NOTE: Issues range from 1996–2006. Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated. For current information, please contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, 907-474-1902.
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Region by Barbara Liu:We must remember since the inception of this project, the Yup'ik/Cup'ik elders and teachers are the key players in contributing to the development of curriculum content. It involves the Yup'ik/Cup'ik language expertise to adapt the math, science and other content areas within the State and district school standards. The Bristol Bay Campus (BBC) and LKSD have had supplemental meetings according to its MOA with the elders and teachers in 1996. Most recently, four Native teacher delegates from LKSD and three Kuskokwim Campus instructors participated as observers at a subregional meeting sponsored by BBC, October 25-27 in Dillingham. Elders and teachers of Dillingham City and Southwest Region schools participated in the three-day weekend meeting with participants from New Stuyahok, Ekwok, Kolignak, Manoktak, Dillingham, Aleknagik and Togiak. During the meeting in Dillingham, the Ciulistet Research Team provided techniques for teachers in developing thematic content with participating elders' knowledge. The theme for both regional meetings presented by the Ciulistet Research group focused on specific regional geography, i.e. traditional travel routes between the Kuskokwim and Bristol Bay and traditional place names situated around the above villages. Our initiative for 1997 is Culturally Aligned Curriculum Adaptation. This initiative asks educators to create a climate of exchange that can happen between the school and community. This requires some planning time in school including community resources in order to develop locally culturally adapted lessons. The Department of Education (DOE) and Alaska RSI will work with models underway in many classrooms within our region. Peggy Cowan with DOE will be planning regional meetings with educators from Lake & Peninsula, Dillingham City Schools, Southwest Region, Yupiit, Lower Yukon and St. Mary's School Districts as funds allow for covering travel and expenses. | |
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Region: Kuspuk Native Educators Get Organized by Esther Ilutsik:A meeting of the Native educators (serving as the KSD Curriculum Committee on Cultural Standards) was held on November 16, 2002, called by Cheryl Jerabek, federal programs director and Peggy Wolfe, curriculum director of the Kuspuk School District. Also in attendance were Yup'ik Region Lead Teacher Esther Ilutsik and Kim Langton, KSD superintendent. In addition to exploring the idea of creating a local Native educators association, the committee addressed the development of cultural standards and the use of cultural thematic units. Following the formalities of the meeting and with support and encouragement from Superintendent Langton, the Native educators present unanimously voted to create a Native educators association. They elected the following interim board: Evelyn Chamberlain as president, who is a certified Native teacher from Crow Village Sam School in Chuathbaluk with about 40 students and four certified teachers serving the students; Julia Dorris as vice-president who comes from George Morgan Senior High School in Kalskag, where she co-teaches a cultural class with fellow board member Margaret Mute, instructional aide under the direction of Principal Jon Wehde with 86 students in levels 7-12; and Molly Sakar as secretary/treasurer who comes from Johnnie John Senior School in Crooked Creek where she teaches at the secondary level. Others serving on the interim board include Jon Berkeley, primary teacher at Auntie Mary Nicoli Elementary School; Anastasia Levi, primary teacher at Joseph and Olinga Gregory Elementary School in Upper Kalskag; Sally M. Hoffman who works at the Kuspuk district office providing school support; and Mary Groat, primary teacher who teaches at Zacker Levi Elementary in Lower Kalskag. The Kuspuk School District covers over 12,000 square miles with a population of about 1,775 people. It includes the following villages: Upper Kalskag, Lower Kalskag, Crooked Creek, Chuathbaluk, Aniak, Red Devil, Stony River and Sleetmute. All these villages are accessible only by air and river travel. The district office is located in Aniak-the town the directly links the surrounding communities to the outside world. We extend a welcome the Native educators of the Kuspuk School District and look forward to working with them. | |
