"The Rev. Chief David Salmon, who died on Oct. 11 in his house at Chalkytsik, was devoted to teaching the importance of values in the Athabascan culture to younger generations.
First Traditional Chief Salmon lived out the values of self-sufficiency and hard work, responsibility to village, humor, honesty, fairness, sharing, respect for land and nature, Native traditions, ancestors and spirituality.
These values shaped him as a great leader.
The youngest generation should follow what Chief Salmon’s life demonstrated. Recognize and understand the strength of the Athabascan heritage and take Chief Salmon’s life as an example of how your culture can influence your life. By practicing traditions, future generations can become strong leaders, possessing great power.
Today’s youth must not allow themselves to spend all day in front of video games, televisions or plugged into iPods. They can’t allow themselves to be lured into using drugs and alcohol. Young people today need to learn to survive in their world as Salmon learned to survive in his. The skills aren’t so different. They must be strong physically and protect their health. This is part of the Athabascan culture."
Get the Story:Athabascan leader left life lessons for youth (The Fairbanks Daily News Miner 12/23) Relevant Links:
Tanana Chiefs Conference - http://www.tananachiefs.org Related Stories:
David Salmon, Athabascan chief, laid to rest (10/16)
David Salmon, Athabascan leader, dies at 95 (10/15)
