Pearl Keenan

Pearl Keenan (born Geddes) (1920-2020)

and

Hugh Balfour Keenan (1921-1999)

Background information about the Inland Tlingit and about the Orthodox Christian presence

The Tlingit People (often pronounced “Tlinkit”) are an indigenous people who live on the Southeast Coast of the State of Alaska, USA in the interior of Northwest British Columbia, and in southern Yukon. The Coastal Tlingit live in the region of the so-called Alaskan Panhandle. The Inland Tlingit live in the interior regions to the east of the coastal mountains. As is the case with the name of the Yupik Peoples, the name of the Tlingit People means, simply, “human beings”, although some opine that it means “people of the tides”. This people arrived in this region about 11,000 years ago.

Map of Yukon (left) ; Map of Alaska (right)

The Inland Tlingit people are the descendants of a group of Coastal Tlingit people who journeyed from the coast of southeast Alaska to the interior plains of the Yukon region in the early 18th century. The Teslin Tlingit people practiced a semi-nomadic subsistence life of fishing, hunting, and gathering. According to the oral tradition conveyed by Pearl Keenan (recorded on a DVD in 2004), the Inland Tlingit were traders who came to the interior through the area near Skagway, which is accessible from Yakutat, Haines (whose indigenous name means “end of trail”), Juneau and Sitka along the coast. This practice of trading with the coastal people was active before the arrival of the Russian traders in the early 18th century. Trading became particularly active after the formation of the Russian-American Company, and it continued after the departure (although to a lesser extent) of many Russians after the 1867 sale of Alaska to the USA.

The Tlingit people would travel more than once a year into the interior by a narrow trail over the mountains, and they would then travel by river to Teslin and elsewhere by river. They did hunting, fishing and trapping while they were there. At some time after this, the Tlingit people began to accept baptism (Russian Orthodox missions were active in the Sitka, Juneau, Angoon, and Yakutat areas), and to regard themselves as Russian Orthodox Christians. It became the custom of pious families to make the journey to the coast every year in time for the Feast of Pascha, and this implied that most of the people did this. Pearl Keenan mentioned particularly the custom of the baptising of people in the Pacific Ocean during these visits, and the fact that the people sought consolation from the Lord through other sacraments (Confession, Eucharist, Unction) as well.

Engraving of a Tlingit man looking at Novo-Arkhangelsk (Sitka) in 1827

Ancestors of Pearl Geddes

In 1906, the grandparents of Pearl Geddes made their last visit to Juneau, Alaska. At that time, Pearl’s grandmother was expecting their last child, and during that visit, the whole family was baptised. The priest at that time could speak Tlingit (the Priest Alexander Yaroshevich). This priest asked the family to pray with him that none of those baptised that day would be lost, and they did so.

Pearl’s grandfather was James Sidney and her grandmother was Annie (Jenny) Sidney, and they and all the children were baptised in Juneau on Great Saturday. Her grandmother nearly died during that trip because she had insisted on keeping such a strict lenten diet (vegetarian). She recovered quickly after eating the Paschal food, and her husband went hunting later for yet more food.

The priest who baptised the family asked them earnestly to do their best to hold on tightly to their Faith. They heard him ; they listened, and they did so. Moreover, when they saw how serious a Christian he was (while he was baptising them in the ocean, tears were streaming down his face), they felt all the more moved to do so. Pearl commented that some few people who were not Christian believers seem to have acquired a relationship with evil spirits. She heard from her grandparents that they could understand this to be the case because of the strange behaviours demonstrated by these persons at the time when all the others were going to be baptised. They would become very agitated, make strange noises, and they would run away.

In those days, effectively all the people in Teslin and Carcross were Russian Orthodox Christians. The people were very faithful, and they were always ready to pray for what they needed, and to give thanks for what they received. It was also part of their inherited custom to take some of the best parts of whatever animal or fish they had taken for food, and to offer it to God in a fire (of course, this is an Old Testament custom, a custom sometimes still seen in the Caucasus region) in Eastern Europe. On Sundays, they never did work, but they prayed and rested. Christmas was for them never as important as the Feast of Pascha.

When the Anglicans arrived in 1906 (through Bishop Isaac Stringer), they erected a building, but there was not a resident cleric in Teslin until the 1940s. Before that, only itinerant clergy or seminarians from Vancouver, British Columbia, would spend the summer there. Nevertheless, from that time the Anglicans began to press the Tlingit Orthodox Christians to join them. The Roman Catholics arrived in Teslin in 1938. The differences between the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics, and their miscomprehension of the Orthodox, brought some confusion to the people. Both the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics would tell them that of course they belonged to them (either to the Anglicans or to the Roman Catholics). From 1938, there was a Roman Catholic priest resident in Teslin, and then later there were two priests. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants never worked in harmony. The people saw this, but it was not their custom to speak about it or to point this out. In fact, however, the tensions also divided families.