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Regional Report by Barbara Liu:From the mouth of the Yukon, where it spills out to the Bering Sea, Yukon communities stretch inland to Russian Mission. Two school districts serve about twelve communities on the Yukon. Along the Kuskokwim that spills out to the Kuskokwim Bay, communities stretch inland to Chauthbaluk. Three school districts serve about thirty communities on the Kuskokwim and it's tributaries including Nunivak Island community in the Bering Sea. Another isolated Yup'ik community in the eastern part within the Kuskokwim Mountains is served by an interior school district. On the Nushagak and it's tributaries, communities stretch inland to Koliganek from Nushagak Bay. Two school districts serve more than eight communities including Togiak Bay communities. From Kvichak Bay which connects to Illiamna Lake, communities spread inland to Igiugig and to Nondalton beyond Illiamna Lake. Two school districts serve about fifteen communities including some Alaska Peninsula communities. One school district serves a coastal community near Hooper Bay and all the others are served by other districts I mentioned. More than sixty southwest communities are served by ten public school districts. This large area is also served by two Native health organizations, regional Native corporations, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks' rural campus. It is home to a large wetland reserve and rural communications network. This year, a region-wide effort to develop Yup'ik/Cup'ik math and science curricula will begin. Some documentation of Native oral history and relevant curricula have already begun within the area. In addition, relevant staff training models will be developed with two of the largest school districts-Lower Kuskokwim and Lake and Peninsula School District and Kuskokwim and Bristol Bay Campus. Charles Kashatok, Larry Hill, Cecelia Martz and Esthur Ilutsik represented Lower Kuskokwim School District, Lake and Peninsula, Kuskokwim Community College and BBC at the December consortium meeting in Anchorage. In the next few weeks I plan to get in touch with all the school districts, health organizations, corporations, media and area federal agencies in an effort to find out what's available and assess what we can focus on future collections. Thank you for your help with this project. Tua-ingunrituq! My home office mailing address is Barbara Liu, Yup'ik Regional Coordinator, Box 2262, Bethel, Alaska 99559. My name is Barbara (Nick) Liu. I recently joined the ARSI team as the Yup'ik Regional Coordinator. I am from the Kuskokwim and grew up between Nunapitchuk (forty air miles northwest of Bethel) and Bethel. My immediate family is well known throughout the delta and likewise have many extended relatives from the Kuskokwim and southwest coastal villages. Camai and hello to all. In my formal schooling, I completed studies to become a certified elementary teacher and after that taught in K-12 schools for five years. I am married with three children living in Bethel for eight years now. Several years ago, I resigned from teaching to be home with my two small children. On a part-time basis I continued to teach Positive Yup'ik Parenting for adults. I am honored to be back in the work force with wonderful and exciting people and projects. My office is located at 231 Akiak Drive with a mailing address of P.O. Box 2262, Bethel, Alaska, 99559. I'd like to hear from anyone willing to collaborate with this project. Quyana! | |
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Regional Report by Barbara Liu:In working with the project the past several months, I have stressed the need to provide Yup'ik/Cup'ik elders ample time and place to share their knowledge. Needless to say, our state's Native elders are the last living scholars of this knowledge Alaska RSI endeavors to capture. The past few months I've attended state and regional meetings and listened to plans and opportunities in education geared for our children. There are two general thoughts voiced at regional meetings by elders that I challenge all of us to address. The first translated statement is from a male representative from Kwigillingok who said, "You there, in a position to make decisions, are empty of elders knowledge; so am I and we have very few elders left who are full of that knowledge." At another meeting, the following translated statement was eloquently voiced by an elderly Kwethluk woman in her eighties, "It seems you're late in including elders in the school. You should have started including elders a long time ago." These statements amplify what our Athabaskan region coordinator reported in our last newsletter (Sharing our Pathways, vol. 1 issue 2, April 1996) calling it an emergency to utilize our resources while we can. Is it not time to place respectable elders in the forefront and pay them the respect that they deserve? Recently one bilingual director for a school district put it very well regarding indigenous knowledge: "We have to treat elders knowledge equivalent to Ph.Ds." If and when we act on this now- budgeting time for elderly men and women in the school setting-I believe our dying native languages have a chance for survival. Alaska Native language research from the 1970s indicates language loss continues as a serious threat and now it's too late to revive the Eyak language. First the land and now the language, but I believe