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Today we celebrate Katie John Day. Katie John, a beloved Ahtna elder and culture bearer, was born in 1916 and lived most of her life in the northern Wrangell Mountains, an area now included within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. She passed on cultural, language and subsistence life skills and traditions to younger generations. She garnered national and international attention after a decades-long fight to reclaim fishing rights for her people. In 2019, Alaska Senate Bill 78 was signed into law and established May 31st as “Katie John Day.” In 2024, she was recognized by the U.S. Senate for strengthening subsistence rights in Alaska. Katie John passed in 2013, but her legacy lives on.

Rights
NPS Photo/ Barbara Cellarius
Alt Text: Katie John and former Superintendent Rick Obernesser shake hands during the Kendesnii dedication.