Each summer, kids from across the Bering Strait are invited to Camp Igaliq, a retreat to reconnect with Native traditions. This year, organizers set up camp just outside Shishmaref, on the northern edge of the Seward Peninsula.
Colorful tents peppered the banks of the Arctic River, about 16 miles southeast of Shishmaref. Children wolfed down what was left of breakfast before applying a fresh coat of bug spray and heading out on a boat trip up the Serpentine River.
The journey was part of Camp Igaliq, a three-day event hosted by the wellness team at Kawerak Inc., a tribal nonprofit based in Nome. The 17 young campers took part in subsistence activities, learned survival skills and heard from elders.
Donna Barr is a Tribal Coordinator for the Native Village of Shishmaref. In the past, she’s helped facilitate similar camps for local youth. She said she jumped at the opportunity to help out on Camp Igaliq.
“We're trying to pass on cultural knowledge to the younger generations as over the past maybe 200 years, a lot of the traditions and culture has slowly diminished from our way of life,” Barr said.
Each morning, the kids from Shishmaref, Shaktoolik and Elim set nets for salmon. After breakfast, the group did chores around camp, like hauling water, picking up trash, and doing dishes while periodically checking on their nets.
Clifford Weyiouanna, an elder from Shishmaref, was born near the site of Camp Igaliq. Barr said the 83-year-old was at camp every day, and shared stories of his life with the young campers.
“Those small pieces of advice and encouragement, they stick with us the rest of our lives,” Barr said. “I think it's really important to hear stories of survival from our elders.”
Shishmaref resident, Tyler Ivanoff, helped drive a boat for the camp. He said not having cell service allowed the children to immerse themselves in the experience.
“The kids had to set aside their phones and really figure out, you know, I might be bored, but what can I do? And then they really joined the activities,” Ivanoff said.
Kawerak Wellness Director, Kimberly Ayek, said the children enjoyed a variety of camp foods like burgers, hotdogs and chips. But it was the Indigenous delights that the kids really raved for.
“But then there was also dried ugruk. There was half dried ugruk, we actually had a big old tub of seal oil with the ugruk and fermented walrus blubber, and intestines,” Ayek said.
Kawerak Youth Initiative Specialist, Bobby Koezuna, said it was impactful for campers to network with one another.
“Let's say you want to go somewhere and play basketball, because that's really common here,” Koezuna said. “Let's say you want to go to Shishmaref. Well, you went to camp with someone in Shishmaref. You're going to have someone you know there now.”
Barr said events like Camp Igaliq gave the kids a rare opportunity to connect in a vast region like the Bering Strait.
“They hunt beluga in the Koyuk and Elim area, and we don't really hunt beluga here,” Barr said. “You can learn how they hunt beluga over there. It was just interesting to learn what they hunt, what animals they hunt to survive.”
Barr said by the end of the camp, the kids developed lifelong bonds with their Bering Strait neighbors.
