Camaraderie and Culture
If you ask a Western Alaska school-aged child to name their favorite sport, the most common response will likely be “Native Youth Olympics,” or NYO. The games aren’t just a way for students to compete and develop athletic skills; they’re also a means for youth to connect to subsistence culture and learn to support each other.
Leadership Summit Keynote Urges Hope, Resolve In Native Community
Jorie Ayyu Paoli delivered the keynote address at the Kawerak Leadership Summit in Nome. “Our community — we’re like the willow,” she said. “You can cut the willow down, you can cut it back, to try and get rid of it, but if there’s even a shred of root, it will re-grow and thrive.”
At Wales’ Kingikmiut Festival, Dancing to Heal
The Native dance tradition has been revived in Wales and other communities over the past 20 years, after decades of cultural suppression by colonial forces. Today, as one elder put it, “coming here makes us feel whole.”
Traditions of Welcoming
It’s summer: the time of new beginnings for our volunteers. We’d like to share two small traditions that have become cherished parts of the season.
Elder Voices: Guy Martin
The December 2013 episode of Elder Voices features Guy Martin of Nome, Alaska, born April 5th, 1942.