Comments by Pearl Keenan about the life and customs of the Tlingit people

Pearl commented that the Tlingit people are not abrupt or impolite. Therefore, although they may be able to tell when they are not told the truth, they will simply understand this to be the case, but they will not confront the person. They believe that if a person is not truthful, the consequence of this will come back to that person later. Pearl noted that there were competitive tactics used in order to press people to be baptised. Pearl recalled that there are still 2 places on the east side of the Taku River (the main route for travel to and from the coast) where there are Russian Orthodox cemeteries. Pearl was not certain why it was that the Russian clergy did not travel inland, but she surmised that it was because the people had always gone to them. The Klondike gold rush and its consequences removed the need for people to travel to the coast. The great increase in population in that region produced the presence of many suppliers of goods.

The Tlingit burial customs involved cremation. The ashes of the departed would be placed in a special container and placed in a “house”, sometimes several in the same “house”. Later, the bodies of the departed were interred without burning (in the Orthodox Christian manner) ; but more recently the older custom of cremation began to re-appear, under influence from the more popular method now used by other Canadians.

In this culture, Elders pass on traditional knowledge to Tlingit youth through harvest camps. However, this inheritance does not consist of mere techniques. Far from this, the elders have the responsibility of helping the young people to understand how to become a true human being, and to live as a human being ought to live.

Some portion of the Inland Tlingit arrived from the west coast after the sale of Alaska by the Russian Empire to the USA in 1867. When the American authorities took over the reins of government, there was open hostility by them not only towards the remaining Russian elements (such as the Orthodox Church), but also towards the indigenous peoples there and everywhere.

The hostility expressed itself in the plundering of the city of Sitka, and many others, and the Orthodox Temples, and the consequent drastic reduction in the population of Sitka (formerly Novo-Arkhangelsk). One of the consequences of the significant maltreatment that came with this change was the flight of many Tlingit people into the interior.

Pearl recalled that a very aged woman (certainly over 100 years old at the time) had warned her family and people against showing hospitality to or approaching the white people who began to appear (particularly associated with the gold-rush). She said this because she recalled the bad behaviour of those who had maltreated her people after 1867 in particular. The first cemetery in Teslin was established in about 1908. The monuments have either a Russian Orthodox Cross or a clan emblem. After the arrival of Roman Catholics in 1928, other forms of the Cross appeared according to western styles. Pearl learnt many details of Tlingit life and history from Mr. Jim Fox, who was more than 100 years old when he died, and who was the clan leader for many years.

Jim and Annie Fox, granddaughter Elizabeth

Pearl Keenan was very emphatic about the fact that her people had been Russian Orthodox for a long time, and that the change in more recent decades came as a consequence of the deceptive proselytory tactics of the Roman Catholics (whose visible presence began with resident clergy in the 1920s), and the Anglicans (who began to use their building more frequently for services beginning in the 1930s).

The northern interior of British Columbia, and the territory of Yukon were not specifically a part of the missionary work of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Alaska. This has partly to do with the later development of the mission north of Sitka, and also to do with the great shortage of missionary workers which followed the purchase of Alaska from Russia by the USA in 1867. Following this purchase, and the arrival of very unfavourable government and military personnel in the region, large numbers of the Russian residents and the clergy sailed away to the safety of the territory of the Russian Empire.

This mission had begun in 1794 in Alaska with the sending from the Imperial Capital of Saint Petersburg of a team of missionary monks of Valaam Monastery in the northwestern Russian Empire to Alaska. They were sent to care for the workers of the Russian American Company there, and to share the Orthodox Christian Faith with those of the indigenous peoples who would accept it. This mission was centred at first on Kodiak Island, and from there the monks evangelised the Aleutian Islands and Western Alaska, and in particular the Kuskokwim and Yukon River regions. The main evangeliser of this region was the Holy Archpriest Jacob Netsvetov who laboured in this region for about 20 years, beginning in 1844. This mission eventually became known as The “Russian Mission” in North America.

Archpriest Jacob Netsvetov had been sent there by another missionary, Bishop Innocent (Veniaminov), the Bishop of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands, and the Aleutian Islands in Russian America (and later Bishop of Yakutsk, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, and the Aleutian Islands in Russian America). Bishop Innocent had evangelised many of the various indigenous peoples of Alaska during many decades. From Sitka, where he lived for a long time, he brought many of the coastal Tlingit people into the Orthodox Christian Faith. Because of their embracing of the Orthodox Christian Faith, some also of the Inland Tlingit came to do so through their regular encounters in trade with the coastal Tlingit.

It seems, however, that no Orthodox Christian Temples were established on the eastern side of the coastal mountains in what is now British Columbia and Yukon. Rather, a priest might sometimes visit them, and they might visit the Temples on the coast, particularly in Juneau and Sitka, when they journeyed there.

It is important to understand that Orthodox Christian missionary activity does not seek to obliterate all the beliefs, traditions and customs of those it encounters. Rather, it receives all that is correct, right and good ; and it “baptises” what it is possible to “import” from those cultures as well. The Orthodox Christian Faith fulfils all that is good about these cultures, and it “fills in the gaps”, or, as is stated in one of the prayers at ordinations, “The Grace Divine, which always heals what is infirm, and completes what is lacking [...]” does precisely that. Except for the object of worship and the manner of worship, and certain customs, the way of life remained much as it had been.

