Language Preservation
Weathervane Strategies is currently working towards obtaining funding to translate and produce an audio book version of William Iggiagruk Hensley’s book “Fifty Miles from Tomorrow” into his Native language Inupiaq. “Fifty Miles from Tomorrow” chronicles Hensley’s life in the territorial days before statehood. The memoir offers a window into the lives of tens of thousands of Alaskans who were in the grip of vast changes with the coming of World War II and Statehood. It chronicles the emergence of the Alaska Natives as a political force as they fought desperately and how they won legislation from the United States Congress to confirm title to 44 million acres of their land.
The translation will be used for educational purposes, particularly classrooms, where students will have the opportunity to study and compare the English and Inupiaq versions, while discussing and gaining a better understanding of issues related to identity and culture, land, development, education, community improvement, family, traditional pursuits, and indigenous values.
About Willie Hensley
Willie Hensley was born in Kotzebue, a small community in Northwest Alaska, where his family lived by hunting, fishing and trapping. In the early 1960’s, Hensley went to Washington, DC to study political science at George Washington University, and has since established himself as one of the most recognized leaders in Alaska. Hensley was one of several Native leaders responsible for the formation of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), an organization that was instrumental in the signing of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. Hensley has since continued to provide leadership in the private and public sectors in numerous organizations, including the Alaska Legislature and NANA Regional Corporation. Most recently, Hensley accepted the position of “Visiting Distinguished Professor of Business and Public Policy” at the University of Alaska Anchorage College of Business and Public Policy, where he will be working to develop a new curriculum centered on Alaska Native business and corporation management.