Mary Jane Moses
Mary Jane Moses is Tetl’it Gwich’in, originally from Fort MacPherson - Teetł’it Zheh, Northwest Territories. She moved to Old Crow in 1979 and worked as a receptionist at the nursing station before moving on to become a community heath worker. She then worked with the Heritage Department of the Vuntut Gwitchin Government as the heritage coordinator, doing cultural projects and translating Gwich'in oral stories and histories. She retired in March 2022.1) Mary Jane worked as the heritage coordinator for twenty years.2)
Mary Jane is also a filmmaker. Her films share Gwich’in stories celebrating the knowledge of elders and the Gwich’in language and culture. They include Imprints of Our Ancestors Parts I and II (2007); Dinjii Shik Trał Tat Gwich’in ~ Man Who Always Lives in the Bush (2008); Nilii Gaii Tr’ahtsii (2009); Caribou, Our Livelihood (2010); Geh eenjit di’tr’iheetl’yaa ~ We Will Set Snares for Rabbit (2010); and Adhòh Tr’ahshii ~ Hide Tanning (2019). Her work has been critical in cultural revitalization, ensuring the knowledge and stories of elders are captured and shared.3)
In 2022, Mary Jane Moses received an honorary bachelor of northern heritage and culture degree from Yukon University for her work in Old Crow.4)