we can fight the battle and win with the language. Elders must have a place in the system especially with the Yup'ik, Inupiaq and Athabaskan language immersion schools on the rise. Some of the key people that can make it work effectively are grandparents and parents who speak the language. Additionally, the Alaska RSI project must address education reform prioritizing the use of Alaska Native languages in regional elders' meetings. Clearly, as we continue to allow the English language to dominate everything, we will never connect and grow with our elders "doctorate" knowledge. Finally, the first Yup'ik immersion classes began in Bethel this past school year since the planning stages began nearly nine years ago. It started out with a couple of concerned teachers and parents who felt Bethel's bilingual program should improve. Loddie Jones, who now teaches one of the immersion classes, and myself were on a Yup'ik/Cup'ik-only talk show at the KYUK radio station. It was truly heartwarming as calls flooded supporting our endeavor. With the help of a young anthropologist doing research and presenting data to people who make decisions and many more parents who came out in support, Yup'ik immersion is now in motion. Workshops on it sure energized the state's bilingual conference in Anchorage this past winter. One conference participant I know put it this way, "That was the best workshop I went to in a long time." Well, in closing I want to say quyana to all those who make a difference with or without language immersion, especially to grandparents and parents for their patience and all the support you give outside the school setting. Wishing everyone a safe and constructive summer. "It seems you're late in including elders in the school. You should have started including elders a long time ago." | |
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Regional Report by Barbara Liu:Four Native professionals are implementing activities in their areas that are directly or indirectly related to the Alaska RSI. Cecilia Martz, a Cup'ik associate professor at Kuskokwim campus, is interviewing elders and plans to go statewide with an audioconference course called "Yup'ik/Cup'ik Practices in Philosophy and Religion" (ANS 275, fall semester). This class fulfills the multicultural requirement for new teachers. Another class Professor Martz will offer is on "Alaska Native Language and Culture" (ANS 320, spring semester) using television and audio conference to present this course. Students can enroll where there are transponders for Live Net such as LKSD, LYSD, Yupiit and Bristol Bay. She is also doing cross-cultural communication workshops and inservices throughout the school year. Esther Ilutsik, of Bristol Bay Campus/Ciulistet Research Group Curriculum Project oversees the agreement with BBC and plans to host a fall meeting to demonstrate the process of collecting indigenous knowledge from elders. The Ciulistet Research Group has developed a method of collecting indigenous knowledge that has been very effective. The group is composed of elders, teachers and university professionals, sometimes including students within each of the village sites they work with. The group meets two times during the school year consulting with elders on specific topics, including evaluation, integration and method. The Ciulistet Research Group shared this process of collecting indigenous knowledge in conjunction with the LKSD 5th Annual Bilingual Education conference titled "Yup'ik World View II" from March 6-8, 1996 in Bethel. Their afternoon presentation provided a mini-version of their usual three-day, two-night intensive meeting. The Ciulistet Research Group presenters were elders Henry Alakayak, Sr. and Anuska Nanalook of Manuquutaq, Lena Ilutsik and Adam Caiggluk of Alaqnaqiq, Mary K. Active of Tuyuryaq, two certified teachers Sassa Peterson and Ina White both of Dillingham City Schools, bilingual specialist Evelyn Yanez of Southwest City Schools, teacher trainer Esther Ilutsik of Bristol Bay Campus/Ciulistet Research Group Curriculum Project and Dr. Jerry Lipka, Associate Professor with University of Alaska. The fall meeting, in conjunction with their MOA, will be held in Dillingham. The focus will be on training and sharing different kinds of teaching methodology with certified Native teachers. The Ciulistet team will look at a plan for integrating different units they've developed within the past five years into the classroom. Frank Hill, first and only Native superintendent of our vast region, will oversee the MOA for Lake and Peninsula School District with assistance from Greg Anelon. This district serves fifteen schools and the three Alaska Native cultural groups-Yup'ik, Athabascan and Aleut-that border within their geographic location. Superintendent Hill designated Greg Anelon, a certified Native teacher, to assist in documenting Yupiaq Ways of Knowing as well as identifying other certified teachers who can do the job. He is especially interested in the Ciulistet