The Passing of a Respected Elder
The community mourns Ataxia, an interpreter and advocate for the Suquamish people, following his sudden death.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Ataxia, an Indian of the Suquamish tribe, who for several years has acted as Indian interpreter for the District Court, died of consumption yesterday at C. M. Van Doren's place on Front Street. All the Indians of his tribe have left the hops fields, and will today gather and convey his body to Port Madison, where the funeral will be held. Ataxia was a nephew of Uncle Jacob, present Chief of the Port Madison tribe, and he may have been Jacob's successor. The Indians feel very badly over his death. A member of the tribe called at this office last night and said: 'I want your paper to tell the people here how bad we feel that Ataxia is dead. He was 42 years old, and never swore, drank whiskey or smoked tobacco, and treated his tribe as best he could. He looked out for the old folks of the tribe as well as he did for his own children.' Ataxia leaves a wife and five children.
“I want your paper to tell the people here how bad we feel that Ataxia is dead. He was 42 years old, and never swore, drank whiskey or smoked tobacco.”
The Suquamish people continue to be a vital presence in the Puget Sound region, though the specific site of Van Doren's shop on Front Street (now First Avenue) is now part of a heavily commercialized downtown Seattle, illustrating the displacement of Indigenous historical landmarks.
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