Sweeney Scurvey (b. 1943)
	
Sweeney Scurvey was born into the Wolf Clan near Carmacks. His mother, Kitty Sam, was related to Chief Albert Isaac of Aishihik and his father, Gus Scurvey, was Tagish Kwan. Sweeny and his brother Edwin were raised by their father after their mother died. Gus worked at wood camps and taught his sons the skills needed for living well on the land.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 149.))

When Sweeney was brought to the Whitehorse Baptist Mission school at age seven, he spoke only Northern Tutchone. He was sixteen when he was released.((Philippe Morin, “’We need to laugh’: Former students recall time at Whitehorse residential school.” //CBC News,// 7 August 2016. 2019 website: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/whitehorse-indian-baptist-mission-school-reunion-1.3710843)) Sweeney and Edwin Scurvey were shown at the Baptist School in the documentary //Mission School Syndrome// produced by the Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon in 1988. The Residential School forbade him to attend his father's funeral in 1957.((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.)) 

Sweeney started to write poetry when he was at school.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 149.)) In 1997, he published a book of his poetry, //A Glimpse of Peace.//((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.)) Among others, the book is dedicated to teachers at the Mission School who encouraged him to write.((Sweeney Scurvey, //A Glimpse of Peace.// Tutshi Publishing, 1996: 2-3.))

Sweeney took grade nine at the Whitehorse Elementary School, but the principal of the school did not allow him to live at the hostel. He drifted from home to home and joined a gang. That led to jail and expulsion from school.((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.)) 

In 1962, the //Whitehorse Star// was looking for First Nation news and he applied and did that for two years.((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.)) He wrote a column twice a week for the //Whitehorse Star.// He complained about the different laws for white and native people regarding drinking. [The law was changed in 1964 to allow First Nation to legally drink.] He was vocal about contaminated wells in the downtown Whitehorse Indian Village. He recommended cross-cultural training for teachers and recognized the need for more native teachers. He suggested an Aboriginal Day which today is held on 21 June.((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.))
	
Sweeney worked as a labourer and a heavy-duty equipment operator.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 149.)) He moved to Vancouver where he volunteered at the Vancouver Indian Centre and the Carnegie Library, but he had nowhere permanent to live.((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.))

He returned to the Yukon in 1990 to study at Yukon College.((//Kwanlin Dün: Our Story in Our Words.// Kwanlin Dün First Nation, 2020: 149.)) When he realized that alcohol was a problem, he quit drinking in 1997.((Sweeney Scurvey, //A Glimpse of Peace.// Tutshi Publishing, 1996: 2-3.)) After that, he completed research projects for Heritage Yukon and the Kwanlin Dün.((Roxanne Livingstone, "Sweeney Scurvey: One of Yukon's first aboriginal journalists." //Our Home,// Winter 1999/2000: 26-27.)) He has written hundreds of articles for the //Star, Yukon News, Nannzha,// and several newsletters.((Sweeney Scurvey, //A Glimpse of Peace.// Tutshi Publishing, 1996: 2-3.))