The only visit of an Orthodox Christian bishop to the Yukon region in those days had been in 1905, when the Orthodox Christian Bishop of Alaska at that time, Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky), had made a missionary journey from Whitehorse, northwestwards through Dawson City along the Yukon River. He had arrived in Whitehorse by debarking a ship at Skagway, and then travelling by rail on the White Pass and Yukon route through the Chilkoot Pass on the “White Pass & Yukon Railway Company Limited” train (the route was completed in 1900). Even though he had intended to encounter any Orthodox Christians who lived in the area (this being more than 5 years after the Klondike “gold rush” began), the railway route passed far to the west of the lands of the Inland Tlingit. Bishop Innocent also arrived at a time when there were no practical means to inform the Tlingit that he was there, and at a time when the people were away from their settlements, “on the land”, and at work.

Early life of Pearl Geddes

Pearl Geddes was born on 10 October, 1920, to George and Annie Geddes (born Sidney). Pearl was their fourth child. She was born in a cabin at “12 Mile”, beside the Nisutlin River, about 40 km (25 mi) from Teslin, Yukon, Canada.

George Geddes

George Geddes was a Scottish immigrant who had moved to the Yukon Territory during the Klondike gold-rush, and he worked for a time as a miner. George panned the sand bars for gold ; he cooked for mining companies at Livingston Creek, and also with Johnny Johns’ hunting parties. He later worked as a trapper, a mail-carrier, and a mink rancher. In about 1905, he moved to Teslin (where the Hudson’s Bay Company had opened a post in 1903), where he settled. He and a man named Tom Smith operated the first store in Teslin for several years. Teslin is located about 178 km (110 mi) southeast of Whitehorse.

Annie Geddes

Pearl’s mother Annie was a full-blooded member of the Dakl'awedi (Eagle) and Whale clan of the Inland Tlingit people, and she was about 30 years younger than her husband George. In 1903, Annie’s family travelled to Juneau, Alaska (as families occasionally did in those days, for necessities). The route of the journey would have been along the Taku River from the Atlin region in British Columbia, and over the coastal mountains.

While they were there, the children were baptised in the Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. A faint photocopy of baptismal records from Alaska that belonged to Pearl (although because it has become faint from age before it was photocopied, it is difficult to see clearly) is evidence of this event. At that time, the Priest Alexander Yaroshevich was the pastor of the Saint Nicholas parish (founded by Coastal Tlingit people, who have made up the majority of parishioners).

2 photos of Father Alexander Yaroshevich

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Juneau

According to the baptismal certificate, Annie was the third of the 5 children of Vasili (James) Sydney (age 48) and his wife Evgenia (Jessie) (age 44), and their children were Joseph (18), Olga (12), Annie (10), Helen (5) and Anastasia (4). These are their baptismal, “Church names”. Their traditional names are different. Since Annie is listed as being 10 years old at that time, she would have been born in 1893. This certificate provides an important detail in the life of Pearl.

Pearl’s mother Annie was an Inland Tlingit person, and she was also an Orthodox Christian. Many of the Inland Tlingit people had embraced the Christian Faith during the missionary activities of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Alaska during (and after) the time when Alaska was still a part of the Russian Empire (before 1867). This came about through their regular encounters with the Russian American Company with which there was trade, and through their encounters with their kinsfolk, the coastal Tlingit people.

However, by about 1905 the Inland Tlingit no longer made the trading trip to Juneau, since a Hudson’s Bay Co. trading-post had then been established in Teslin, Yukon. By 1903, the Hudson Bay Co. trading-post had closed, and the Nisutlin Trading Post was then opened by Tom Smith and George Geddes. The Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) also established there soon afterwards, and in 1906, the Anglican Church opened a mission to serve the community.

Pearl’s mother Annie included in her formation of her daughter what it meant to be an Orthodox Christian, and why this was important. It remained in Pearl’s consciousness and self-awareness throughout her life. Any of the Inland Tlingit who were Orthodox Christians had to live their lives in isolation from the way of life that was available to the Coastal Tlingit, and the oral tradition played a significant role in their self-awareness (the oral tradition is quite accurate).

Meanwhile, since there were Anglican and Protestant (and later Roman Catholic) Christians in their region, they would attend services there and participate amongst them.

The family of George and Annie eventually moved on to seek other opportunities in Carcross, where there is still a point known as “Geddes Point”. After a few years in Carcross, the family returned to the Teslin area where they purchased a surveyed piece of land known as “12 Mile”. It was at 12 Mile that the family “took root”.

At that time, Teslin was an isolated community with a population of about 300 First Nation people.

Teslin in 1921

Teslin in 2021

George and Annie started a mink ranch that was their main source of income. They also cut wood for the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and for local businesses. As the family grew, the older siblings left home to start their families. With her younger brother Cliff away at school in Dawson City, this meant that the vast majority of the operation of the mink ranch was left to Pearl.

