Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management.
History
Neolithic ...
and
carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...
, in 1927. They had 14 children together, including activist
Jonathon Solomon
Jonathon Solomon (March 10, 1932 – July 13, 2006) was a native Gwich'in from Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA, and a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Porcupine Caribou Agreement between Canada and U.S. He served as the Traditional Ch ...
.
She was widowed when her husband died in 1973. She died in 2011, aged 102, at her home in Fairbanks.
There is a Hannah Paul Solomon “Woman of Courage” Award given annually by the Fairbanks Native Association.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Hannah Paul
1908 births
2011 deaths
Alaska Native activists
Alaskan Athabaskan people
American centenarians
Women centenarians
Gwich'in people
People from Fort Yukon, Alaska
Women mayors of places in Alaska
21st-century American women
Native American bead artists
20th-century Native American women
20th-century Native Americans
21st-century Native American women
21st-century Native Americans
Women beadworkers
Artists from Alaska