Allan is the son of Lena Pauline Hayton from Fort Yukon, Alaska, and James T. Hayton from Natick, Massachusetts. He was raised in Arctic Village, Alaska, and his grandparents are Robert and Lena Albert from Tanana and Fort Yukon, Alaska. Allan studied theatre and film at Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas, finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992. He continued studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, graduating spring 2013 with a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics. Allan brings together his love of language and the arts, translating and adapting works for the stage and screen, as well as curriculum and language learning materials for educational settings. Allan’s work focuses on carrying forward his ancestral Gwich’in language, culture, and values in today’s world. Nakhwatsii govehłeech’agohkhyaa shro’... "do not stray from the path left for you by the ancestors."