Alaska Native broadcaster John Active, who introduced his Yup'ik culture to the world, dies at 69

John Active

John Active, 69, the journalist and broadcaster who was known as the "voice of the Yukon-Kuskowim Delta," died Monday. He was known for his stories of life in southwestern Alaska among his native Yup'ik culture, Alex DeMarban reports for the Anchorage Daily News.

Rhonda McBride, who hosts the rural-oriented "Frontiers" program on Anchorage's KTVA-TV, told DeMarban that Active was "an amazing traditional storyteller" who "bridged the gap into the modern world, and mastered the art of broadcasting." McBride worked with Active when she was the news director at KYUK in the 1990's.

At KYUK, Active read the local news in Yup'ik and shared traditional stories of his people in English that National Public Radio shared with a wide audience. "He told me his mission was to Yup'ify the world, and he wanted to do it in a joyful way," McBride said. NPR reports that his funeral is today in Bethel.