63 pages • 2 hours read
Two Old Women
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993
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Introduction
Two Old Women
- Genre: Fiction; realistic based on legend
- Originally Published: 1993
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1030L; adult/college
- Structure/Length: 8 chapters with introduction; approx. 160 pages
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: Because they are considered to be making insufficient contributions to their tribe’s survival, Sa’ and Ch’idzigyaak are left behind when their people abandon a campsite during an especially harsh winter. The two old women must marshal all their resources and work together to survive in the Alaskan wilderness until spring.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Ageism; abandonment
Velma Wallis, Author
- Bio: Born 1959 near Yukon, Alaska; was one of 13 children in her family; dropped out of school at age 13 to help her mother after her father’s death; after passing her high school equivalency test, lived off the land in an isolated cabin for over a decade; based Two Old Women on an Athabascan legend passed down by her mother
- Other Works: Raising Ourselves: A Gwich’in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River (2002); Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun (2003)
- Awards: Western States Book Award (1993); Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award (1994)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The Sanctity of Human Life
- The Cost of Ageism
- The Importance of Physical and Mental Health
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
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