Mary Battaja (b. 1942)
Mary Battaja is a Na-Cho Nyak Dun Elder, born to parents Alice and David Hager with sisters Michelle (Joni) and Marjorie Profeit. Mary and Lino Battaja’s children are Chayenne, Lino, Morgan and Duane (1962 – 2025).1)
Mary Battaja was ordained into the Anglican Church by Rev. Don Sax. In 1994-95, Don and Lee Sax lived in Dawson and covered St. Paul’s Anglican church there and St. Luke’s in Old Crow. Don started the Bishop’s School of Native Ministries and a number of people were ordained including Dr. Ellen Bruce, Effie Linklater, and Mary Battaja.2)
There is an audio record of several parts of a Yukon Native Language Centre project where Mary Battaja talks about traditional life on the land, family and residential school, growing up a traditional child, and has a conversation with Emma Alfred. The audio can be found on the 2025 Yukon Native Language website.3)
The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate has posted four short Mary Battaja videos completed under Training Resources for Early Education & Schools, TREE Network. Naming a Baby includes spiritual beliefs and traditional practices for naming a child. Traditional Visits includes the selection process for naming a chief and the rules for the community during traditional visits. Traditional Law is about that topic. In, Spirits After Death Mary explains why pregnant mothers and children were traditionally not allowed to attend funerals or be near the dead.4) The Yukon Archives holds a NEDAA film called Yukon Sewing Styles that includes Mary Battaja talking about sewing: how she learned and the importance she places on her artwork.5)