process after a year and a half of developing long range plans for the district in which there is an emphasis on incorporating a strong cultural strand into their curriculum. The MOA will enhance their mission and although somewhat behind in getting started they are committed to being involved. Charles Kashatok with Lower Kuskokwim School District administered part of the memorandum of agreement funds involving the Ciulistet Research Group Curriculum Project at LKSD's 5th Annual Native Educators Bilingual conference, which he also coordinates. Charles faxed invitations to other district schools with Yup'ik/Cup'ik bilingual staff to attend the conference offering to reimburse travel, lodging and registration cost. Representatives of school personnel from Bering Straits, LYSD, Yupiit and Iditarod participated, along with a troop from LKSD. The presenting team of elders and teachers from the Bristol Bay area conducted their five-hour workshop in Yup'ik. "Yup'ik Ways of Knowing" is our region's initiative this year so congratulations to all our four leaders in carrying out this challenging responsibility. Quyana! In closing, I have the privilege to answer to a teasing cousin who happens to be one of the leaders who knows what I'm going to say next because I talk so slow in Yup'ik. Well, part of my ancestors are "Cup'ik" from Qissunamiullret (old village near Chevak) and "Yup'ik" from Kayalivigmiullret (old village near Newtok) and Qinarmiullret (old village near Tuntutuliak). Tua-llu, Cup'ik and Yup'ik are modern terms for the original people and language of the Yukon, Kuskokwim and Nushagak Delta with a few coastal villages (Hooper Bay, Chevak and Mekoryuk) speaking the Cup'ik dialect and all others are Yup'ik dialect. Tua-i-ngunrituq! Barbara Liu | |
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Yup'ik/Cup'ik Regional Report by Barbara Liu, Yugtun "Makell":Waqaa, Camai-Y/Cugtun naaqiyugngalriani. Ciumek Qanrucuugamci caliamtenek Amiirairvigmi. Qula malrugnek cipluku tegganret quyurtellruut Mamterillermi pingayuni ernerni. Angayuqam ilagallruakut. Quyurtaqamta yugtarmi qanerturluteng Y/Cugtun augkut tegganret taillret nunanek waniug Kuinerraamek, Kassiglumek, Naparyaarmek, Cev'armek, Manuquutamek, Nanvarpagmek, Mamterrillermek-llu pillruut. Quyaviksugaput arcaqerluku Naparyaarmek temirtenrat ilagautellra taugaam cali tuingunrituurluku cam illiiniku tangrutenqigciiqngamta unitengravkut. Imiirat qanellrit wii caliaqciqanka. Cayarait arnat anguutet-llu allakaulaata avvluki piyugyaaqanka uumiku. Atam, ayuqestasiigutekluku melquliuyaram caliari amllertut. Angutet wall'u arnaungermeng pissutullruit. Caliaqellrit-llu pitat ayuqevkenani cayaralirluni taqellranun yaavet atuurkaurrluku. Uumiku pikumta avvluta angutet tegulallratnun piciqut. Arnat-llu pikata pitat caliaritnun amiilratnek, neqkiurluki, atuurkiullritnun. Augna tuai ayuqestassiigutekluku qanrutkaqa. Elitnaurutkanun ayagyuamta elicarcuutaitnun alngaqsugluki piinanemteni piyuutekluku. Cali maai uksuarumainanrani piyunarqekumta tegganret allaneqsugyaaqanka Mamterillermi Uivik tupailgan. Tua-i waten pitaunga. Uumiku pillerkangqerquma cali qanemciciqua. Ikayungcaquvet makut ciuliamta qanellratnun quyaciqua. Translation Hello readers, first off, I would like to let you know that the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative Yup'ik/Cup'ik Elders Council met September 3-5. Twelve elders met in Bethel for three days. Oscar Kawagley was with us. We met at the Yup'ik/Cup'ik museum conducting meetings in Yup'ik/Cup'ik only, with elders from Quinhagak (Andy and Elizabeth Sharp), Kasigluk (Teddy and Eliza Brink), Hooper Bay (Jonathan Johnson), Chevak (Joseph and Lucy Tuluk), Manakotak (Henry Alakayak and Anuska Nanalook), Illiamna (Gregory and Evelyn Anelon, Sr.) and Bethel (Lucy Beaver). We (Alaska RSI) would like to send a special thank you to the spirit of our eldest elder from Hooper Bay, Jonathan Johnson, ninety-four, who passed on September 16. It's not the end; someday we shall see each other again, though we part physically. I will work on the collected documents. Traditional male and female roles are defined separately, so I prefer to do the same when the elders meet. For example, care of an animal, particularly one that has been caught, is a step-by-step process to acquire an end product from the raw resource. Using this example, men and women in different settings share varying experiences of animal care. From this perspective, math and science activities will be tasseled (like on a parka tassel) onto educational materials and curriculum adaptation. This fall I plan to hold more elders' workshops, gathering oral indigenous knowledge in Bethel before the month of December. That's it for now. Next time, God willing, I will have more to share. If you need assistance with Yup'ik/Cup'ik elders documentation, I am happy to help in any way I can. Piurci. | |
