Sampson kept voice of Alaska Inupiats alive

[Linda Lanz]

Sampson kept voice of Alaska Inupiats alive
Massive stroke claims teacher of endangered language

By Kyle Hopkins | Anchorage Daily News
Published: November 20th, 2008 01:09 AM

Hers was one of the first voices they'd ever heard speaking Inupiaq  
on the radio.

That's what Eskimos in Northern Alaska still tell Mildred Sampson  
about her mother, Ruthie, who began translating Bible verses while  
still in her teens and spent the rest of her life spreading and  
teaching the endangered language.

When it came to Inupiaq, Ruthie Tatqavin Sampson was the final word  
for many. She spent years teaching the teachers. Stumped scholars  
called her with questions.

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