Virginia Beavert, influential Yakama linguist and elder, dies Thursday at 102

Beloved Yakama linguist, educator and elder Virginia Beavert has died at age 102.

Beavert, or Tuxámshish — her Indian name — died Thursday, a family member said in a brief post on Facebook. Other Yakama Nation citizens who knew her as a teacher and a friend also shared news of her passing in text messages.

Dressing took place at Valley Hills Funeral Home in Wapato on Saturday, followed by a procession and flag draping for Beavert later that morning at the Toppenish Community Center, according to information shared on Facebook by the Yakama Warriors Association.

Burial is set for at 7 a.m. Monday at McCoy Cemetery outside Toppenish after overnight services Saturday and Sunday, the association said.

Beavert had celebrated her 102nd birthday in November. An author and a World War II veteran, Beavert dedicated her life to the revitalization and preservation of the Yakama language, called Ichishkíin, also referred to as Sahaptin. It’s spoken by the Yakama people in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Beavert was the co-author with Sharon Hargus, a linguistics professor at the University of Washington, of the Ichishkíin Sínwit Yakama / Yakima Sahaptin Dictionary, which is the first modern published dictionary of any Sahaptin dialect.

In 2022 she attended a gathering in her honor at the Yakama Nation Museum to celebrate her 101st birthday and sign copies of "Anakú Iwachá: Yakama Legends and Stories," an expanded collection of foundational Yakama stories she edited with Michelle Jacob and Joana Jansen. It’s the second edition of "Anakú Iwachá, The Way It Was,” an important educational and cultural resource published in 1974.

Born on Nov. 30, 1921, Beavert grew up in a traditional Indigenous home, learning and speaking tribal dialects and languages, including Ichishkíin, Nez Perce, Umatilla and Klikatat, according to her book, "The Gift of Knowledge/Ttnúwit Átawish Nch’inch’imamí: Reflections on Sahaptin Ways."

Heritage University in Toppenish, where Beavert was revered, also supports the revitalization of the Ichishkíin language. Faculty member Gregory Sutterlict was a student of Beavert and teaches Ichishkíin to Heritage students and community members alike. He also takes teaches children throughout the Lower Yakima Valley.

"It cannot be accurately explained how important she is to the Ichishkíin teaching and learning community; but Tuxámshish has taught many people the language and those apprentices are now teaching others,” Sutterlict said when Beavert marked her 100th birthday.

Her students teach Ichishkíin classes at Heritage, Wapato School District, Toppenish School District, Mt. Adams School District and the University of Oregon, he added. Ichishkíin is also being shared and taught on social media and YouTube videos, among other modern options for learning and preserving the language.

Beavert taught and mentored at the University of Oregon’s Northwest Indian Language Institute. She was the Distinguished Elder Educator in its Sapsik’wałá Teacher Education Program and was the university’s oldest-ever graduate when she earned a doctorate in linguistics from the university at age 90.

Ichishkíin is an endangered language, with fewer than 150 people speaking it fluently, according to the University of Oregon, though there are more people who can communicate to some degree. And many people use the language in greetings, introductions and more at events and on social media.

Andrew Sund, president of Heritage, expressed appreciation for Beavert's life's work.

"A renowned linguist and educator, Dr. Virginia Beavert was a distinguished member of the Heritage community and a beacon of inspiration for language preservation and indigenous cultural heritage," he said.

"Dr. Beavert's legacy at Heritage University and beyond has left an enduring impact. We are immensely grateful for her tireless efforts in advancing cultural understanding and inclusivity."