Allison Boucher Krebs

Allison Boucher Krebs of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan walked on Saturday, January 26, 2013. "Ally", also known as "Chi-Gaumee-Kwe",was born September 8, 1951 in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Annette Claire Boucher Krebs and William A. Wallace Krebs, Jr. Ally is survived by her two sons, Adam and Zachary Khalil of Brooklyn; her two brothers, Tony Krebs of Seattle and Chris Krebs of Boston; a sister Stephanie Krebs of Sault Ste. Marie; and brothers-in-law Richard Lewis of Sault Ste. Marie and Gary Atkins of Seattle; and sister-in-law Carin Roberge Krebs of Boston. She is also survived by many dear cousins, including Pauline and Dana Andrews, Priscilla Eames, Scott and Sally Boucher, Susie and Mike Chieppo, and Carlye Runyon. A great-great granddaughter of Chief John Boucher, known as "the Rapids Pilot", Ally was related to Cadottes, Cadreaus, Piquettes, Hascalls, and Eames, as well as other families across the river in Canada and on Sugar Island. While a high school student at Newton High School outside Boston, Ally founded the Freeport halfway home for troubled teens. Years later, while raising her young boys in the Sault, she served as Director of the Sault Tribe's Youth Education & Activities program (YEA), from which many young tribal members have benefited. Ally was an adventurer and scholar. She photographed and documented Mayan hieroglyphics in the jungles of Central America, looking under each rock and leaf, carefully turning over a stone to photograph it, then carefully returning it to its original location. Today, her photos are in museum collections at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. She was in the first class of women undergraduates ever admitted to Yale University. A lifelong learner and published poet, Ally returned to academics later in life, getting a Masters in educational technology at University of Arizona's Knowledge River program, and was completing her PhD in indigenous information ecology at the University of Washington in Seattle. As a researcher & activist, Ally participated in indigenous information conferences around the world, in places like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She recently returned to the land of her ancestors, where she focused on her own tribal language and culture and its preservation through research and archiving. She first studied her native language Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) at Bay Mills Community College, then later was mentored by individual scholars and gifted native speakers. Ally also spoke Arabic, French, and Spanish. Mother, sister, friend and mentor, Ally will be greatly missed by all whose lives she touched. "Baamaa pii miinwaa ka-waabmin." Traditional services will be held at Niigaanagiizhik, the Sault Tribe Cultural Center on Wednesday, January 30th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with a feast. All are invited to come and share in the celebration of her life. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory may be sent to the American Indian Graduate Center (www.aigcs.org) or to UNITY-United National Indian Tribal Youth (www.unityinc.org).

Tributes

Allison Boucher Krebs

September 8, 1951 - January 26, 2013