Their fish nets had to be run twice a day, year around, and despite the weather ; water had to be carried and the animals cared for on a daily basis. In addition, George grew a huge garden for themselves, and he sold root vegetables to the local store. All this time spent working on the ranch was in support of the family. Keeping the mink ranch going was always a challenge.

Whatever personal money Pearl had, she earned through fur-trapping. This was done by boat in the summer, and by dog-team-and-sled during the winter. The dogs (led by “Buddy”) were her best friends and play-mates. She talked and joked with them, and she slept with them on the trap-line in the trapping cabin when it was too cold outside. The dogs carried her on many mail runs, hunting trips and fun trips. They were glad to go, with their tails all curled up. However, hauling wood was a different story.

Then, as her father was getting older, the family gave up the mink ranch, Pearl was able to expand her horizons. She asked for and found a job working for the McCleerys, a former NWMP officer who ran a lodge in Teslin. Pearl never went far from home, because she wanted to be close to her mother.

Education

Pearl spent the first 30 years of her life at “12-Mile”. Most of Pearl’s education was, therefore, “on the land”, where she learnt the traditional way of life that was in harmony with the environment.

Pearl’s more formal education was limited to 2 summers when the Anglican priest in Teslin taught her the basics of writing and arithmetic. In general, home-schooling was a typical manner of educating children in those days, and Pearl’s summer experiences were an extension of this. With her limited foundational instruction, Pearl continued to teach herself. She taught herself mathematics and English and writing and other subjects. Later, she was able to help her children with their homework.

It was during her formative years that her mother Annie made sure that her children knew the Tlingit language and their clan history. She was given an ancient name “T’aa!su Tlaa”, which means “Mother of the Taku River”. Pearl was raised with “Haa l5usteeyf” (the Tlingit way of life), with Tlingit as her first language, and in an atmosphere where people were accepted for who they were. Since her mother Annie was also an Orthodox Christian (which was by no means unusual at that time), she included her Faith in this life-formation (these ways of life are complementary). For example, her mother Annie taught Pearl to say the regular Orthodox morning prayers. Then she showed Pearl how to pray these prayers and also how to face each of the 4 cardinal points of the compass.

Pearl very highly valued her heritage. She valued both parts of her heritage. Therefore, she would say that she was proud to be a “half-breed” as she called herself. Where some used that term as a slur, she wore her heritage as a badge of honour. Another term for someone with this inheritance would be “creole”.

Difficult experiences away from home

Pearl’s first taste of the bitter side of society was when she accompanied her father to Whitehorse on a fur-selling trip. She was very excited. She was going to see a movie, her first ever. They paid at the door of the cinema, where her father was directed to sit down in the front and Pearl was directed to the upper floor reserved for “people of colour”. George said that his daughter would sit with him or not at all. She pleaded with him that it was OK with her, but her father stood firm and they left.

Pearl was so innocent in the ways of the outside world that she was heartbroken, and didn’t quite understand why. However, with “Haa l5usteeyf” guiding her, and as she experienced other incidents like this, she came to understand that the world is not always kind. Thus, she began to think about how she could influence or perhaps change the world. This was a catalyst for Pearl to become the woman she became.

Annie taught Pearl about the Orthodox Christian Faith and about her Tlingit culture, and she raised her as such. Pearl often recounted that her mother taught her that “the Russian Orthodox Church was the true Faith”. Pearl was also very proud of her upbringing and her knowledge of the Tlingit ways.

There were no Orthodox Christian Temples established on Inland Tlingit territory, nor were there any resident priests. Therefore, Orthodox Christians “made do” by attending other Christian chapels that had begun to appear in that region. As it was for others, so it was for Pearl, who always remained an Orthodox Christian, but who attended and participated in these other (usually Protestant) assemblies. Her Orthodox Christian understanding of life and the world remained with her always.

When Pearl was growing up on the family mink ranch, the only ways to get to town were by boat or by dog-sled. The boat was only for the summer. In the winter, the means of transport was by dog-sled.

Throughout her life, Pearl Keenan experienced enormous changes. These changes had already begun with the gold-rush, and they continued steadily after its conclusion because many of those who had come to find gold had found a place and way of life that they were unwilling to leave. Nevertheless, their contacts with the settlements both in Alaska and in Canada brought with them some of the changes that were taking place there.

World War II, Alaska Highway, 1939-1945

One of the most abrupt changes in her life came during World War II, in 1942, when the construction of the Alaska Highway began. The construction of this highway had been initiated primarily by the Government of the USA, which desired to have a means to transport military equipment and supplies to Alaska with regard to the defence against a potential Japanese invasion.

Pearl and her family were aware of the ongoing war, and of the bombing of Pearl Harbour, but no-one had heard anything about the coming of the highway. She recalled walking to Teslin one day in 1942 and being startled by a survey party marking a trail for the highway. She described the sudden influx of soldiers from the American South, and she recalled taking black soldiers into her house to warm them up.

Alaska Highway at Teslin, 1942

Alaska Highway near Teslin, 2018

The unexpected and sudden arrival of the highway brought with it unexpected and sudden changes to the way of life of the indigenous peoples who lived along its route, and whose territories it crossed. Adjustments in the way of life were required of the people, and it was made more difficult to live in the traditional manner. One of these major changes was the establishment of permanent settlements, although many of the traditional ways of life, hunting and gathering, have continued to play a large role in the life and culture of the Teslin Tlingit.

