Biography:

Samuel Demientieff was born 4 August 1939 at Holy Cross on the Yukon River. When he was a baby, his family moved to Fairbanks. Although he attended Fairbanks schools, he graduated from the Copper Valley School in Glenallen. Sam served in the U.S. Army and worked on the North Slope and at Pump Station 8 of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. He also has worked as a business ananlyst for FNA and in several positions at Tanana Chiefs Conference. He served on the Doyon Ltd. Board for 15 years and held the positions of acting president, chairman of the board, treasurer and vice-chairman. He was the executive director of FNA for 7 years. Sam and his wife Mary Louise Demientieff, live in Fairbanks.

This interview was conducted with Samuel Demientieff in the conference room at the FNA's office in the afternoon of February 9, 1993. Walter Newman conducted the interview with Sam, while Mary Larson ran the equipment and interjected occasional comments. The setting was relaxed, as Sam and Walter have known each other for some time, and Walter also is very well-versed on the issues being discussed. The interview was more of a discussion or dialogue than a one-sided response to questions. The tape was made as part of the FNA Jukebox project being cooperatively done by FNA and the Oral History program of the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections, University of Alaska Fairbanks. This recording has been edited.

The original interview is housed on tape at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Rasmuson Library, Oral History Collection, Tape H92-05-17

Background and Personal History
childhood/ education/ travel and transport - riverboats/ Fairbanks/ Alyeska/ Doyon/ Fairbanks Native Association

The early days of the Fairbanks Native Association
potlatches/ Fairbanks Native Association - meetings/ Solomon, Hannah/ Notti, Emil/ Perdue, Ralph/ Gray, Nick/ Kokrine, Effie/ education/ employment - Alaska pipeline/ Fairbanks Native Association - employment department/ potlatches - 30th annual

Alaska Native land claims
oil - discovery/ Ketzler, Al/ Wright, Don/ Thompson, Morris/ Notti, Emil/ Carlo, Poldine/ Carlo, Bill/ Richards, Tom, Jr./ Drake, Tom/ Gustafson, Daphne/ Fate, Mary Jane

Political people who were sympathetic to Native issues
Notti, Emil/ Wright, Don/ Thompson, Morris/ Sackett, John/ Kito, Sam/ Wallis, Tim/ Perdue, Ralph

Dena Aka and employment issues
Catalone, Irene/ Renfroe, Robin/ Johnson O'Malley Program/ health - addiction/ Regional Center for Alcohol and Drug Addiction/ alcohol - treatment facilities/ drugs - treatment facilities/ Lal, Banarsi

His role in the Fairbanks Native Association
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Fairbanks Native Association - offices/ 3100 S. Cushman/ Bergamaschi, John/ tribal authority/ Fairbanks Native Association - member villages/ village status/ funding - State of Alaska/ Fairbanks North Star Borough

Key events in the history of the Fairbanks Native Association
dogs - races/ North American Sled Dog Races/ Wright, Gareth/ Smoke, Horace "Holy"/ discrimination - racial/ segregation/ potlatches/ Fate, (Bud) Hugh/ education - Native/ gathering place/ Native needs

Organizing transportation of food and people to potlatches, and the way that dog racing brought people to town
Samuelson, Moe/ Samuelson, Ruth/ radio/ newspapers - Fairbanks Daily News - Miner/ Tundra Topics/ communication - with villages about potlatches/ potlatches - Fairbanks Native Association/ travel and transport - airlines/ food - transportation by Interior airlines/ Minook, Ron/ Ostland, Agnes/ dances - Native/ Miss FNA Pageant/ baby contest/ Wright, Gareth/ Aurora Kennels/ Paul, Raymond - "Iron Man"/ Smoke, Horace "Holy"/ Luke, Howard/ Stickman, Fred/ Kokrine, Henry/ Sampson, Wilbur/ Livengood - races

James Michener's visit to Alaska during his research for his novel about the state
Michener, James/ Carlo, Poldine/ creation story/ Cruikshank, Moses/ Grant, Al/ military - Army Air Corps/ clothing - Army mukluks

George Attla contribution to dog racing
Attla, George/ Huslia/ "Spirit of the Wind"/ "Attla"/ dog - handling/ Wright, Gareth/ Wright, Roxie/ Fairbanks Native Association/ Tanana Chiefs Conference/ Doyon Limited/ Institute of Alaska Native Arts/ Native people - gathering/ Kokrine, Marvin/ Taylor, Bill

The Demientieff family's involvement with river boats
Bering - voyages/ Peter the Great/ Alaska - Bering's discovery of/ Demientieff, Avram/ Demientieff - family tracing/ Demientieff, Sam - father, Nicholas/ row boat/ Nenana/ Galena/ Demientieff, Sam - raised on river/ Demientieff, Sam - Army/ Holy Cross Mission/ Demientieff, Evan Captain/ McGrath/ Fairbanks/ Demientieff, Ephrem/ age span/ Demientieff, Sam - tour boat/ River Journeys

Fairbanks Native Association History
Fairbanks Native Association - formation/ education issues/ Kleinfeld, Judy/ education - Native students/ Fairbanks Native Association - retirement plan/ wage scale/ Fairbanks Native Association - services/ Fairbanks Native Association - service awards/ Fairbanks Native Association - 130 employees/ World Eskimo Indian Olympics