197:. Nelson worked with the National Park Service to map how the First Nation People utilized the wild, both traditionally and conventionally. After spending time in Amber and Shungnak, Alaska with Kobuk Eskimos, Nelson traveled to the Koyukuk Drainage, dog mushing over the Dalki Pass. Nelson was inspired to take on dog mushing by his own personal experience with Inupiaq hunters and their way of life.
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got Nelson out and moving around, primarily recording his real life experiences in the
Alaskan wilderness, opposed to recording in the studio itself. The show aired once on a weekly basis for half an hour, featuring Nelson's self-initiated interviews on both animals, such as moose and bears, and the
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aired nationally. He has been awarded a variety of awards for his commitment to the community as an activist, serving on the Sitka
Conservation Society, and for his creativity as both an author and artist. Nelson died in a San Francisco Hospital at the age of 77 from a long-term battle with cancer.
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Nelson was taken off of life support and died Monday, 4 November 2019, at a San
Francisco hospital. He had been fighting for his life over the years due to cancer and the medical complications arising from it. With Nelson at the time of death were a few of his friends, including Hank Lentfer of
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Nelson was born on 1 December 1941 in
Madison, Wisconsin to Florence and Robert Nelson. He had a brother, Dave. Nelson remained in Wisconsin, where he obtained both his bachelor's and master's degree in anthropology from the
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In addition to Nelson's involvement with cultural anthropology and his career as a professor, Nelson was active within his community, serving on the Sitka
Conservation Society as a board member for forty years.
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before earning his Ph.D. degree from the
University of California. Nelson spent many years living in Interior Alaska with indigenous people, reflected through his work. His work has focused primarily on the
177:, after being presented with the job by an anthropology professor. The job was in correspondence with the United States Air Force. Nelson left Alaska to take a job as a teacher for a period of time in
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for creative nonfiction writing, the
Rasmuson Foundation's Distinguished Artist Award; from 1999 to 2001, he served as the Alaska State Writer Laureate (the state's equivalent of a
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249:, where he resided for many years. In Huslia, Nelson gained insight and knowledge from two respected elders in particular, Catherine and Steven Attla. Nelson's time living in
298:, Nelson moved from anthropological studies to a more literary style. The book was published in 1983 and was the basis for a five-part public television series on
224:, sprung from a biking incident. The biking incident took place in the early 2000s, making it difficult for Nelson to sit for long periods of time writing.
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Nelson was an avid writer with an appreciation for art as a soundscape artist. In 2003, Nelson began to host the syndicated radio show
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that took place in 1989. In 2006, Nelson was awarded the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation.
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and, more generally, the relationships between people and nature. He was the host to a public radio series called
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Nelson had a long-term relationship with girlfriend Debbie S. Miller, making annual trips to
Australia together.
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Nelson spent extended periods of time living in Alaska Native communities, such as the interior village of
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134:, although he was originally interested in herpetology. Nelson went on to earn his PhD in 1972 from the
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Nelson taught anthropology all around
America and also continued to live in Alaska for many years.
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for distinguished natural history writing in 1991 for this book. He has also received the
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villages, and the experiences he gained there, inspired his earliest works, including
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in cultural anthropology. While he was working towards his PhD, Nelson lived in
302:, for which Nelson served as writer and associate producer. The title itself,
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and writer. He grew up living in Wisconsin, receiving his education from the
517:"Richard Nelson, writer who shared sounds of the wilderness, has died at 77"
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Nelson was an activist working to protect old-growth rainforest in Alaska's
585:"Richard Nelson, Sitka-based writer and "Encounters" radio host, has died"
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Conservation Science Institute International Environmental Educator Award
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Gustavus. Nelson died listening to the recorded sound of a raven's call.
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seek to identify the purpose and place deer have within civilization.
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the book also contains a few entries from Nelson's personal journal.