Because of her ability to observe the events and to reflect upon them, Pearl often remarked about the impact these events and changes created on her family’s life and her community.

After the end of World War II, Pearl’s brother Ted Geddes was working in the Tulsequah Chief Mine (northeast of Juneau) in British Columbia, on the territory of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN). One of his new friends was a hard-working man of Irish descent who could sing like an angel, and had blond hair. This friend was Hugh Keenan, soon to be known throughout the north as “Blondie” (nicknames were commonplace). Since Hugh was from the Lower Mainland, and he had no family to celebrate Christmas with, Ted invited him to his family’s home at 12 Mile.

It was then that Pearl and Hugh met.

Early life of Hugh Balfour Keenan

On 13 February, 1921, Hugh Balfour Keenan was born to Edward and Elizabeth Keenan in Balfour, British Columbia. Hugh was one of 7 children. Soon after his birth, the family moved 30 km (19 mi) south to Nelson, British Columbia. In 1930, they moved again, this time to Langley, British Columbia.

When he left home at the age of 13, Hugh lived in a trailer behind the Thurston Shoe Factory. While he lived there, he learnt the name of every edible green in the region, and how it is used in cooking. He liked watercress, which was plentiful thereabouts, and he and his brothers would pick the watercress and sell it for 25¢ (25 cents). At that time, they were able to buy 3 loaves of bread, and a little candy. Hugh also came to know all the correct names of medicinal herbs, and their uses.

When he was a little older, Hugh learnt about the sport of boxing at the Orange Hall United Church Boxing Club, and through diligent training under capable coaches, he became a competent boxer. At that time, food was the reward for winning. He was later coached by a professional boxer, and he won many trophies. After this, he worked for a time in the Britannia Copper Mine in Squamish, and in the Polaris Taku Mine in Tulsequah.

It was there that he met Ted Geddes, who suggested that he move north to the Yukon Territory. He did so, and he was grateful for the change.

In 1942, his first job in Whitehorse was working on the extension of the aeroport runway (an element of the North-American defence system during World War II). After this, he began to drive trucks. This was at the time of the development of the Alaska Highway (which was being constructed likewise for the purpose of North-American defence).

It was during one of his trips that he met Pearl Geddes at a Christmas dinner in her family home at “12 Mile”.

Marriage, 1947

Pearl Geddes and Hugh Keenan were married on 19 July, 1947.

The family lived in Teslin.

There, by the 1960s, Pearl and Hugh had received from the Lord 2 sons and a daughter : Hugh Junior, David, and Karen.

Support of education

By this time, Pearl had become a fierce advocate for a vocational school to provide training, skills and education to Yukoners.

In conjunction with her efforts, in 1963, the “Whitehorse Vocational and Technical Training Centre” (soon after renamed the “Yukon Vocation and Training Centre”) was founded. It was located on the banks of the Yukon River just southeast of downtown Whitehorse. The college offered courses in office administration, building trades, automotive mechanics, heavy equipment operation, drafting, food services, practical nursing and hairdressing.

Bishop Theodosius (Lazor) in Sitka, 1967

Between 1967 and 1972, Bishop Theodosius (Lazor) was the Orthodox Christian bishop of the Diocese of Alaska, and he lived in the cathedral city of Sitka, Alaska. During his time of service, he was remarkably adopted into one of the Tlingit clans. Such an adoption is not a frequent occurrence.

Years in British Columbia, 1960s

It was then that Pearl, Hugh and the family moved south from Teslin into British Columbia.

They settled in Surrey, a Lower-Mainland suburb of Vancouver, where they had bought a home previously, in order to give their children an opportunity for a better education.

Bereavement, 1974

In 1974, her first child Hugh fell asleep in the Lord. Pearl was always very spiritual, and it was in her Christian Faith that she found comfort and strength in the face of her grief.

Further ways to serve

Later, Pearl volunteered to counsel previously First-Nations inmates in the New Westminster Federal Penitentiary. She also volunteered as the Executive Director for the local First-Nations Friendship Society, at a women's shelter, and in the British Columbia chapter of the Non-status Indians Society.

Pearl also worked as a home-school co-ordinator in the British Columbia public school system.

Return to the north

When they returned to the north, Pearl continued to volunteer as a counsellor at the Whitehorse Corrections Centre until she was 96 years old.

Hugh continued to work in construction as an operator. He and his brother-in-law Cliff were the first members of the Operating Engineers Local 115 union. Besides his working contributions to the construction of the Alaska Highway and to the Fish Lake Dam, he cleared land for the Whitehorse General Hospital ; he dug all the basements in the Takhini subdivision, and he worked on the Yukon Microwave Project. There were many other construction projects in which he was involved besides these.

Hugh was well-known and appreciated for his omnipresent sense of humour, and for the beauty of his voice when he sang. His love was obvious for his own children and grandchildren, and for all children.

