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Joseph "Joe" Demantle, Sr.
Joseph "Joe" Demantle, Sr. was Yup'ik and born in 1929 to Louise and Joe Demantle in Akiak, Alaska. Joe grew up living a traditional subsistence lifestyle based on hunting, trapping and fishing. From his years of living on the land and traveling by dogteam, Joe learned the traditional place names and important navigation and survival skills. He married Lucy (Wassillie) from Akiachak and eventually they settled in Tuluksak, where Joe worked as a maintenance man at the school from 1966 to approximately 1985 in order to support his family. He also served in the Alaska National Guard. Joe raised sled dogs for his own transportation, but also ran a couple of dog sled races around the villages. He used his best seven dogs for the races. Joe Demantle, Sr. passed away in 2010.
Biographical information provided by Freda Alexie of the Yupiit School District.
| Interview Title | Abstract | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Date of Interview |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph "Joe" Demantle, Sr. |
Joseph "Joe" Demantle, Sr. was interviewed on September 24, 2004 by William Schneider, Freda Alexie, and Louann Rank in Tuluksak, Alaska. Marla Statscewich and Richard Phillip were also present during the interview. In this interview, Joe talks about growing up, learning to hunt and use a dog team, and traveling in the area for trapping and hunting and being careful of dangerous places. He also talks about traditional place names and trails and marks them on a map. Joe also shares his experiences of being out on the trapline, getting stuck when traveling and having to walk a long way, and having his dog team fall through the ice. |
2004-07-12 | Tuluksak | Sep 24, 2004 |
| Tuluksak Elders |
|
2004-07-31, Part 1 and 2 | Tuluksak | Apr 13, 2005 |
Tuluksak elders, John Peter, Herman Hawk, Nick Alexie Sr., Carrie Alexie, Joe Demantle Sr. and Lydia Fly meet with Bill Schneider and Louann Rank on April 13, 2005 in Tuluksak, Alaska. Sophie Kasayulie and Frank Chingliak translated the discussion. Marla Statscewich and Richard Phillip were also present during the meeting. The elders speak in Yup'ik about the location of traditionally used places and the meanings behind their names. In the course of this discussion, they share traditional stories and talk about the earlier days of traditional subsistence life based upon seasonal movement to different camps in order to make the most use of available fish and wildlife resources. You can listen to the spoken Yup'ik discussion and read a translated English summary of the discussion below. The recording of the English translation by Sophie Kasayulie and Frank Chingliak made after the meeting on April 15, 2005 in Akiachak, Alaska is available from the UAF Oral History program (ORAL HISTORY 2004-07-33, PT. 1-5).