280:, was published four years later in 1973. In 1980, Nelson published
766:"Alaska Conservation Hall of Fame | Alaska Conservation Foundation"
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546:"Alaska Conservation Hall of Fame | Alaska Conservation Foundation"
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was Nelson's first published book in 1969. Nelson's second book,
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In 1964, at the age of 22, Nelson took a job near the village of
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Make Prayers to the Raven: A Koyukon View of the Northern Forest
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Hank Lentfer also wrote a biography in 2020 about Nelson called
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Anderson, Lorraine, John P. O'Grady, and Scott Slovic, eds.
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was Lisa Busch. Nelson's inspiration behind the radio show,
208:, a nature program aired across the nation, produced with
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American cultural anthropologist and writer (1941–2019)
430:"In Memoriam: Richard K. Nelson (1941-2019) - ASLE"
99:(1 December 1941 — 4 November 2019), also known as
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477:"Richard K. Nelson Dies; Led Life Full of Nature"
831:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
282:Shadow of the Hunter: Stories of Eskimo Life.
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724:"10 Years of Encounters with Richard Nelson"
356:Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America
334:Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America
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375:Oil and Ethics: Adrift on Troubled Waters
306:was used for an ensemble composition by
643:"Alumni PhD Recipients in Anthropology"
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136:University of California, Santa Barbara
851:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
245:and specifically, the Alaskan city of
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36:Madison, Wisconsin, United States
360:Patriotism and the American Land
338:Patriotism and the American Land
263:Hunters of the Northern Forests,
856:John Burroughs Medal recipients
790:Literature and the Environment.
278:Hunters of the Northern Forests
233:was around for over ten years.
132:University of Wisconsin–Madison
109:University of Wisconsin–Madison
515:Rose, Katherine (2019-11-06).
383:in 1993, as a response to the
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114:indigenous cultures of Alaska
816:American non-fiction writers
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290:about the traditions of the
46:San Francisco, United States
274:Hunters of the Northern Ice
259:Hunters of the Northern Ice
146:Athabaskans, for one year.
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371:Harriman Alaska Expedition
304:Make Prayers to the Raven,
846:People from Sitka, Alaska
343:The New Patriotism Series
70:Non-fiction, anthropology
811:American anthropologists
792:New York: Longman, 1999.
369:and was a member of the
310:, an American composer.
84:Florence Nelson (mother)
367:Tongass National Forest
237:Publications and awards
142:, a small village with
105:cultural anthropologist
821:Writers from Wisconsin
667:Lentfer, Hank (2020).
385:Exxon Valdez oil spill
352:Terry Tempest Williams
81:Robert Nelson (father)
696:"Remembering Richard"
619:"Remembering Richard"
354:, published in 1997.
323:Lannan Literary Award
195:National Park Service
87:Dave Nelson (brother)
747:Writer laureate list
319:John Burroughs Medal
313:Nelson's next book,
266:Shadow of the Hunter
183:Newfoundland, Canada
826:Writers from Alaska
728:Alaska Public Media
700:Rasmuson Foundation
623:Rasmuson Foundation
589:Alaska Public Media
140:Chalkyitsik, Alaska
752:2006-10-07 at the
175:Wainwright, Alaska
125:Life and education
103:, was an American
678:978-1-68051-307-3
481:sitkasentinel.com
380:Los Angeles Times
315:The Island Within
308:John Luther Adams
216:. Co-producer of
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841:2019 deaths
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348:Barry Lopez
805:Categories
771:2020-06-23
733:2020-06-25
705:2020-06-25
628:2020-06-20
595:2020-06-21
551:2020-06-28
526:2020-06-20
486:2020-06-20
435:2020-06-20
391:References
251:Athabaskan
231:Encounters
226:Encounters
222:Encounters
218:Encounters
206:Encounters
118:Encounters
51:Occupation
652:April 27,
75:Relatives
750:Archived
144:Gwich’in
59:Language
377:in the
346:) with
62:English
675:
268:, and
255:Eskimo
243:Huslia
187:Ambler
169:Career
101:"Nels"
247:Sitka
67:Genre
673:ISBN
654:2022
521:KCAW
358:and
350:and
336:and
210:KCAW
189:and
181:and
41:Died
29:Born
329:).
300:PBS
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.