Illness for Hugh

In 1978, Hugh was diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. Nevertheless, he continued to work as before.

Teaching and supporting by Pearl

At that time, also, Pearl further expressed her passion about education, and she became dedicated to the vocation and training college, and to all the students.

She taught the Tlingit language and she operated summer camps for children, at which she always focussed on the purpose of First Nations customs and traditions. She was a passionate advocate for language revitalization and worked hard for the preservation and promotion of the heritage and culture of Yukon First Nations.

Pearl was a great fan of curling, of “mushing” dogs, and skijoring while being pulled behind a truck. As a lifelong fan of curling, she continued in later years to be an “armchair skip”, and she faithfully supported Kevin Martin and Jennifer Jones. Her niece Colleen would get on the phone with her during tense extra end games to help support the skips on ice. The community bonspiels were a passion for her, and cold weather never held her back.

Pearl enjoyed a special bond with her grandchildren (Kyle, Jodi, Aaren, Carlene, Veronika, Meghan, Sam and Lino and Cheyenne). Later in life she was blessed with great-grandchildren (Jason, Patrick, Jordanna, Andrew, Jasper and Locklynn). They spent time hunting, gathering, fishing and camping. Their time with her had great influence on their lives.

Another of Pearl’s greatest gifts was her ability to tell a good story, which she would often act out. Pearl was also known as an artist. Her artistic endeavours included : the tanning of hides, sewing, and beadwork (for which she was especially known). These items can now be seen in many museums and worn by people from around the world.

Retirement for Hugh, 1986

In 1986, Hugh retired from his work, since he had reached the age of 65. Working as he had done despite his illness was important for the sake of his family.

“Expo ’86”, Vancouver, 1986

In 1986, Pearl served as the Commissioner General of the Yukon Pavilion at Expo ’86 in Vancouver. In this responsibility, she truly excelled. There, she met and spoke at length with the Prince of Wales, Charles, and the Princess of Wales, Diana. This was a conversation she treasured. There is a photo of Princess Diana and Pearl with their heads together in intense discussion. When asked what they spoke about, Pearl answered, “I knew from the news that things were difficult for her, so I told her to continue to be strong, that in every woman there is strength”.

Besides this, Pearl would speak about the many young people whom she met from the Yukon and around the world, and who became lifelong friends with her.

Archival work

In 1990, Hugh’s illness had developed sufficiently that he needed more care. He moved into the Macauley Lodge for this reason.

During the years of his sojourn there, Hugh came to love the staff and residents of the lodge, and they loved him as well.

Chancellor of Yukon College, 1993-2001

Then in 1993, it was on to one of her most cherished jobs – that of Chancellor of Yukon College. Her time of service as chancellor was the longest to date.

This position allowed Pearl to provided mentorship, support and guidance to the diverse student population of the College.

After concluding her service as chancellor, Pearl remained a valuable resource and support for students. She always attended convocation and as many special events on campus as she could.

This position also provided her many other opportunities, including serving as the “Elder in Residence” at universities in Alaska and in Saskatchewan.

Yukon College graduation

Pearl addressed graduates of Yukon College as the keynote speaker at the 2007 convocation ceremony :

 You don’t have everything on a platter, you have to work for it. Always remember, ahead of you 
 is a road that still has lots of bends in it, and lots of obstacles which could stop you.  But so far, 
 they haven’t stopped you.  Think first – take your time and think things through.

She also expressed solidarity with the faculty present :

 It isn’t easy being a teacher. It takes a lot of patience.

As an elder, Pearl helped and supported young people and all her people with more than only words. In her official capacity as an elder in her Tlingit community, it was her responsibility to say prayers in the Tlingit language at traditional gatherings of all sorts. She told a visitor from Ottawa that the prayers she offered at such times were often Christian, and that she did this because she believed her people needed Christ. She also said that she could do this largely because many members of the younger generations didn’t know their language, so this was one way she could care for them as a Christian in a traditional Tlingit way. In other words, Pearl had great confidence in God’s love for His creatures, and she knew that even if people did not understand everything, her prayers would bring good and blessing and love from God to all those present.

Pearl had a huge influence in Yukon, and she touched the lives of many others for the good. She was involved in many boards and committees, and she helped to found the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council, Däna Näye Ventures, Skookum Jim Friendship Centre. She was one of the first Yukoners to serve on the Yukon Human Rights Commission, and many more. Pearl was also involved in the Yukon Justice Council, where she was to make positive impacts on the people incarcerated within the Yukon Justice System.

Pearl Keenan at Yukon Archives, Whitehorse, 2002

Bereavement, 1999, repose of Hugh

On 31 January, 1999, after 52 years of marriage, Pearl's husband, Hugh Keenan reposed in the Lord.

The funeral took place in Whitehorse, where there was a memorial service offered in the Macauley Lodge where he had resided for nearly 9 years.

Hugh B Keenan

Order of Canada 2006-2007

On 5 October, 2006, Pearl Keenan was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of her work in education and the preservation and promotion of First Nations heritage.

