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Debbie Turner
Debbie Turner is Athabascan and was born and raised in Holy Cross, Alaska. In 2001, while working as the Tribal Family and Youth Specialist for the Holy Cross Tribal Council and completing a degree in Human Services at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Debbie worked on the Holy Cross Community Project Jukebox with other local interviewers and staff of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program. Debbie has continued to be involved in health and human services programs to support her community.
As Interviewer
Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract |
---|---|---|---|
Harry Turner, Part 2 | 2002-10-07_PT.2 | Holy Cross Community Project |
This is the continuation of an interview with Harry Turner on May 14, 2003 with Debbie Turner and Karen Brewster at his home in Holy Cross, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Harry continues to talk about his life and living in Holy Cross. He discusses his family background, various jobs he has held in his lifetime, surviving serious illness, and holiday celebrations in Flat, Alaska when he was a boy in the 1930s. |
Harry Turner, Part 1 | 2002-10-07_PT.1 | Holy Cross Community Project |
Harry Turner was interviewed on May 14, 2003 by his niece, Debbie Turner, and Karen Brewster at his home in Holy Cross, Alaska. Harry and Debbie sat talking on the large couch in the living room in front of the picture window with a view of the village and river below. Harry's wife, Lucy, sat at the kitchen table in the next room, carefully listening to the stories and memories Harry retold. In this first part of a two part interview, Harry talks about his childhood memories of living in a mining town, going to school, holiday celebrations, and traveling by dogteam and steamship. He discusses his work history and military service in the Aleutian Islands, tells the story of how he and Lucy met and were married, and describes his years of running the Turner Store in Holy Cross. At the time of the interview, Harry had not been feeling well so was not of full strength, but agreed to tell his stories anyway. |
Betty Johnson | 2002-10-01 | Holy Cross Community Project |
Betty Johnson was interviewed on January 13, 2002 by Karen Brewster and Debbie Turner at the Springhill Suites Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. Betty lived in Kenai, Alaska in the winter, but returned to Holy Cross every year for subsistence hunting and fishing. In this interview, Betty talks about her memories of childhood in Holy Cross, holiday celebrations, potlatches, Mission activities, trapping, running the store, and the importance of respect. Betty loved the subsistence lifestyle and most of all she discusses many memories she had of traveling on the river, moose hunting, and being out in the country during all the seasons of the year. At the end of the interview, Betty describes photographs from her collection that she had been asked to bring along that she felt represented her life. The photographs add another layer to understanding Betty's life and the history of Holy Cross. |
Gerald "Jerry" Walker | 2002-10-10 | Holy Cross Community Project |
Gerald (Jerry) Walker was interviewed on September 2, 2003 by his life partner, Rita Paul, Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council, and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program in Anchorage, Alaska. Jerry was temporarily living in Anchorage at an assisted care facility due to health issues. In this interview, Jerry talks about living at Ghost Creek near the village of Holy Cross, his experiences on the trapline, being a riverboat captain, and other jobs he held around the region. He also discusses potlatches, holiday celebrations, and environmental changes he has observed in his many years on the trapline and on the river. Jerry's declining health prevented him from continuing to trap, hunt, and be on the river like he used to. He speaks of these activities with great fondness. |
Lillian Walker, Interview 1, Part 1 | 2002-10-09_PT.1 | Holy Cross Community Project |
Lillian Walker was interviewed on on September 2, 2003 by Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program at Lillian's apartment in Anchorage, Alaska. Lillian was in the process of moving to another apartment, so the living room was empty except for a small table covered with beading projects, two chairs, and some boxes. Lillian took time out from her busy day of packing to do this interview. She moved to Anchorage from Holy Cross in order to be closer to medical facilities. In this first part of a two part interview, Lillian talks about growing up on a mink farm near Kaltag and going to school and living at the Holy Cross Mission, holiday celebrations, and the important skills she learned there, including beading, gardening, and cooking. She discusses living and raising a family at Ghost Creek, away from the main village of Holy Cross, when they did not have running water, or electricity, berry picking, potlatches, and how the community has changed. She also talks about her experiences as a mid-wife and community health aide, alchohol and substance abuse in the village, and her continued involvement with local and regional health boards. |
