Della Keats | |
|---|---|
| Putyuk | |
 Della Keats in 1952 | |
| Born | January 15, 1907 |
| Died | March 11, 1986 |
| Nationality | Inupiaq |
Della Keats (Putyuk) was an Inupiaq healer and midwife who grew up and came of age in the Northwest Arctic region of Alaska during the first half of the 20th century. Further inland from the coast, the region she inhabited is in the drainage areas of the Noatak, Kobuk, and Selawik Rivers as well as Sisualik. Her life in this region coincided with rapid changes as other peoples voyaged and then settled in alongside indigenous societies. Over the latter half of the 19th century, increased contact helped to spread disease; local people acquired firearms and alcohol; and some inhabitants abandoned their traditional territories by the turn of the century. Missions and schools were established in 1905-1915. During this time, families alternated between school and subsistence seasons. It was not until after the 1930s that Inupiat settled more permanently into villages. This was a time of rapid shifts, and Della Keats and her family lived a traditional subsistence lifestyle while gradually incorporating new materials and entering into trade with a cash economy. She was a tribal member of one of the ten communities in the Kotzebue region, Nautaaq (Noatak).[1]