Two Old Women

• Genre: Fiction; realistic based on legend
• Originally Published: 1993
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1030L; adult/college
• Structure/Length: 8 chapters with introduction; approx. 160 pages
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Because they are considered to be making insufficient contributions to their tribe’s survival, Sa’ and Ch’idzigyaak are left behind when their people abandon a campsite during an especially harsh winter. The two old women must marshal all their resources and work together to survive in the Alaskan wilderness until spring.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Ageism; abandonment

Velma Wallis, Author

• Bio: Born 1959 near Yukon, Alaska; was one of 13 children in her family; dropped out of school at age 13 to help her mother after her father’s death; after passing her high school equivalency test, lived off the land in an isolated cabin for over a decade; based Two Old Women on an Athabascan legend passed down by her mother
• Other Works: Raising Ourselves: A Gwich’in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River (2002); Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed the Sun (2003)
• Awards: Western States Book Award (1993); Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award (1994)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Sanctity of Human Life
• The Cost of Ageism
• The Importance of Physical and Mental Health

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will: