On the recordFebruary 1, 2010
I rise today to honor Dr. William G. Demmert, known by many as Kaagoowu (a man with the strength of a stump) of the Tlingit "Naasteidi" Eagle clan--a pioneer in the cause of improving Indian education and the Nation's leading researcher on Native language immersion and culturally based education. I am saddened to report that Dr. Demmert, an invaluable pioneer in the cause of justice for Indian education, died January 19, 2010, in Bellingham, WA, at the age of 75. He was a man beloved by indigenous peoples of Alaska, the Southwest, the Arctic nations, and New Zealand--especially the Tlingit and Lakota, by Hawaiians, and by Maoris. He will be sorely missed. In particular, I would note that we in Alaska honored and cherished Kaagoowu. Residents of southeast Alaska say of his departure that he "Walked into the Forest," but his spirit and memory live on. He was tied to the lands of Alaska as a fisher and gatherer; he studied and recorded the landscapes of ancestors as a scholar and as clan member. He served Alaska as superintendent, principal, and teacher for Klawock City School; a teacher in Fairbanks; a professor of education at the University of Alaska Southeast; as a Commissioner of Education for the State of Alaska; and as a trustee of the Sealaska Heritage Institute.
