Mary Olympic was born in the remote village of Kukaklek, on the shore of Kukaklek Lake, on November 21, 1931.  From the time of her birth until 1947 no more than three homes were built at Kukaklek, and all families living there were closely related. 

As a child Mary loved playing with dolls.  Most of the dolls were ones her or her mother, Marsha Mary Wassillie, made.  She also enjoyed playing with fire outside and pretending to cook like her mother.  Mary hated to spend time inside. She would get up in the morning, skip breakfast, do chores, and play outside until she was hungry.  After a meal break she was back out again sledding, playing with the families' 20+ dogs, and being mischievous.  One day Mary got caught on the roof of her house playing with the families' windmill-powered radio.  Her mom yelled at her to get down and Mary turned around, jumped off the house, and ran off into the tundra as fast as her little legs carry her so her mother could not spank her.  From then on whenever she was going to do something mischievous she would make sure no one was around to see her.

While growing up life wasn't always about fun and games for Mary.  Her father, Alexi Gregory, would take her out trapping, have her watch the dogs, and help gather wood for heating the house.  She also had her mom with housecleaning and put away food for the long cold winters.  Every summer the family would cut up and store 4000 sockeye salmon for themselves and their dogs. Mary and her mother would pick up to 25 gallons of blackberries, salmonberries, blueberries, and cranberries for the winter.  During the spring she collected wild celery, spinach, ferns, and vegetables that would last them through the winter. While growing up Mary didn't even have a bed on which to sleep.  Her house had one bedroom, a kitchen area, and a windbreak.  Mary slept on the floor in the bedroom along with the other children.  When it became really cold in the house she would sleep behind the stove using her father's parka as a blanket.

Although Mary's lifestyle seems vastly different from teenagers today, they share many similarities.   Mary never liked doing dishes, cleaning the house, or listening to her parents.  Whenever possible, she would leave the house and just to avoid chores and other work. One distinct difference between kids today and Mary is education. Mary never had the opportunity to attend school. Mary grew up speaking her native language, Yupik Eskimo, and learned English only as a second language.

Mary's advice for children today is to never forget your past.  Learn your traditional background and teach it to others.  "If we don't keep alive the traditions of yesterday, there won't be any tradition for tomorrow," says Mary, sharing her views on preserving cultural traditions.

A recent picture of Mary Olympic.

Mary at age 3, with her brother Mike, and two other friends.

Mary at age 16, visiting the village of Kokhanok.