Yukon who is who

Martha Silas (1918 – 1988)

Martha Silas was born into the Wolf Clan at Hells Gate on the Yukon River to parents Susan and Big Jonathan Campbell. Big Jonathan was a chief of the Northern Tutchone people at Fort Selkirk for many years and Martha was raised at Fort Selkirk. She married David Silas at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in 1934 and they had twelve children. Martha Silas lived at Pelly Crossing and was a fluent Northern Tutchone speaker who became well known for the depth of her cultural knowledge. In 1988, she had surviving siblings Stanley Jonathan and Margaret Simon plus children Christine, Amy, Carlene, Velma and Norman. She also had fifteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.¹⁾