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Yupiaq Mathematics: Pattern and Form in Space and Place by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:For Yup'ik people, according to elders Joshua Phillip and Fred George, the various parts of the body were their measuring instruments. The outstretched arms became the measure for the length of a fishing net. The closed fist defined the opening of the blackfish trap. Other units of measure, such as one arm's length, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the index finger, the span between the thumb and index finger extended, stepping off to mark the diameter of the qasgiq and various combinations of these became the units of measure for tasks such as making clothing, tools and shelter. Consequently, the clothing people wore and the tools needed for hunting and trapping were made precisely to fit the dimensions of the user. The women used precise patterns for making parkas and mukluks. The parka required the maker to look at the body of the person for whom it was to be made and to visualize proportions in body form (including bone structure and musculature) and size in order, for instance, to determine the number of ground squirrel skins needed. In sewing together the skins, the sewer is reminded of the family history of the patterns, tassels, decorative designs, and the use of various furs, taking advantage of their beneficial qualities. The Alaska Native people also had a numbering system (Lipka, 1994). For the Yupiat people, their numbering system used a base of twenty. Ten fingers and ten toes are needed to make a complete person. The digits are attached to appendages which are in turn attached to the body. The counting system was necessary for determining the number of furs needed to make an article of clothing. For example, it takes 45 squirrel skins or six otter skins for a man's parka. For netmaking, special wooden measuring tools were constructed, again using body parts to determine the width for different species of fish. However, there was no need to count the precise number of dry fish to last the whole winter. This was done by estimating how much storage area needed to be filled with fish to feed the family and dogs, provide for ceremonies and share with others. Always, they had to have food supplies beyond the immediate needs of the family. Sharing and reciprocity were key to their preparations. Thus, for the Yupiat people it was not necessary to quantify in precise numerical terms, but rather in proportional terms relative to size of family, time until next food supply would be available, weather conditions and nutritional uses of various foods. The Alaska Native people had many geometric designs in the things they made such as utensils, fishtraps, weirs, clothing designs and ceremonial paraphernalia. Again, it was not necessary to quantify in terms such as surface area, degree, angle, volume and other numerical dimensions. Such information alone would be considered insufficient knowledge for you were also required to know the history of the design, its replication of a natural or spiritual form, the meaning of the color and the story behind the artifact. The Alaska Native people also had no precise measurements for distance such as feet, meters and miles. Rather, distance was calculated qualitatively-measured more in terms of time and terrain than distance. The Yupiaq person would consider the mode of transportation, weather conditions, topography over which he would have to traverse, history of various sites that one would encounter along the way where food is available and, if traveling a great distance, where logical and safe rest areas were located. In considering the above, one can see that units of measure for distance alone would have rendered their knowledge incomplete and unreliable as a basis for moving from one place to another. The all-important knowledge of place would be lacking in the details that are necessary for the landscape to merge with the mindscape. Space and time were thought of differently too. Space was a multidimensional place that the human, spirit and nature occupied at the same time. The self or consciousness was considered to be time and timelessness at the same time. One accomplished what needed to be done at the right time. There was a place and time for everything. Timing in drumming and singing was important, however there was no need for a metronome because it was implicit in the act itself. To pay attention to such a device would detract from the sacredness of song, beat, motion and story. The circadian rhythm of the universe was the sacred timepiece of the Native people. Western mathematics and sciences, because of their emphasis on objectivity and detachment, introduce us to an abstract and lifeless world that has a tendency to set us apart from the rest of our relationships in the universe. However, with fractal geometry and the new sciences of chaos and complexity, the Western thought-world seems to be shifting from the quantitative and impersonal study of tangible "things" and is becoming more attuned to the qualitative dimensions