tradition Archives - KNOM Radio Mission

Camaraderie and Culture

By KNOM Radio | May 31, 2018

Side-by-side pictures of an NYO competitor preparing for, then executing, a one-foot high kick inside the St. Michael school gym.

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

By admin | October 6, 2017 |

Jorie Ayyu Paoli receives a standing ovation after her keynote speech (Photo: Gabe Colombo, KNOM, 2017)

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

By admin | September 29, 2017 |

An Alaska Native dance ensemble performs inside a school gymnasium.

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.”