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Hannah Paul Solomon

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This article is about the Alaskan community leader; for the founder of the National Council of Jewish Women, see Hannah G. Solomon.
Hannah Paul Solomon
A black-and-white photo of an older woman wearing glasses, eyes cast down at her beadwork
Hannah Paul Solomon, from a 1970 newspaper
Born(1908-10-10)October 10, 1908
Fort Yukon, District of Alaska, U.S.
DiedSeptember 16, 2011(2011-09-16) (aged 102)
Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.
Occupation(s)Community leader, artist
Spouse
Paul Solomon
​
​
(m. 1927; died 1973)​
Children14, including Jonathon

Hannah Paul Solomon (née Mardow; October 10, 1908[Note 1] – September 16, 2011) was an American community leader and artist. She was the first female mayor of Fort Yukon, Alaska, helped organize the Fairbanks Native Association, and was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2012. Her traditional beadwork is in the collections of several museums.[1]

Early life

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She was born in Rampart, a village on the Porcupine River, near the Canadian-Alaskan border. Her first language was Gwich'in. She was adopted by older Athabascan parents, Mardow and Eliza Mardow. She attended a one-room school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Fort Yukon.[2]

Career

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Solomon helped to organize the Fairbanks Native Association and the Fairbanks Native Community Center,[3][4] along with her longtime friend Poldine Carlo and others. She served on the board of directors of the Gwichyaa Zhee Corporation.[5][6] She was active in other organizations, including Doyon Limited, Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Alaska Federation of Natives. She served in the first city council of Fort Yukon in 1960, and was the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.[7][8][9] In 1991 she gave an oral history interview to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson Library's Oral History Collection.[10] She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2012.[1]

Solomon was known for her traditional beadwork.[11] "When I was young we had nothing to do when we got home from school so I learned to sew," she explained in 1965.[12] In 1967, she demonstrated beadwork as part of the "Native Village" exhibit at the Alaska 67 Centennial Exposition.[13] Beadwork items made by Solomon are in the collections of the Rasmuson Museum in Anchorage and the Alaska Native Medical Center, among other institutions. A video about Solomon's art was shown at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in 1988[14] and 1990.[15]

Personal life and legacy

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Mardow married Paul Solomon, a trapper and carpenter, in 1927. They had 14 children together, including activist Jonathon Solomon.[8] She was widowed when her husband died in 1973.[16] She died in 2011, aged 102, at her home in Fairbanks.[7][17] There is a Hannah Paul Solomon "Woman of Courage" Award given annually by the Fairbanks Native Association.[18][19]

Notes

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  1. ^ Solomon's birth year is variously given as 1908, 1909, and 1910 in sources, and she was adopted as a baby, which complicates the dating. Her obituaries gave 1908 as the date. Her marriage license in 1927 (from Ancestry.com) was signed by her mother because she was a minor under 18 years old, which might suggest a later year.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hannah Solomon". Alaska Women's Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  2. ^ Burnside, Doug (1966-07-20). "Native Woman Sees Many Changes". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 92. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Pearson, Bettie (1975-05-05). "Woman's Year Decree Draws Differing Views". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Demonstrations Scheduled at Opening of Crafts Unit". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 1970-09-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Gwitchyaa Zhee Corporation Re-Elects Two Board Members". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 1975-10-14. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Stuart, Julie (1975-08-30). "Hannah... (continued)". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Smetzer, Mary Beth (2011-09-19). "Athabascan matriarch Hannah Solomon remembered". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  8. ^ a b Stuart, Julie (1975-08-30). "Hannah: People Depend on Her". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Collins, Phyllis (1959-10-22). "From the Fort..." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Hannah Solomon". Jukebox, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Rasmuson Library, Oral History Collection. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  11. ^ "Bead Sewing". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 1967-06-05. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Brady, Judy (1965-04-21). "Fort Yukon Woman Changes Moose Hide to Work of Art". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Alaska 67 News (advertisement)". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 1967-08-10. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "SJ Museum to Show Films". Daily Sitka Sentinel. 1988-09-30. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "'Hannah Solomon' Shown Saturday". Daily Sitka Sentinel. 1990-03-16. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Tribute to the Memory of Paul Solomon Sr". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 1973-11-17. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-08-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Lean, Reba (September 23, 2011). "Hundreds attend services of respected Athabascan leader Hannah Solomon". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  18. ^ AFN (2018-10-21). "Margaret Agnguarta Roberts | Hannah Paul Solomon "Woman of Courage" Award". Alaska Native News. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  19. ^ "Sarah Scanlan". NANA Regional Corporation. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
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