On 4 May, 2007, Pearl Keenan was formally invested with the Order of Canada. The profile that accompanied the conferring of this order indicates that :

 Pearl Keenan is an invaluable source of wisdom for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people 
 in the North.  A respected elder of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation, she has actively worked 
 to preserve and teach the Tlingit language, emphasizing the importance of culture and 
 tradition in the midst of significant social change. She served as a member of the 
 First Nations Education Commission and as chancellor of Yukon College. She was also a 
 visiting elder in the University of Regina’s Faculty of Education. An important role 
 model for Northern youth, she has worked diligently to keep her heritage strong.

Over the course of her life, Pearl was always known for her work with youth and with environmental concerns. Based on these labours of love she served as a guest lecturer about northern First Nations culture at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and the University of Regina.

An example of a general Tlingit gathering and celebration (not a potlatch)

Yukon College graduation, 2007

In 2007, Pearl was at the convocation ceremonies of Yukon College, and she addressed the graduates as the keynote speaker.

Also in 2007, “Jakie” (the dog) entered into her life and filled a void in her heart that she had felt for some time. It was instant love on both sides and he became her constant companion. They went everywhere together and brought many a smile to friends and strangers alike.

Retirement residence

Pearl spent the last years of her life in Whistle Bend Place, a long-term care facility in Whitehorse. She suffered much from arthritis, which limited her mobility. This did not stop her, however. Even in 2015, Pearl was still working with inmates at Whitehorse’s Correctional Centre.

She was also regularly speaking to groups of children at the local Kwanlin Dun cultural Centre. The groups of children she spent time with there were local Tlingits participating in day camps over the summer. Amongst the knowledge she imparted to them were included traditional stories and lessons as well as some basic language instruction. She loved the energy and inquisitiveness of children.

Archpastoral visit by Bishop Irénée (Rochon), 2012

The second Orthodox Christian bishop ever to visit Yukon was Bishop Irénée (Rochon), from 19-21 December, 2012. Unlike his predecessor there in 1905, Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky), Bishop Irénée did not have to seek out anyone, since the Mission Parish of Saint Nikolai Bishop of Zhitsa had already been established in Whitehorse in 1977. By this time, the Saint Nikolai Mission was being served by the Priest John Gryba, who had also begun to visit Pearl on a regular basis. During the 1½ day visit, the bishop offered direct pastoral care to the Orthodox Faithful.

On Thursday morning, Vladyka Irénée served the Divine Liturgy at Maryhouse in Whitehorse. On Thursday evening, the mission community hosted a supper gathering at the home of one of the mission members. This time together allowed the parishioners to talk together with their bishop, to receive his counsel, as well as to enjoy Christian fellowship, friendship and hospitality. The establishment of this community provided an opportunity for Pearl to have direct contact with an Orthodox Christian parish family.

Repose, 2020

On 29 January, 2020, at age 99, Pearl Keenan fell asleep in the Lord at Whistle Bend Place in Whitehorse, Yukon.

The funeral services and other arrangements followed the Inland Tlingit customs. No photographs were published until it was acceptable within those customs.

On Monday, 3 February, 2020, at the Teslin Recreation Complex there was a “Celebration of Life” for Pearl, which began at 1:00 p.m., and it was followed by light refreshments. At Pearl’s direction to her children, the Celebration was officiated by Archdeacon Sarah Usher of the Anglican Church, with Father John Gryba of the Orthodox Mission in Whitehorse read a portion of Scripture, and he delivered a homily, and Pastor Larry Harrison of the Baptist Church providing further reflection on Pearl’s Christian life.

Pearl’s ashes were interred at the First Nation Cemetery in Teslin, Yukon.

Pearl Keenan

Reflections

Pearl Keenan was known as a dedicated volunteer who supported many causes including the Yukon Human Rights Commission, the Council of Yukon First Nations’ Elder Advisory Committee, the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre and the First Nations Education Commission.

As an advisor on the Yukon Salmon Committee, she helped to break a 17-year deadlock between Alaska and Yukon fishing interests regarding the allocation of the Yukon River salmon stocks.

From 1993 to 2001 Pearl served as the Chancellor of Yukon College - the college’s longest serving Chancellor until then.

During the time of her chancellorship, the College produced the first graduates of the Bachelor of Education (YNTEP) programme, the creation of the Bachelor of Social Work programme and the establishment of the Northern Research Institute. (There is also a Northern Research Institute in Norway.)

Premier Sandy Silver said about her that “Pearl Keenan’s important contributions to our territory will continue to be felt for many generations, and all Yukoners are better off as a result of them”.

Her son Dave Keenan later served as a Yukon New Democratic Party (NDP) Cabinet Minister from 1996 to 2001.

Dave Keenan, MLA 2000

Pearl was also known to be an avid “garage saler” : on Saturdays Pearl was often seen driving around Whitehorse, often with her grandchildren and great-nephew in tow, in search of a good bargain.

Throughout the journey of her life, Pearl had one foot planted in both worlds. She evolved from a student to a teacher and ultimately a keeper of “Haa 15usteeyf”. Above everything else, she was a mother and grandmother, and in all of her accomplishments these 2 roles will be her most cherished legacies.

