Edith Josie (December 8, 1921 – January 31, 2010)Edith Josie helped bring Yukon to the world"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', February 3, 2010. was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer, best known as a longtime columnist for the ''

Whitehorse Star The ''Whitehorse Star'' is one of two newspapers in Whitehorse, Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least p ...

''."Yukon writer Edith Josie dies"
cbc.ca, February 1, 2010. Her column, titled ''Here Are the News'', concerned life in the small community of

Old Crow Old Crow is a low-priced brand of Kentucky-made straight bourbon whiskey distilled by Beam Suntory, which also produces Jim Beam and several other brands of whiskey. The current Old Crow product uses the same mash bill and yeast as Jim Beam, but ...

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, and was syndicated to newspapers around the world. Her writing style was noted for its offbeat smalltown charm, not always conforming to conventional notions of English grammar and spelling but instead reflective of the informal way she spoke as a non-native speaker of English: A Gwich'in, Josie was born in

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, and moved to Old Crow at age 16. She earned a living selling animal skins, which her father had taught her at an early age how to trap and prepare. In her later years, Josie contributed to a community website, oldcrow.ca. She was the subject of a story, "Everybody Sure Glad," by Dora Jane Hamblin in ''Life'' magazine in 1965. In 1995 Josie was made a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, now the Indspire Awards, honoured Josie for her achievements in arts in 2000. In 2019, a bronze bust of Josie was created in her honour and displayed in Old Crow.

References

External links

Sample "Here Are the News" columns
republished by the Edmonton Journal 1921 births 2010 deaths Alaskan Athabaskan people American emigrants to Canada Canadian columnists Canadian women journalists First Nations journalists First Nations women writers Gwich'in people Members of the Order of Canada Writers from Yukon Canadian women columnists Indspire Awards 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century First Nations writers Canadian women non-fiction writers {{Canada-journalist-stub