Aaawok Aileen Figueroa, an elder of the Yurok Tribe of California, died on April 11. She was 95.
Figueroa was one of the last fluent speakers of Yurok. She was forced to attend a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school but ran away and lived on the reservation.
Figueroa spent most of her life passing on tribal culture to younger generations. She taught the Yurok language, basket-weaving and gathering. She organized the Yurok Elder Wisdom
Preservation Project.
Two days of ceremonies, starting today, will be held in Figueroa's honor.
Get the Story:Ceremonies planned for Yurok Tribe elder (The Daily Triplicate 4/18)
Obituary: Aaawok Aileen Figueroa (The Eureka Reporter 4/15)
