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 Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated.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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Alaska's First Tribal School by Patricia Wade:During the first summer, we held our school on Saturday afternoons. Katherine began to teach the Athabascan language, ancient legends (called ya ne dah ah), history, culture and beadwork. It was lots of fun and when falltime rolled around, the children decided, along with the parents, that they would rather go to a tribal school than back to public school. We asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for assistance, but all they did was condemn our dilapidated, old building. So we went ahead on our own, with volunteers for teachers, and put the children on correspondence courses. We have had as many as nine students in grades ranging from kindergarten to 11th. The morning hours are spent working on regular correspondence schoolwork. The afternoons are devoted to cultural activities. Students are currently making Athabascan dolls. Some of their activities include field trips into the woods to identify different markings, lessons in environmental care-taking of the land, our family tree and how we're all related, ya ne dah ah stories, and singing the old Indian songs while dancing and drumming. They have also made up some new Indian songs using Athabascan words. During the last ten or fifteen minutes of the school day, the students do janitorial work, washing dishes, sweeping, mopping and dusting. I work with the students on Tuesday afternoons to keep them updated on all of the activities of our tribe. As potential future Chickaloon Village leaders, they are benefiting from the Ya Ne Dah Ah School teachings. They are taught to respect the elders, the earth and each other. The ya ne dah ah stories have wonderful lessons and morals. Some of the characters are so outrageous they make perfect examples of someone you definitely don't want to act like! Although Alaska's only tribal school runs on a shoestring budget, it has been very successful in giving our children an opportunity to receive their education in a friendly, warm atmosphere where they are allowed to have pride in their heritage. | |
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Aleut Region : | |
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Aleut Region by Leona Kitchens:The Aleut Region is swimming with activity. The Aleut Academy of Elders, Aleut Teachers Association, Aleut cultural camp and Aleut regional meetings were held on December 2 through December 5, 1997 in Unalaska. Our memorandum of agreement (MOA) partner, Aleutian/Pribilof Island Association, involved quite an impressive group of elders for the academy. We are blessed with our elders involvement and knowledge. The teachers who will form the teachers' association will come to us from communities throughout the islands. The two groups should be phenomenal together as they work on the Unangan science camp as well as their respective agendas. We had quite a rewarding and productive gathering in December. The Alutiiq Region held their regional meeting December 1-2, 1997 in Kodiak. Our MOA partner, the Kodiak Area Native Association, has been active implementing 1997 initiatives. The Alutiiq Academy of Elders Cultural Camp was held on Afognak Island in August in association with the Kodiak Island Borough School District. The camp was well attended by both Kodiak school teachers and Alutiiq elders. The cultural camp was located at the Dig Afognak facilities on Afognak Island. Our year three initiatives are Village Science Applications and Careers and Living in Place. Our region is enthusiastically looking forward to our participation in both initiatives. Our goals with the Village Science Applications and Careers will be to encourage local Native students to pursue science-related careers. The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) chapters have been formed in other regions and have been highly successful. We are forecasting a chapter in this region. Village Science should be an exciting project as we are flooded with science! The Living in Place initiative includes nurturing individual and community well-being. Some of the goals that are involved with the Living in Place initiative are: * to encourage the schools to use the surrounding environment-both cultural and physical-upon which to build the curriculum; * to implement an urban survival experience; * to involve the reflection of Native values in the schools and communities; * to integrate experiential learning activities in the schools; and * to include the strengths that Native teachers and parents have in the educational environment. | |
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Aleut Region by Leona Kitchens:The Pribilof Island School District is planning to hold an American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) summer camp on St. George Island. They are excited about the plans to send students from St. Paul to live with host families for two weeks. The focus for the camp will be to immerse students in the tanning of sealskins and the kinds of science fair activities they might be able to use for this year's science fair. The plans are to engage students, Elders, teachers, and scientists in the camp. We're looking for lots of future scientists from this enthusiastic group of young people! The Unalaska Public Schools will be holding their first ever summer camp this summer. The plans are to hold a week-long camp for their students in August on the island of Unalaska. The focus for the camp is to add a place names map to the Kodiak/Aleutians Cultural Atlas CD-ROM. Students will focus on documenting and mapping the traditional uses for the area. The school is working to coordinate with the Pribilof Island Association Elders' and teachers' camp as well as the Qawalangin Tribal Council's culture camp, so the activities should be rich and rewarding for everyone who attends. | |
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Aleut Region by Leona Kitchens:For the village science initiative, the St. Paul and St. George schools held an AISES science camp in St. George followed with a regional AISES science fair. The Pribilof Islands Stewardship camps included AISES activities in their summer camp programs. Students on St. Paul did research on seal entanglement and halibut stomach contents during the summer. St. Paul students visited St. George in October. During the time students were in St. George they worked on projects that included tanning fur seal hides. The focus of the Pribilof Islands AISES science fair is the local environment and the traditional ways of the people. This fits in well with the Islands' stewardship programs, with their emphasis on the science and tradition of the Pribilofs. Students in the St. George camp worked on seal throat baskets, grass baskets, papermaking using recycled paper and local vegetation, and preparing fur seal hides for drum making. They continued their study of seabirds and fur seals. The St. Paul camp continued to work on entanglement and traditional ways of living. (Written with help from Betty Taylor from St. George.) The "Living in Place" initiative was the focus for Camp Qungaayux that the Unalaska City School held in cooperation with APLA and the Qawalangin Tribal Council. Moses Dirks is currently working with students to