as more and more of its members recognize the importance of inter-relationships (Capra, 1996). Western scientists constructed the holographic image which lends itself to the Native concept of everything being connected. Just as the whole contains each part of the image, so too does each part contain the makeup of the whole. The relationship of each part to everything else must be understood to get the whole picture (Wilber, 1985). We are finally getting there. There are many bright Native people who would make excellent elementary or high school teachers. Many of these students have problems understanding mathematics, in part because teachers don't themselves recognize it as another way of knowing with a language and logic of its own. We present mathematical abstractions as though the purpose was to practice the virtuosity of the human mind and its creativity and we lose sight of its practical applications. Native students often have trouble visualizing abstract mathematical constructs and their application to real life. Perhaps, we can overcome this problematic academic gatekeeper by introducing Native students to recognizing and understanding the patterns and forms in their own world through which they can visualize the problems and then move from qualitative to quantitative explanations. From the tangible we can go slowly into the intangible. The interest that such an approach can spark is evident in the work of the Inupiaq students from Kaktovik, who have created their own system for representing Inupiaq numerals (Bartley, 1997). We are in a modern world which was described ably by Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland: "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" New information is bombarding us from all quarters with entropy setting in and the decay of knowledge brings about confusion. It behooves us then to slow down and see what knowledge and information will help us to build the kind of world that we would like. What aspects of mathematics and the sciences will help free us from the obsession with self and materialism? We can learn from the way our ancestors made sense of the world and used keen observation of patterns and form in relation to space and place to maintain balance between the human, natural and spiritual worlds. You see, our problem is a crisis of consciousness. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Society is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock company in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty of the eater." We experience resistance to making change in the world, but our efforts must continue with spirit and determination. References Capra, F. (1996). The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems. New York: Doubleday. Lipka, J. (1994). Culturally Negotiated Schooling: Toward a Yup'ik Mathematics. Journal of American Indian Education, 33(3), 14-30. Lopez, B. (1986). Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Wilber, K. (1985). The Holographic Paradigm and Other Paradoxes: Exploring the Leading Edge of Science. Boston: New Science Library. Bartley, W.C. (1997). Making the Old Way Count. Sharing Our Pathways, 2(1), 12. (Available from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network) | |
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Yupiit School District Yup'ik Immersion Camps by Sophie Kasayulie:In visiting the sites it was encouraging to see students at work learning about their culture, doing hands-on activities, stringing smelts to dry and listening to the teacher speaking only in the Yup'ik language. The Elders were the key people teaching students in the classroom and outdoors about the Yup'ik lifestyle. The Elders participating were John Peter, Elijah Napoka and Lucy Demantle from Tuluksak; Mary Ann Jackson from Akiak and Frederick George, Olinka George and Elizabeth Peter from Akiachak. The crafts made in Akiak were qaspeqs and headdresses made of felt and beads. The day we were in Akiak, the students were stringing smelts to dry and hung them at John Phillip's fishcamp. All the students were given willow strands tied together and then they proceeded to fill them with fish hooked through the gills. In Tuluksak the students made qaspeqs, sewing by hand and later finishing with sewing machines. The crafts made were displayed at the gathering of the students which was held in Akiak. In Tuluksak, the older boys and girls were taken to a campsite where they built a fishrack and smokehouse. The site of the immersion camp will be the permanent place for students to traditionally prepare fish for the cold winter days. Since the nets and the uluaqs were made last year, the nets were ready to be set and the older students learned the best fishing areas to set them. The Elders and instructors took the students on an excursion and studied local plants that grow around the area. They collected plants that are edible and medicinal. The main plant in the area, rhubarb, grows plentiful on the bluffs of the