Fred White, born April 5th, 1954 in Juneau, Alaska. Raised by in Yakutat and Anklin Rivers with his grandparents. He moved to Juneau at age eleven entered middle school and high school graduated in 1972 JDHS. Two years of high school was spent attending Indian boarding schools in Oklahoma and Salem,Oregon.
He lived with his grandparents where he learned and listened to the language everywhere. He is of the Thunderbird clan with five Tlingit names. Which are Gunaakw, Daal.atjaa, Gooch K. geigi , these are only three that he remembers. Fred's Tlingit house is the Thunderbird house. He has five Tlingit names because his grandma gave them to him when he was born they are all named after her uncles Tlingit names. He has a lot of weight to carry with all five names. His grandma was all alone when she gave him his name for all her brothers, out of companionship and to bring back their culture. It was a longing for her loved ones.
At age eighteen Fred was waiting to get drafted into the Vietnam war, but his number was not called. His plans were to attend college in New Mexico. His plans had shifted when he continued commercial fishing in Yakutat. He married his high school love and had two sons, Charlie and Eric.
Fred's grandma was all he had when he was growing up in Yakutat. Fred was raised by his grandparents till he was eight. He would go commercial fishing in a river and learn the language with his grandma and grandpa. His grandparents were twenty years apart. Fred had two grandpas in his life. Fred' s grandfather was one of the founding fathers for the Mt. Saint Elias dance group. His grandpa passed away at age eighty-four in 1964. Fred lost his grandpa when he was in elementary school at eight years old and he had only spoke Tlingit to Fred. Fred was was being raised by his grandparents, he was also raised by his uncles in a traditional way.
His grandparents commercial fished for salmon, they rode a steam engine train back and forth to the fishing camps. on the train rides Fred entertained the elders by speaking Tlingit. They loved him for always talking to them.
Before 1983 , Fred worked on the Trans AK Pipeline. Between his commercial fishing business and also around a boat and went power trolling for salmon. In 1983, Fred worked at Sealaska Heritage Foundation. Today Sealaska is called Sealaska Institute.