incorporate the interviews about living in the Unalaska area onto the CD-ROM that contains interviews of Elders from the region. The contents of the CD-ROM are available on the web. If you would like to see them, give me a call at (907) 581-5472 or e-mail me at snowbank@arctic.net for the password. Again, we would like to thank everyone who helped to make the camp a success, especially those Elders who took the time and energy to teach our children their traditional heritage. The Association of Unangan/s Educators formed an interim committee to work toward the adoption of a mission statement, goals, and bylaws for the organization. Several audio conferences have been held to begin the formalization of the teachers' association. The organization plans to meet during the Native Educators' Conference this January/February. Best of luck to this group of wonderful people who are so important in bridging the gap between our Elders and the children in our school system. Teachers from the Unalaska City School have begun to write a unit that focuses on this region's cultural heritage. Moses Dirks, Kari Brown-Herbst, Mike Duhan, and Tony Baylinson are working on a comprehensive unit about sea mammals. This unit-building team is part of a statewide effort to incorporate Native knowledge with Western science in the curriculum. The unit-building teams across the state are supported by Alaska School Districts, Alaska Department of Education, and the Eisenhower Math & Science Education Program. Wishing all of you happy holidays and looking forward to the coming new year, Leona Kitchens. Students work on fur seal skin projects at Camp Qungaayux, August 1998. | |
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Aleut Region by Leona Kitchens:I learned what our students are expected to be able to do in science and how to assess them, but more importantly I feel that I've gained a better picture of what education looks like in rural Alaska. At times the picture that I found is, more often than not, quite disheartening. Often I heard stories of young people that have no hope for the future let alone today. I am surer than ever that the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative project's philosophy is the right path for education: Education must come from within the culture. Cultural values and the local heritage language make up the foundations for transmitting cultural traditions. Cultural values are the foundation by which children make sense of the world and with language, the means to express themselves. If the community that you live in has not drafted up a set of traditional values by which students can learn, lead the drive to get those written down, approved by the Elders and then out to the public. Young people need to know how to speak their local heritage language. There are so many diverse aspects of our culture that are imbedded in the language and cannot be translated. If the local heritage language is not spoken at community events, then begin to speak that language at all gatherings, translating to English secondly. I would make a plea to you today, get out and support those people who are educating our young people. If you are a community member, go to the school board meetings, call the school and offer your help and expertise, talk to a teacher about helping in the classroom or offer to help write more culturally-based lessons and become an active community model. If you are a teacher or administrator, ask Elders into the classroom, support teachers who are integrating the local heritage culture in their lessons and keep an open mind about what is valued. We, as a community, need to start thinking about our responsibilities and where we can start making a difference. The AKRSI cultural standards booklet is a good place to begin looking at how well we are attending to the cultural and educational needs of the children of our community. If you need a copy of the booklet, contact the ANKN office in Fairbanks, (907) 474-5086 or email fndmd1@uaf.edu. | |
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Aleut Region by Moses Dirks:The Aleut Region is completing its first initiative-Indigenous Science Knowledge Base-which is a Jukebox program on a compact disc containing information on indigenous science and is near completion. As soon as certain procedures are taken care of, the Jukebox program will be made available. The Aleut Region is now in the process of implementing its second year with the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. This year's initiative for the Aleut Region is entitled Elders and Cultural Camps. This initiative would require, with the help of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) partners, setting up an academy of elders, Native teacher organizations and cultural camps in the region. Along with the elders we will teach the Native ways of doing things. We are hoping to set up two elder and cultural camps in the region-one in the Aleutian and one in the Kodiak/Chugach Region. Aleutian Pribilof Area The potential MOAs with the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association and the Unalaska Public Schools have been contacted to help out with the initiative for this year. Kodiak Area Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) has also been contacted as a potential MOA, they will also be involved with helping this year's initiative. This is the second year that KANA has been involved with the project. KANA was our original MOA partner for the development of the "Jukebox" program. Chugach Area Chugach region has been contacted about the second year initiative, Elders and Cultural Camps. Chugach Alaska Corporation was contacted and informational material was received from them about cultural camps they have running in their region during the summers. The Aleut/Alutiiq Region is in the process of informing and involving all potential partners who would be interested in participating in this year's initiative. The Aleut region will be following up on the signing of the potential MOAs this spring. The sooner we can sign everyone involved we can proceed with the initiative for this year. We are excited about working with our elders. If you have concerns or questions please call me at (907) 274-3611, Monday through Friday between 8:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M. | |
