Marie Smith Jones was the last fluent speaker of the Eyak language, which is an indigenous language of Alaska. Born in 1918, she grew up in the small community of Cordova, where she learned the language from her family. As the last native speaker, Marie worked to preserve the Eyak language and culture, sharing her knowledge with linguists and researchers. She passed away in 2008, marking the end of an era for the Eyak people and highlighting the importance of language preservation efforts worldwide.