63 pages 2 hours read

Two Old Women

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993

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Introduction

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: