Johnny and Sarah Frank’s lives were steeped in the old ways of survival in the upland boreal forest of northeastern Alaska. Constantly on the move in search of game and other wild resources, sharing the harvest with others around them, and passing on their skills and cultural values through a rich tradition of oral literature, the Franks are vivid examples of how the Gwich’in people survived as a nation. Neerihiinjìk: We Traveled From Place To Place is a narrative of Johnny and Sarah’s life together. Both lived well into their nineties, and, through their abundant social warmth and manifest intelligence, they had an extraordinary influence on the lives of people around them. 

The stories told by Johnny and Sarah in their native language are presented here with English translations on facing pages. The finished texts were transcribed from more than thirty-five hours of tape recordings. Johnny’s tales are focused on the days of long ago, the adventures of Indian warriors, and the feats and songs of powerful medicine men. Sarah, on the other hand, shapes her stories around her own daily life and her useful knowledge of the environment and its resources. Together, they present a balanced view of the Gwich’in world – the masculine and the feminine, the spiritual as well as the practical. 

Neerihiinjìk adds greatly to the Franks’ reputation as rugged individuals who were versed in the ways of their ancestors and who figured prominently in the history of twentieth century Northern Dene.