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Aleut Region by Moses Dirks:Thus far we have all but one MOA signed; once that is completed in the Aleut Region, we will proceed with the 1997 initiatives. Elders and Cultural Camps Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Area In the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands area the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Annenburg Rural Challenge will be working closely with two newly signed MOA partners: the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association and the Unalaska School District. They will assist in the following capacity: * Identify Alaska Native elders and their specialty and who will be willing to contribute their expertise to educational and scientific endeavors. * Prepare a half-hour video that will foster the use of cultural camps in a natural setting, especially those related to local cultural traditions and indigenous science practices. * establish guidelines and some process for the protection of cultural and intellectual property rights of Alaska Native people as they make their traditional knowledge available to others. The Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. will be hiring a graduate assistant who will assist in the formation of the Aleut Academy of Elders, the Aleut Teachers Association and an Aleut cultural camp in the region. The Unalaska School District will assist in the development of multimedia curriculum materials and also assist in the formation of a Native teacher association in the region. Alutiiq Area Kodiak Island Borough School District will assist in the development of an Academy of Elders, Alutiiq Teacher Association and an Alutiiq Cultural Camp. The Kodiak Area Native Association has once again hired a graduate assistant. She will be assisting in the development of the Alutiiq Academy of Elders and the Alutiiq Cultural Camp on Kodiak Island. Sabrina Sutton, graduate assistant, is an MOA partner from Kodiak Area Native Association working on the Elders and Cultural Camps initiative. Reclaiming Tribal Histories/Alaska Native Reawakening Aleutian/Pribilof Area The Aleut Region will implement a new initiative connected to language arts or social studies. The initiative is entitled "Reclaiming Tribal Histories/Alaska Native Reawakening Project." The participants in the Alutiiq/Aleut Region will consist of the following: * Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative: Moses Dirks will assist Harold Napoleon in the development and implementation of the Alaska Native Reawakening Project/Reclaiming Tribal Histories. * Alaska Federation of Natives: Harold Napoleon will be coordinating the project. * Unalaska Public School: Students and teachers will be actively involved in the implementation of the Alaska Native Reawakening Project/Reclaiming Tribal Histories. Alutiiq Area The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Alaska Federation of Natives will be doing the same thing as the Aleutian/Pribilof area with their initiatives. Harold Napoleon of AFN will be the coordinator of the Alaska Native Reawakening Project. * Kodiak Island Borough School District: Students and teachers will be actively involved in the implementation of the Alaska Native Reawakening Project. * Alutiiq Community: One community from the Alutiiq Region to participate in the Alaska Native Reawakening Project/Reclaiming Tribal Histories. Lastly, the Aleut Region is closing out on its first initiative: Indigenous Science Knowledge Base. We are waiting for a few more signed release forms from the elders. If you have any questions concerning Annenberg Rural Challenge or the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, please call Moses Dirks or Harold Napolean at (907) 274-3611. | |
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Aleut Region by Moses Dirks:In 1996 the Aleut Region launched its first initiative entitled "Indigenous Science Knowledge Base." A series of meetings were held with the newly formed elders councils in both Kodiak and in the Aleutians. Meetings were held in Kodiak and in Unalaska to gather information on Aleut/Alutiiq Indigenous Science Base Knowledge. As a result of those meetings the Aleut Region produced a cultural atlas on CD-ROM-an interactive cultural atlas of both the Alutiiq and of the Aleut Region. Our memorandum of agreement (MOA) partner responsible for this program was the Oral History Department of the University of Alaska Fairbanks under the directorship of Dr. William Schneider. The Aleut/Alutiiq elders have requested that the CD-ROM not be put on the ANKN web site since formal guidelines are not yet drafted which address cultural and intellectual property rights. As soon as it is formalized, the Aleut region coordinator will inform the public of those guidelines. I would like to thank all those who contributed to the making of the CD-ROM for the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Cultural Atlas. If you are interested in obtaining the atlas, please contact the Aleut region coordinator at (907) 274-3611. Most of all, we need to acknowledge the elders councils from the Kodiak Island area and from the Aleutians/Pribilof Islands. Without their input and knowledge of the region, the information gathering would not have been possible. The following is a summary of the 1997 Aleut/Alutiiq Region initiatives: Elders and Cultural Camps An elders-in-residence program and associated cultural camps will be established in the schools and at the University of Alaska rural campuses as a vehicle for integrating Alaska Native expertise into the educational and scientific programs and services offered throughout the state. A roster of recognized experts will be assembled and made available through the Alaska Native Knowledge Network. Guidelines will be established for the protection of the cultural and intellectual property rights of Native people in areas of knowledge, tradition and practice. Native people will be responsible for defining such rights and establish mechanisms for legal protection and redress where those rights are not respected. Unalaska Public Schools and Kodiak Island Borough School District are assisting in the development of multimedia curriculum materials and also assist in the formation of a Native teachers association within the regions. Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association Incorporated and the Kodiak Area Native Association are hiring graduate assistants to help organize the formation of an Aleut Academy of Elders, Aleut teachers association and an Aleut cultural camp program. Reclaiming Tribal Histories/Alaska Native Reawakening The Reclaiming Tribal Histories/Alaska Native Reawakening Project will be coordinated by Harold Napoleon of AFN with assistance from the Aleut regional coordinator. Two communities in the Aleut/Alutiiq region will be selected, preferably one community from the Unangan's Region and one from the Alutiiq Region. Once this reconstruction is complete, related villages would have the opportunity to share all they have been through. For many, it will be the first time things long held in their hearts and minds will have been bared. They will have a clearer understanding of themselves and will begin to make sense of the sometimes insensible things that have happened. They will also gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the strengths and accomplishments of their people, along with clearer ideas on what to do to begin solving the problems. In conclusion, I am indebted to the Unangan/Alutiiq people for giving me the opportunity to work with them for this short time. In August of this month I will be taking a teaching job at Unalaska City Schools. The co-directors are in the process of filling the regional coordinator position. I wish to thank everyone for their support and encouragement. I wish you all luck and success. | |