high ground of the tundra. Tuluksak brought a huge pan of rhubarb akutaq to the gathering feast. The medicinal plants were given to the Elders that came to the gathering of the students in Akiak on June 10, 1998. The students displayed crafts and served traditional food at the potlatch. Each site attending the gathering performed for the audience and listened to the Elders give speeches, telling students and parents how important our language is to our culture. Parents commented that they would like to speak more in Yup'ik to their children. The highlights of the program in Akiachak were collecting tundra plants and rhubarb from the bluffs on the Kuskowa River, making three five-gallon buckets of suluunaq (salted fish) for the school, and going to Mary M. George's fishcamp and actually cleaning and cutting fish. The students were given instruction on how to make tepa, fermented fish heads, a delicacy of the Yupiit. We also brought in dried fish to the smokehouse and put away half-dried fish for the school. Frederick George, an Elder in Akiachak, taught students to fish and learn about the actual fishcamp life. Mr. George taught survival skills before the students were taken on a trip to the bluffs. The Elders in each community were willing to share their knowledge and worked with the students as they learned more of their language and culture. One problem we encountered occurred in Tuluksak when we found out we were building a fishcamp on someone's Native allotment. In the future we will work directly with the corporation and land owners to establish fishcamp sites in each village. In order to reach all the students enrolled in the school we need to have an immersion school during the school year. I feel it is important for each student to learn about the culture and to learn more about the language. We included young parents with preschool children who came to help their children make qaspeqs and identify plants that were gathered from the field trips. We need to include more parents in the Immersion program and get them involved in their children's learning. I have learned with the students; I have become more appreciative of my surrounding and still want to learn more with them. How fortunate our students are in this time and age. I would like to thank the Elders for all their participation and time spent with the students, as well as the parents for letting their children attend the immersion camps. | |
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Yupik Region: The First AKRSI MOA Meeting in Bethel: Multiple Districts Speaking as One by John Angaiak:Some recalled the Y-K Native Education Summit of April 24-25, 2002 in Bethel, Alaska. It was designed to introduce AKRSI to the region through the theme, "Bringing the Minds of Community and School Together." At last week's follow-up planning meeting, the theme rang again-it was an in-depth meeting. Everyone gathered in the AVCP Tugkar Building conference room. After introductions, the activity reports were given from each school district. It was good to hear reports coming from all sectors of the Y-K region. Everyone was eager to hear what their neighbors were doing with culturally-relevant programs and everyone needed to be heard and be counted. The new AKRSI lead teacher for the Yup'ik region, Esther Ilutsik, was introduced as she joined the meeting, she explained her role and took vital information from each MOA partner so she can do the job right. Two Elders attended and the school district presentations set the tone for the rest of the meeting. This report summarizes the highlights of the meeting. The group set its own goals, including the following: * Cultural relevancy should be broad enough so that each school district is not locked into one set of goals and can incorporate local relevancy. * Native teachers should get together with the lead teacher. The lead teacher will visit all sites, attend in-services and generally be a walking Native education dictionary. * The group should network among all MOA partners-they wrote down their email addresses and phone numbers. The regional coordinator encouraged them to talk among themselves and compare notes in order to deliver quality and unique culturally-relevant programs. * Each district should have its own goals but share them with others. * They will file their written reports with the coordinator's office which will then be compiled to be shared with MOA partners. * They will obtain a commitment from school districts for AKRSI implementation to guarantee success. The group also discussed how often they should meet for consistency and continuity. Two options came forth: three meetings (fall, winter and spring) or one planning meeting in the fall and a regional Native education summit in the spring. The coordinator informed them that he would negotiate the options. The group came with clear purpose. They left with clear goals. They found a place to share and feel victorious. | |
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