Edna MacLean

MacLean

Small dictionaries and word lists began documenting the I帽upiaq language soon after English speakers started visiting northern 黑料社appin the 1800s. It wasn鈥檛 until 2014 that someone finally did the job right.

That year, the University of 黑料社appPress published Edna MacLean鈥檚 I帽upiatun Uqaluit Taniktun Sivuni艐it/I帽upiaq to English Dictionary.

MacLean, born in 1944, grew up on the North Slope, the granddaughter, on her mother鈥檚 side, of the famed trader Charles Brower and his wife, Asianggataq. MacLean鈥檚 father, Joseph Ahgeak, chose to speak only I帽upiaq. Her mother, Maria, spoke both I帽upiaq and English.

MacLean attended boarding schools and then the University of Alaska. In Barrow one Christmas, she met her future husband, biologist Steve MacLean.

The couple moved Outside to earn degrees but returned to Fairbanks in 1971 and began raising a family. Steve joined UAF鈥檚 biology faculty. Michael Krauss, founder of UAF鈥檚 黑料社appNative Language Center, talked Edna into teaching I帽upiaq language classes.

She began work on the dictionary to help in her classes. Becoming a UAF faculty member, she worked on the dictionary until the late 1980s, when she joined the 黑料社appDepartment of Education. A subsequent job as president of I岣穒sa摹vik College in Barrow diverted her attention again.

Finally, she returned to the dictionary in 2006. She worked 12-hour days for several years, finishing an online version in 2010 and then the paper copy in 2014.

MacLean, in a 2015 interview, said she hopes the dictionary will help establish I帽upiaq literacy. 

鈥淢y granddaughter in New York, I鈥檓 constantly buying her books, but they鈥檙e all in English. I want that kind of accessibility in buying books in I帽upiaq for my grand鈥搉ieces and grand鈥搉ephews in Barrow so their parents can read I帽upiaq to them,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e seeing the spoken word connected to the printed word, and that promotes literacy.鈥

More online about Edna MacLean:

  • A curriculum vitae current through 2010.

  • A KUAC with Rob Prince, UAF journalism professor.

  • An about her creation of the Inupiaq to English dictionary in the spring 2015 edition of UAF鈥檚 Aurora magazine.