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Aleut Region by Moses L. Dirks:During our meetings, the elders in the Aleutian and Kodiak regions were asked which area of indigenous science they wished to concentrate on for fulfilling the Indigenous Science Knowledge Base initiative for this year. Following are the areas of cultural knowledge that the elders thought to be important to focus on for the first year's initiative: 1. weather forecasting 2. navigation skills and survival 3. foods-preparation and preservation 4. building and design (barabaras, baidaikas) 5. edible plants Once a final determination was made by the Aleut elders' councils, the memorandum of agreements (MOA) partners were asked to assist in developing a program compatible with goals of the elders. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History department and the Kodiak Area Native Association were involved. William Schneider and David Krupa of the Oral History department are presently helping us design the program for a regional cultural atlas on a CD-ROM for the region. Once completed, users of the database will be able to click on topics of interest and either a) hear elders discuss topics or b) go to an annotated bibliography concerning the topic. Included will be photos to give users an idea of the area and maps have been drawn up and scanned into the database to orient users as well. Kodiak Elders Council met again in November to review what was completed thus far on the regional cultural atlas. No significant changes were made by the elders council to the CDROM atlas. Funding restrictions and lateness of the start of the project hindered efforts to have the regional atlas reviewed by the Aleutians Elders Council. The regional cultural atlas is scheduled to be made available by the end of 1996. The success of this project comes not only from the participating elders in our region, but also from the efforts of people who took the time to prepare written transcriptions from tapes of the elders conferences held in Kodiak and Unalaska. Thanks go to Kathy Turco for recording the elders sessions, Barbara Svarny Carlson for transcribing the Unalaska (Aleut) elders conference tapes and Sabrina Sutton of the Kodiak Area Native Association for transcription of the Kodiak elders' conference tapes. Recognition and thanks go to those who compiled the bibliographic resources presently available that reflect the topic areas identified by elders' councils for the Alutiiq region: Dr. Nancy Yaw Davis, Elizabeth Williams and Connie Hogue. In the Aleutian Island region, Raymond Hudson, Suzi Golodoff and Sherry Ruberg provided assistance in the bibliographic search. The Aleut Region is getting ready for 1997 and its new initiative entitled Elders and Cultural Camps. Our plan is to work with regional organizations and school districts to form partnerships in the Aleut region. We are also hoping to form Aleut/Alutiiq Native Teachers Associations that will, in turn, help develop a program together with elders in the Aleut region. Teachers and elders will assist in curriculum development through this program. Regional elders who specialize in indigenous life and survival skills will be consulted as mentors and teachers in conducting cultural teachings and activities in the camps. Subjects from butchering seals, preparing fish and buildings barabaras will be some of the topics we intend to develop. The product will be a video documentation of elders' camp activities as well as school curriculum to be used in the Aleut region. This will be made available for future integration in schools once it is completed. If you know of anyone who is interested and has the facilities to work with us in conducting camps in this initiative, please contact me at the Alaska Federation of Natives. New to the program this coming year also is the Annenberg Rural Challenge (ARC). This project will provide the opportunity to focus on the social studies area and will optimize the Alaska RSI program goals of implementing additional aspects of Native ways of knowing into the school curricula. The 1997 initiative for the ARC will be Reclaiming Tribal Histories. Harold Napolean will be contacting local governments in the Aleut Region to determine which communities might be interested in participating in this initiative. Please contact Harold or me at the AFN office if you are interested in learning more about this project. We have started our rounds in visiting school districts and regional organizations to solicit interest in the Aleut region. The following preliminary contacts have been made thus far: Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, Kodiak Area Native Association, Kodiak Island Borough School District, Afognak Native Corporation and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Rural Education Department. All preliminary visits have been positive and helpful in the effort to develop Native Ways of Knowing in the Aleut region. If there are any questions, comments or suggestions concerning the Alaska RSI or the ARC projects, please don't hesitate to call on me. | |
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Aleut Regional Report by Moses (Qagidax) Dirks:Life is amazing at times. I was thinking back to the time when I first heard about this job. I wasn't aware that it was being advertised until I went to the Bilingual/Multicultural Conference in Anchorage in February of this year. I have been on the job full-time, since April 1. Since then I have made contacts with the school districts, tribal councils and village corporations familiarizing them with the program in rural Alaska villages. Most recently we had a staff and consortium meeting in Chena Hot Springs, April 12-14. This was a valuable experience for me since it gave me direction as to where to go from here. A lot of the questions that I had on the project were answered at that meeting. There have been a lot of activities going on in the Aleut Region this month. I followed up on the MOAs with interested organizations that I contacted. I am looking forward to working with this program and people involved. What I am really interested in doing this time around is the collection of Indigenous knowledge from elders in villages where that kind of information is still obtainable. I had a chance to attend one of the Federal Subsistence Board meetings on April 30, 1996. The board was meeting with chairs or representatives of all ten subsistence regional advisory councils in Anchorage. There they deliberated over proposed changes to the taking of the wildlife on federal public lands such as seasons and bag limits, customary and traditional determinations, etc. At this particular meeting the board, which relies on the Western biologists in making their determination, instead listened to one of the Chairs testify on behalf of his region and was successful in convincing the board to look at indigenous knowledge as well as local knowledge as an integral part of the process. As regional coordinators, I feel at this point we could have a big impact in the documentation of indigenous knowledge so that it can be integrated together with Western science. I am looking forward to working with each and every one of you. If you need anything please call or e-mail me. | |
