Elizabeth “Betty” Patricia Joe, Nā tuwá (1934 – 2024)
Betty Joe was born at Fort Selkirk t, the ninth child of Joe and Julia Roberts. They raised Betty on the trapline and in the bush and she learned a traditional way of life that she continued to practice and teach through her lifetime. She did not go to residential school but the Anglican teacher at Selkirk, Mrs. Cowaret, taught her to read and write. Betty later became a lay reader in the church.1)
Betty met Danny Joe at the Charles Camsell Hospital in the south and they reconnected when returned to the Yukon. They were married in 1955 and spent seventy years together. They had nine children, twelve grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren.2)
Betty was famous for her good bannock and she was a crack shot and good, respectful hunter. Her favourite hunting companion was her sister Maria. Betty, Maria and their sister Florence had a strong bond. Betty played the guitar and sang country songs, and she played with her cousin Audrey on the fiddle. Betty’s laugh was contagious.3)