Velma Wallis

Velma Wallis (born 1960) is a Native American writer of Gwich'in Athabascan Indian descent. A best-selling author, her books have been translated into 17 languages.

Early life

She was born and raised in a remote Alaskan village near Fort Yukon, approximately 200 km (120 mi) northeast of Fairbanks. This location could be accessed only by riverboat, airplane, snowmobile or dogsled. Velma grew up among 12 siblings. Her father died when she was 13 years old, and she stayed out of school to help her mother with the household. She later went on to receive her GED.

Independence

About 12 miles away from the village, her father had once built a small cabin in the wilderness. He had been an active hunter and trapper. Some time after his death Velma surprised her family and friends by leaving home and living in the cabin for some years. She perfected her trapping, fishing and hunting skills and lived on what she could provide for herself. At one point her mother joined her during the summer to teach her more of the traditional skills needed to survive. In this area, where the Porcupine River flows into the Yukon River, Velma Wallis lived an independent lifestyle. These experiences led directly to her first book, Two Old Women, which astonished her publisher by selling 1.5 million copies worldwide.