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Aleut Regional Report by Moses L. Dirks:The activities that I was involved on within the last two months were time consuming, but interesting. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, with facilitators Colleen Matt and Robin Dublin, conducted an Alaska Project WILD Rural Facilitators Training on May 30-June 2. Elmer Jackson, Inupiaq Regional Coordinator and Amy Van Hatten, Athabascan Regional Coordinator and I were invited to attend this training of facilitators for teachers in rural schools. We were invited as cultural advisors, and were asked to provide information about our regions. Valuable input was provided in the training, especially by the respective regional coordinators. The facilitators' main objective for this training was to design Alaska Project WILD workshop formats to suit the unique conditions of Alaska cultures and village schools. The other objective included techniques for integrating local traditional knowledge with the teaching of Western wildlife biology concepts. We were also fortunate to have one elder, Mark Jacobs, Jr. from Southeast Alaska, attending the workshop. He provided valuable information on Southeast Alaska. Mr. Jacobs was not only well versed in the history of Alaska Natives, he also proved to be knowledgeable in the area of Native subsistence and the implementation of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). June 15-22 I attended the World Indigenous Peoples Conference: Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Alaska RSI staff gave a presentation on the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. I attended various workshops provided at the conference. July was an exceptionally busy month for me. It started off with contacting Aleut village entities in the Aleut Region to schedule and sponsor elders for the 2nd Annual Elders Conference to be held this year at Unalaska in conjunction with the Celebration and Rededication of the Holy Ascension Orthodox Cathedral. The proposed meeting dates are September 12-17. Elders from the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands are expected to attend this event. During the meetings, elders will have the opportunity to voice their concerns about regional, social or educational issues. The first annual meeting of the regional elders under the Alaska RSI will be conducted during this time. Also, during July, I started looking for a sea mammal science kit that I started some time ago when I was still at Alaska Pacific University (APU). Apparently it was being used by the Alaska Science Center at APU. The sea mammal science kit was designed in hopes of integrating local knowledge together with Western science. The science center coordinator at APU mentioned to me that since they will be closing the center, if I wished to have the kit to work with, I could do that. This kit is not complete, so I will be periodically working on it to incorporate additional ideas. If anyone would like to assist in the development of the kit on integrating indigenous science knowledge, please contact me at any time. Lastly, I would be more than happy to hear from any of you if you have any questions or concerns surrounding the Aleut region, Alaska RSI project. My telephone number is (907) 274-3611 or fax (907) 276-7989 from 8-4:40 p.m. | |
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Aleut Regional Report by Moses L. Dirks:The activities in the Aleut Region have been very hectic this fall. The last two months required setting up elders' council meetings in two locations-one in Kodiak and one at Unalaska. The reason for this was to accommodate the cultural and linguistic differences that exist among the Alutiiq and Aleut people. On September 5 & 6, the elders from Kodiak and the surrounding villages of Akhiok, Larsen Bay, Old Harbor, Port Lions and Ouzinkie met for two days in Kodiak. The meeting arrangements were made by the Kodiak Area Native Association and it was held in their new offices. Thanks to executive director Kelly Simeonoff, education director Connie Hogue and the newly hired graduate assistant Sabrina Sutton for helping arrange the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and to get input from the elders on topics they thought would be of interest to their children or their grandchildren. This meeting focused on getting direction from the elders about topics on Native ways of knowing. There has been some documentation of Native ways of knowing but very little has been done to integrate that into the curriculum. Bill Schneider and Kathy Turco from the Oral History Department of the University of Alaska Fairbanks were instrumental in recording the discussions of the Kodiak elders on tape. The guidelines for research were discussed with the elders so that they had some ideas on how the materials would be used. Concerns were expressed by the elders about past experiences with the knowledge that was used by researchers and scientists-mostly without their involvement. Some assurances were given to the elders by Bill Schneider that the use of this information would be subject to the approval of the sources. Bill stressed to the Kodiak elders that once the recordings are documented they will become part of the public record and will be housed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Department at the Fairbanks campus. The purpose of the Alaska RSI is to bridge indigenous and Western knowledge while making both user friendly to classrooms. This has not been done on a full scale at the schools, so it is going to be interesting. With the help of our elders we will have a chance to implement valuable information that will be used in schools. During the course of the meeting, the Kodiak elders talked about the following categories: weather predictions, building and materials, Native food (how they were prepared and preserved in the past) and Alutiiq medicinal plants. Time for discussions was limited so not all topic areas were discussed in great length. The Kodiak meeting went quite well and information was gathered to begin documenting the initiative. The Aleutian elders met at Unalaska September 12-17 in conjunction with the rededication of the Holy Ascension Church of Unalaska. This event was the Second Annual Aleut Elders Council meeting held in the Aleutians. It was sponsored by the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association and the city of Unalaska. Since elders were in Unalaska for the Annual Elders Conference, we also wanted to meet with our Elders' council. The Aleut Elders Council for the Alaska RSI met for the first time. The villages represented were Atka, Nikolski, Unalaska, Akutan, King Cove, Sand Point and Pribilofs. The meeting took place at the Grand Aleutian Hotel in Dutch Harbor. Moses, Amy, and Barbara at this fall's 46th Annual Arctic Science Conference. PHOTO BY LOLLY CARPLUK Alaska RSI co-directors Oscar Kawagley and Ray Barnhardt gave presentations on the project and answered questions. Co-director Oscar Kawagley told a traditional story about how the crane got its blue eyes. He then applied that to indigenous science. With his expertise and understanding of the indigenous cultures, he helped the elders in understanding what the program was about. Co-director Ray Barnhardt gave an overhead presentation on the different initiatives that were going on statewide and outlined to the elders and the audience what the Aleut Region initiative was for the first year. He then went over the plan for the next four years. Annenberg Rural Challenge was also introduced to the elders. This is a newly funded program which rounds off the Alaska RSI project. The Alaska RSI project focuses on the science and math areas. The Annenberg Rural Challenge will be focusing on the social studies and language arts areas (see "A Challenge for Rural Education in Alaska" in this newsletter.) During the meeting with the elders, the following topics were discussed: navigation, food preservation and preparation, survival and weather prediction in the Aleutians. We would like to thank Ray Hudson, a former teacher and historian, for helping out with the discussions and Barbara Svarny Carlson and Susie Golodoff for the recording of the meeting and assisting in the compilation of existing materials once direction