Sarah James Biography: Height, Ethnicity, Age, Net Worth, Siblings, Parents, Political Party

Sarah Agnes James is a Neets’aii Gwich’in elder and environmental activist whose voice became known worldwide after she helped found the Gwich’in Steering Committee and spoke out against proposed oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Born in rural Alaska and raised living off the land, she first appeared on the global stage when she and fellow Gwich’in advocates won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002 for their efforts to protect the Porcupine caribou herd’s calving grounds from drilling.

Profile

• Full name: Sarah Agnes James
• Date of birth: 1946
• Age: 79 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA
• State of origin: Arctic Village, Alaska, USA
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Tribal elder, activist, board member (International Indian Treaty Council)
• Height: N/A
• Parents: N/A
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: N/A
• Children: N/A
• Relationship status: N/A
• Religion: Practices traditional Gwich’in spirituality
• Ethnicity: Neets’aii Gwich’in
• Net worth: $2 million

Early Life and Education

Sarah Agnes James was born in 1946 in Fort Yukon, Alaska, though she spent most of her childhood in Arctic Village, where her family lived a traditional subsistence lifestyle. Her parents and grandparents taught her the ways of hunting, fishing, and gathering, instilling in her a deep respect for the land and its creatures.

Raised speaking the Gwich’in language, she did not begin learning English until age 13 when she attended Chemawa Indian High School in Salem, Oregon, as part of a federal boarding school program.

After her father died in 1970, she returned to her community, bringing with her knowledge from the Indian rights movement and formal education that later informed her advocacy. Details about her graduation year and any further schooling are unavailable.

Personal Life

Little is publicly documented about Sarah James’s private life beyond her role as a mother and tribal member. She spent many years working in the village school and tribal government, balancing family responsibilities with community leadership.

Although she has referred to her children in interviews, their names and details remain undisclosed. Sarah has lived in Arctic Village for most of her life, where she continues traditional practices such as sewing, cooking fried bread, and passing oral histories to younger generations.

Career

Sarah James’s career as an activist began informally as a youth, learning from her parents and elders. Still, her public role emerged in the late 1960s when she participated in the Alcatraz Occupation while attending college in San Francisco.

In the 1980s, she organized local Gwich’in leaders to oppose proposed oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 1988, she helped draft a resolution at a tribal convention formalizing Gwich’in’s opposition to drilling on the coastal plain, known to her people as “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.”

In 2002, alongside Norma Kassi and Jonathon Solomon Sr., she was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for grassroots efforts to protect the Porcupine caribou herd’s calving grounds from industrial encroachment.

Since then, James has served on the board of the International Indian Treaty Council, spoken at United Nations forums, and testified before the United States Congress on indigenous rights and environmental protections.

She has travelled extensively throughout North America and beyond, educating policymakers and the public about the interconnectedness of Indigenous lifeways and ecological stewardship. Her leadership has also included roles in tribal government and community education in Arctic Village, where she remains a cultural teacher and advocate.

Awards

• Alston Bannerman Fellowship (1993)
• Leadership for a Changing World grant (2001)
• Goldman Environmental Prize (2002)
• National Conservation Land Trust Award (2002)
• Ecotrust Award for Indigenous Leadership (2004)
• Celia Hunter Award for Outstanding Conservation (2006)
• Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame inductee (2009)

Net worth

Sarah James’ net worth is estimated to be at least $2 million.

Social Media

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