Preserver of Klamath language dies at 95

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Mabie "Neva" Eggsman, a Modoc Indian who helped preserve the Klamath language, has died. She was 95.

Eggsman was born June 2, 1908, at Whiskey Creek, a Modoc Indian settlement near Beatty. She was the daughter of Guy and Martha Schonchin.

She attended elementary school at the Klamath Agency Reservation boarding school and went to high school in Phoenix, Ariz.

During her lifetime, Eggsman survived the flu epidemic of 1918, witnessed the end of tribal status for the Klamath Indians in 1954, and saw the tribe’s federal recognition restored in 1986.

She married Wilbur Eggsman in 1926. They lived in the Modoc Point area until moving to Chiloquin in 1959. He was a rancher and logger.

Eggsman raised her family until 1978, and served as a volunteer at Chiloquin Elementary School from 1978 to 1985. She later worked for the Klamath Tribes as a master language instructor, developing a Klamath language phrase book. She was the last living elder who had been involved in creating the Klamath language program.

Although a Modoc, she learned the Klamath language and worked to preserve it out of respect for her husband, who died in 1982.

The Klamath tribe released a statement after Eggsman died Sunday, which said: "The passing of our tribal elder, Neva Eggsman, is a huge blow and loss to our tribe. Over the years she has given herself and her knowledge to people, both Indian and non-Indians alike.

"Her wisdom and knowledge is invaluable, and we can only hope to carry on her teachings, by continuing to share the things she taught us."

Eggsman also was a member of the tribal cultural committee and a committee for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which helps coordinate the return of Indian remains and cultural items from museums and universities to tribes and family members.