was given by the Aleut Elders Council. Kathy Turko did the recording of the sessions. It was a good turnout for the initial meeting. The elders met and were successful in setting the goals of the first year of the Aleut Region Initiative. If you want to make comments about the project or if you have questions, please don't hesitate to call me at (907) 274-3611 or write to me at the address listed in the newsletter. | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region by Leona Kitchens:Activities that took place included bentwood hat making, study of local plant lore, seal butchering, fish preparation and preservation, boat safety/Iqyax (kayak) demonstrations, archeological digging and basket-making. Unalaska students interviewed Elders to find out how the camp was traditionally used. The recorded interviews are to be incorporated on a CD-ROM that was made a few years ago. The CD-ROM includes interviews with Elders from this area as well as the Kodiak area. Unangan language teacher, Moses Dirks, and AKRSI regional coordinator, Leona Kitchens, offered a first-time course designed to teach teachers how to incorporate Unangan's cultural knowledge into their classroom curriculum. A major portion of the course was participation in activities and interviews with Elders at Camp Qungaayux. In the course, which ends December 22, students will attend six audio conferences, write a brief review of several readings and write an informative article about the camp or biography about Elders. Students will also be asked to construct a 10-day, culturally relevant curriculum based on the cultural standards (formulated by the Native educator associations across the state and recently adopted by the State Department of Education and also on the state content standards for education. The camp was very well attended and so many folks did so much to make the camp the success that it was. We wish to thank everyone who lent a helping hand, but foremost we wish to thank the Elders who took their precious time and energy to teach our youth with such depth, beauty and grace. | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region by Teri Schneider:From the beginning of this project I have considered myself a partner, working toward similar goals in my own corner of Alaska. Thank goodness for partners! Now, through the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, efforts of individuals can add fuel to the fire of systemic change within our public school system. Together we can accomplish more! I am a life long resident of Kodiak Island. My family is a reflection of the history of Kodiak Island and the surrounding Alutiiq region. My mother's family, originally from West Virginia, was brought to the island by the United States Coast Guard in 1958. My father was born in the town of Kodiak. His father was born in Kodiak, the son of a Norwegian immigrant and a woman of Russian, Irish and Aleut descent, also born in Kodiak. My father's mother was Aleut, born in the village of Afognak in 1898. My two older brothers and I were brought up knowing that we were the descendents of the Aleut people of the island and were taught our heritage through the stories and actions of my dad and his family. We learned that our ancestors were strong people, surviving because of their adaptability over time, their Aleut ingenuity and their love for the place in which they inhabited. I continue to live among these strong, adaptable, ingenious people-my family of Kodiak Island. I graduated from Kodiak High School in 1983. After one year at Western Oregon State College, I decided to pursue my teaching degree through the University of Alaska Fairbanks which is a little closer to home. Knowing that I wanted to eventually teach for the Kodiak Island Borough School District (KIBSD), I chose to do my student teaching in Port Lions, a village just west of town. Not only was Port Lions close to home, it also felt like home. Many of the families living there at the time knew me as a "local kid." The Elders of Port Lions spoke fondly of my grandmother, originally from Afognak, the village that was later relocated to Port Lions. Soon after my student teaching I married my husband, Eric Schneider, and was hired as a fifth-grade teacher for KIBSD. I taught for three years until the birth of our son in 1991. After almost two years of being home with Patrick, I went back to the classroom. After seven and a half years in the classroom, and an additional child at home (Tatiana, named for my grandmother) I saw an opportunity that I could not pass up. Though it would mean not working directly with a classroom of children, I took a position that was created to support the Native and Rural Education Programs within our district. Just recently this position has been reconstructed to meet the needs of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. Much of my time is still spent exploring and developing culturally and environmentally relevant learning opportunities for our students in my own district, but I now have additional duties as the Aleut/Alutiiq regional coordinator. Looking ahead at the remaining two years of this project, I hope to continue the efforts that have been initiated here on our island; the development of the Academy of Elders and AISES Science Camp, AISES Science Fair and the Native Educators of the Alutiiq Region. A number of partnerships have been created, formally and informally, as we explore other possibilities, as well. Individual Elders have spent countless hours discussing issues and providing the necessary leadership. Board members and staff of the Afognak Native Corporation have been invaluable partners in the development of the camp and in exploring ways to sustain it over time. The Alutiiq Museum, including board members and staff, have provided resources, time and their expertise as projects and curriculum are being developed. The KIBSD Superintendent, Betty Walters, and the Kodiak Island Borough School Board have provided the opportunity to explore the possibilities for those whom they serve. Extending beyond my own school district, I would like to continue to invite others to become involved in the process of this reform effort. Though funding is limited to the current MOA partners, your participation is always encouraged. If you have projects and opportunities going on in your school and/or community within this region that you would like others to know about, contact me. We no longer have to "work within a vacuum." There are others who believe in and value our local Elders for their knowledge and wisdom, and in the local language and environment as powerful teaching "tools." Let's be partners! | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region by Teri Schneider:AISES Camps The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a professional organization of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. For over nine years AISES has sponsored summer programs throughout the United States that have empowered indigenous students to increase their academic abilities, preparing them for careers in science, mathematics and technology. Last year AISES expanded its efforts to our students in Kodiak and combined resources with the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, Kodiak Island Borough School District, Kodiak Area Native Association and Afognak Native Corporation to provide a fantastic, academically challenging and culturally enriching experience for