Lillian Walker, Interview 1, Part 2 | 2002-10-09_PT.2 | Holy Cross Community Project |
This is a continuation of the interview with Lillian Walker on September 2, 2003 by Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program in the empty apartment Lillian was moving out of in Anchorage, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Lillian continues to discuss getting an education at the Holy Cross Mission and what life was like there, and living at Ghost Creek, outside of the village of Holy Cross. She also talks about her wedding, sewing clothes for her family, homeschooling her children, the challenges of living and raising children at Ghost Creek, and when they first got electricity. |
Frank H. Turner | 2002-10-08, Parts 1,2,3 | Holy Cross Community Project |
Frank H. Turner was interviewed on September 1, 2003 by his daughter, Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council, and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program at his home in Anchorage, Alaska. The sound of cars passing on the busy street in front of his house can be heard in the background of the interview, because it was a warm day and the living room windows were open. Frank lives in Anchorage, but still owns a home in Holy Cross and visits there regularly, especially for fishing, hunting, and village celebrations. In this three-part interview, Frank recounts his early memories of childhood in Shageluk and in the mining camps at Flat and Iditarod, attending school, learning to trap, holiday celebrations, traveling the rivers by barge, and early airplanes. He talks about being in the military, receiving electrician training, and his work history, including helping his father and his brother run the Turner Store in Holy Cross and becoming a pilot and hunting guide. Frank tells stories of adventures in planes and on the trapline and hunting, and also discusses how life in Holy Cross has changed. At the end of the interview, Frank describes photographs from his personal collection that he felt represented his life. The photographs add another layer to understanding his life and the history of Holy Cross. Video clip of Frank Turner telling a story about Crow and Beaver (recorded on October 5, 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska by Frank's grandaughter, Brianna Demientieff.) |
Mary H. Demientieff, Part 1 | 2002-10-06_PT.1 | Holy Cross Community Project |
Mary H. Demientieff was interviewed on April 25, 2003 by her daughter, Carol Atkins, Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council, and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program at Mary's apartment in Bethel, Alaska. Mary had recently moved from Holy Cross to be near her family in Bethel and to be closer to better health care facilities. In this first part of a two part interview, Mary talks about about life at the Holy Cross Mission, the importance of religion in her life, and the other valuable lessons and life skills she learned there. She also talks about marrying her husband, Joe Demientieff and raising a large family together. She discusses subsistence hunting, trapping and fishing on the Yukon River, and shares her love of spending time at fish camp with her children and grandchildren. Mary also enjoys playing music, so during part of the interview she demonstrated her talents by singing and playing the guitar and keyboard. At the end of the interview, Mary describes photographs from her personal collection that she felt represented her life. She and Carol had selected some snapshots from her photo albums before the interview, and others were framed and hanging on the walls of her home. The photographs add another layer to understanding Mary's life and the history of Holy Cross. |
Mary H. Demientieff, Part 2 | 2002-10-06_PT.2 | Holy Cross Community Project |
This is a continuation of the interview with Mary H. Demientieff on April 25, 2003 by her daughter, Carol Atkins, Debbie Turner from the Holy Cross Tribal Council, and Karen Brewster from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program at Mary's apartment in Bethel, Alaska. Mary had recently moved from Holy Cross to be near her family in Bethel and to be closer to better health care facilities. In this second part of a two part interview, Mary continues to talk about living at the Holy Cross Mission and important skill she learned there. She also talks about the subsistence lifestyle of going out to fall and spring camp, trapping, tanning hides, and selling the furs. At the end of the interview, Mary describes photographs from her collection that she felt represented her life. |