In 2015, while she was spending time in the Orthodox Parish of Saint Nikolai of Zhitsa in Whitehorse, a young woman from Ottawa, Ontario, visited Pearl . Amongst other details already included in the previous writing, she commented :

Pearl absolutely loved the young people in her community and was always interested in what they were doing
and how they were growing. I remember visiting her one afternoon at her apartment in Whitehorse when a young
girl from Teslin came by to see Pearl. The girl was just about to catch a flight out to BC where she would
start her first semester at university. It was very important to her that she see Pearl before she left and
tell her about her plans for her program and her concerns about leaving home and her community. Pearl listened
with pride and excitement to the soon-to-be student’s plans and offered her advice and support. It was a very
good example of Pearl’s role as a much loved and respected elder in her community whose job extended well beyond
official duties to the personal connections which she felt were so important. From what I learned in speaking
with Pearl and with Father John and Matuska Sharon [Gryba], this encounter was typical of the relationship Pearl
had with the young people in her community. I should also add that to Pearl anyone under the age of 75 or so was
considered a “young person” !

She told me that when deciding what to pursue in life it was best to ask myself “what can this woman do ?”
This really stayed with me since it seems that in her own very active life, Pearl constantly asked this question
of herself. At the time and in the context in which it was said, it seemed to me that the point of the question
was to encourage a person always to ask themselves how they could contribute to their community and how their
skills and strengths could best be used to serve others. This was key to what Pearl understood as the Tlingit
way of living.

She remarked that even in her senior years, Pearl remained open and interested in fresh perspectives on how she might refine and improve her life of service and care for others : care motivated by genuine love for others (an attitude at the roots of the Tlingit way of life, strengthened by her Christian Faith :

I was talking with Pearl and she mentioned that she had a friend who had lived in her residence complex who had recently 
 died, and that she was quite sad about the loss.  I don’t remember the circumstances exactly but she was worried 
 about his not being cared for more at the end of his life, and she wished she could have done more for him.  
 I mentioned to her that in the Orthodox tradition we believe that our prayers now or at any time for the person 
 who has died assist that person in their death and maintain a very meaningful and important relationship between 
 living and departed.  She really loved this concept and said very emphatically that she would pray for him, knowing 
 that in this way she could continue to help him.

Pearl’s visitor closed her comments with the following :

 One last detail that has been of use to me was Pearl’s description of how her mother used to bake bread.  She said 
 that her mother would place the bread dough in a covered (clay?) baking pot, and would bury this in the ground 
 under the fire to bake.  Once done, she said her mother would leave the bread covered to cool, and that this would 
 keep the moisture in the loaf so it wouldn’t dry out.  This trick of keeping a baked loaf covered is something 
 I have since always done when baking bread myself and it really does work well.

In an editorial in the “Whitehorse Daily Star” of 31 January, 2020, it was written about Pearl Keenan, after mentioning her service in Vancouver in 1986 :

 Even then, she had attained an age when people seeking to navigate a much more placid road in life would have retired. 
 
 Instead, Keenan toiled lengthy but pleasant hours week after week, greeting streams of visitors, some quaintly naive, 
 some others unbelievable in their cluelessness about the territory.  She of bemused and diplomatic skill responded to their
 questions with patience and sincerity, often with a twinkle in her practiced eye.  
 
 Who knows how many people began formulating a future excursion to the territory during the brief moments they were 
 exposed to Keenan’s warm hospitality ? 
 
 Today, there are many Yukoners of a wide spectrum of ages who are richer, more values-oriented and conscientious citizens
 because they had the privilege of spending time with Keenan, confidently confronting life's challenges under her seasoned 
 and caring tutelage.  
 
 The territory never “replaces” citizens of such incomparably revered status when they’re taken to another place.  
 
 Rather, it is left to mourn their wrenching loss – and sadly marvel at their indomitable legacy – for time immemorial.  
 
 The grand, giving life of Pearl Keenan, born on the banks of the Nisutlin River a virtual century ago, will surely be 
 no exception.

References

Eulogy by David Keenan given at the funeral

History of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Alaska

Additional information :

Kan, Sergei, ‘Memory Eternal : Tlingit Culture and Russian Orthodox Christianity Through Two Centuries’ (Seattle and London : University of Washington Press, 1999). ISBN : 978-0-295-97806-2.

Oleksa, Michael, “Orthodox Alaska : a Theology of Mission” (Crestwood, New York : St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1992)

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Juneau, Alaska

Orthodox Church in America (OCA) listing for Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Juneau, Alaska

Saint Nikolai, Bishop of Zhitsa Orthodox Mission, Whitehorse, Yukon

Archdiocese of Canada listing for Saint Nikolai, Bishop of Zhitsa Orthodox Mission, Whitehorse, Yukon

Orthodox Church in America (OCA) listing for Saint Nikolai, Bishop of Zhitsa Orthodox Mission, Whitehorse, Yukon

Archdiocese of Canada web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Archdiocese of Canada

Orthodox Church in America web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

OCA Diocese of Alaska

Orthodoxwiki article about the Orthodox Christian Diocese of Alaska

Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Russia