students, teachers, community members and Elders. Once again, this opportunity is being offered this summer during two week-long camps. When? Camp #1, July 18-24 Camp #2, July 25-31 Where? "Dig Afognak" site on Katenai, Afognak Island Who? This opportunity is open to all students, grades 2-12 (young students may be considered if they are successful applicants and are accompanied by a participating adult family member.) The primary focus is on Alaska Native students currently living among the Kodiak Archipelago with an interest in Alutiiq Native culture, language and ways of knowing, as well as science, math and/or technology. Also invited are the Alutiiq Academy of Elders, educators of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, members of the Native Educators of the Alutiiq region and other interested community members as space allows. Why? * Acknowledge the Alutiiq Elders as the first teachers of their culture. * Learn first hand from Alutiiq Elders and community members with hands-on projects relative to rural survival, lifestyles and indigenous ingenuity. * Learn more about the rich history of our island communities and explore the culture of the Alutiiq people, past and present. * Bring together Elders and teachers outside of the formal school setting. * Give participants the opportunity to live with and learn from people of another culture. * Develop curriculum resources that integrate indigenous knowledge in the current curriculum that can be used in classrooms across the district at all levels. * Orient new teachers to the cultural and environmental uniqueness of our island community. * Stimulate interest in math, science and engineering fields among Alaska Native students * Increase students' confidence and knowledge in math, science and technolgy * Incorporate indigenous values and perspectives with Western math, science and technology * Encourage parents to support the academic pursuits of their children * Integrate academic learning with cultural enrichment As a teacher participant, you would be asked to bring your "science teaching tools" so that you can participate directly with Elders and students as they explore the cultural and environmental aspects of life on the Kodiak Archeopeligo and apply those to creating a science project or experiment. You may also sign up to utilize this experience as part of a requirement for a course being offered through UAF. If you have any questions call Teri Schneider at (907) 486-9031 or leave a message at (907) 486-9000. Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) Spirit Camp When? Camp #1, July 11-15 Camp #2, July 15-20 Where? The site is on Sitkalidak Island on the southeast end of Kodiak Island, near the village of Old Harbor. Who? The camp is offered to youth between the ages of 10 years and 18 years old. Activities * subsistence restoration * traditional arts * Native dance * archeology * storytelling * kayaking * archery The youth also learn useful tools for today's world such as wilderness survival; environmental conservation; and first aide techniques. Counselors attend camp and help with activities such as talking circles that are used to bring the group closer together and provide a safe environment to talk about sensitive issues. All those involved with Spirit Camp are committed to conveying to the youth how to benefit from making positive choices. Registration forms will be available in April. For more information contact: Val Pillans or Gwen Kwachka at KANA (Kodiak Area Native Association) (907) 486-9800 or 1-800-478-5721. St. Paul Stewardship Science Camp When? August 9-20 Who? 7-12th graders, St. Paul and St. George students Sponsors * Pribilof School District * Pribilof Islands Stewardship Program * US Fish and Wildlife Service * National Marine Fisheries Service * local tribal councils * village corporations * city governments. Contact School, Mike Kurth, (907) 546-2222, ext 1 Stewardship, Karin Holser, (907) 546-3190 Unangan Cultural Camp The second annual Qungaayux Culture Camp will apply Western Science to Native ways of knowing. Organizers hope to establish more participation from other Unangan communities. Topics include plant lore, hunting, fishing, geographical place names and storytelling. When? Third week in August Sponsors * Fish and Wildlife Service * APIA * Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska * Unalaska City Schools Contact Moses Dirks, (907) 581-1222 Harriet Berikoff, (907) 581-2920 | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region: Alutiiq Regional Rural Science Fair by Teri Schneider:With 37 projects involving 68 students, the number of participants doubled from last year's regional science fair. Students from Chiniak, Larsen Bay, Port Lions, Akhiok, Old Harbor, Kodiak and Ouzinkie took part in this year's activities. Not only are students sharpening their science process skills by taking part in developing science fair projects, they also have the opportunity to demonstrate their formal presentation skills while sharing some of their personal experiences and cultural heritage through projects that are culturally and environmentally relevant to our island communities. The Grand prize winners for this year's rural science fair are: Bliss Peterson, sixth grade Ouzinkie, with her project comparing the Alutiiq and Yupik Languages; Kalen Pedersen, sixth-grade Kodiak, with his project regarding construction and use of the bow and arrow; Patrick Schneider, third-grade Kodiak, who compared the burning efficiency of different oils and partners Matthew Delgado and Jon Panamarioff, seventh-grade Ouzinkie, who compared the quality of product utilizing various methods for preserving fish. Joining these five students at the statewide AISES science fair will be Ouzinkie team members Scott Detorres, Geremy Clarion and Cadman Peterson with their project demonstrating the deadfall trap and Old Harbor's Ivan Christiansen and Rocky Christiansen with their project pertaining to the burning qualities of various oils. Returning judges, John Tershak, Ann Knowlton, Ole Mahle and Kathryn Chichenoff noticed an overall improvement in student presentation and depth of knowledge and understanding of the projects. Students who attended camp stood out to all of the judges, having achieved three of the four grand prizes! One of the activities that took place during the science fair included a seal harvest followed by a biosampling done by Native Harbor Seal Commission member Mitch Simeonoff and his assistant Roy Rastopsoff, both from Akhiok. Students were able to take part in the collection and recording of data that was later submitted for the Harbor Seal Biosampling project. Eventually the seals were butchered and shared among the Ouzinkie community. Other activities hosted by the school and greater Ouzinkie community included a welcoming ceremony with a performance by the Ouzinkie Alutiiq Dancers, a volleyball tournament and an incredible community potluck. During the day the Ouzinkie teachers absorbed the visiting students into their classrooms and organized interactive projects utilizing the talents of Kathy Nelson, the artistic chaperone from Port Lions; Alan Dick, the AKRSI science coordinator and Asako Kobayashi, Kodiak High School's Japanese exchange student. AKRSI will be hosting the first ever AISES Alaska State Science Fair, January 29-31, 2000. With funding provided by AKRSI, we will be sending a team from the Alutiiq Region to represent our area of the state. Our team consists of Native and non-Native students from in and outside the district who excelled at the regional level science fair. Plans for next year's Alutiiq Regional Science Fair are being formed. If your district or school is in the Alutiiq region and interested in sending a team to compete, please contact Teri Schneider, 486-9276 or email tschneider@kodiak.k12.ak.us. Andy Christofferson, Ouzinkie Advisory School Board member, and Roy Rastopsoff begin to take samples and measurements of a seal during the rural science fair in Ouzinkie. | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region: Camp Qungaayux 2000 by Moses L. Dirks:This will be the third year that we have had this type of activity for school-aged children. This year Camp Qungaayux 2000 had over 50 students registered for the camp. Thirty-eight mentor Elders were hired to teach the topics. A lot of the credit goes to the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative and the Alaska Rural Challenge for making this possible. Partial funding from these organizations have reawakened or revitalized the cultural practices the Unangan People had in the past. The local entities have been very generous in contributing not only labor force, but help sponsor the culture camp. Without their support, the event would not have been a success. Special thanks to the Qawalangin Tribe for all the extra hours that they put into the camp planning. The topics that are presented by the Elders and mentors include the following: 1. Sea mammal butchering (Algax) 2. Unangan dance (Axax) 3. Unangan baskets (Aygagasix) 4. Asxux 5. Bentwood hats (Chagudax) 6. Boat safety and Iqyax 7. Ulax 8. Qalimagix fish preparation 9. Food preparation (Qaqax) 10. Intertidal studies (Agux) 11. Beach Seining (Kudmachix) 12. Plantlore I & II (Tanachngangin) 13. Storytelling The Elders spearheaded the classes, which taught exclusively in traditional Unangan ways of doing things. Unangan language was used by the Elders and mentors to perpetuate the relearning of the Unangan cultural activities. Camp Qungaayux commenced August 14, 2000 and continued through August 19, 2000. The last day was celebrated with a potluck. Unangan food and dances were performed to cap off the festivities. Each Elder/mentor and student received a sweatshirt with a Camp Qungaayux logo on it and a certificate of participation. This year we invited Unangan students from Adak, Atka, Nikolski and Akutan. Students from other villages have a lot to share with the larger communities. We had a great time learning and meeting new people. For more information about Camp Qungaayux call Harriet Berikoff, Qawalangin Tribe (907) 581-2920 or Moses L. Dirks at (907) 581-5837 Song and dance were enjoyed by all during the beautiful evenings on the beach at the science/culture camp at Katenai on Afognak Island. Julie Knagin, Heidi Christiansen, Ole Mahle and Marsha Parker worked together to bend the steamed spruce rim around a form at the science-culture camp at Katenai on Afognak Island. This rim was later used in a drum that was made for Sally Ash, a visitor from the village of Nanwalek. The drum was made by the students who attended the camp with help from Jim and Bonnie Dillard. Nasquluk (kelp) was laid on top of the prepared spruce rims which were laid on top of layer of nasquluk, rocks and fire. This combination created the steam necessary to bend the wood for drum rims. Jim Dillard worked with students and adults to make this a highlighted event during both camps. | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region: Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights by Gordon L. Pullar:Keynote Address to the Native Educator's Conference, February 1, 2000, Anchorage, Alaska My thanks to Lolly Carpluk and other conference organizers for inviting me to be here tonight. And my special thanks to Teri Schneider for her kind introduction. On a sad day such as today I don't think I could launch into a speech before offering my sincere respect to the memory of Morris Thompson, who we all lost yesterday. I had the honor of serving with Morrie on the AFN board for several years and he was always someone I looked up to and learned from. He was a strong leader, a successful manager and a dedicated advocate for Native people. Above all, however, he was a genuinely kind and caring person. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. We'll miss him. Being asked to speak here tonight takes me back a few years ago when my friend Harold Napoleon asked me to speak at the AFN Youth/Elders Conference that he was coordinating. I did my presentation and it seemed to go okay and as I stepped down from the podium I saw that Harold was waiting for me with a smile on his face. "You weren't as boring as everyone said you were going to be," he said. So having reached that lofty plateau once, I hope to do it again tonight and not be as boring as everyone said I was going to be. I will begin with a disclaimer. That disclaimer is that I'm not an expert. I don't believe in experts. In fact, a sure way for someone to draw my suspicion and distrust is to claim to be an expert or to brag that he or she knows "all there is to know" about any topic. I am, however, a lifelong student. I try to observe, listen and learn. And as any good student will tell you, "the more you learn the more you realize you don't know." So the topic tonight is one I hope to continue to learn more about, that I am trying to learn about and one that I'm sure many of you have more knowledge about than I do. But you're not going to escape that easily. I have developed some thoughts that I will share with you. Over the past few years we often hear the terms intellectual property rights and cultural property rights with only some vague notion of what they might mean. However, the meanings are often or even usually different from person to person and country to country. And the meanings become even more diverse among indigenous peoples. Intellectual property is a common term within the American mainstream culture. We have all heard of and, to some degree or another, are familiar with patents, copyrights and trademarks. All of these things are usually associated with litigation and long court battles. There seems to be no end to what people will dispute when it comes to these concepts. Just this week, for example, television personality Rosie O'Donnell was in the news for filing litigation against a Portland, Oregon radio station for using the name "Rosie" in its ads. The name was being used in the context of Portland being known as the City of Roses. The concept of cultural property rights among indigenous peoples has different connotations than the charge of the misuse of Rosie's name implies. Cultural property rights may refer to one's inner identity. It is about ancestors and ways of doing, saying and knowing things. It is about culture and everyone on earth is entitled to a culture. It is about the past, the present and the future. It is about life. Over the past couple decades, there have been some issues of cultural property rights that have emerged in my home area of Kodiak Island that I have been involved with. One was the issue of the repatriation of human remains. Skeletons representing over a thousand people were taken from Kodiak Island during the 1930s and stored in the Smithsonian Institution. The reason given for not returning them was that they were the property of, that is they belonged to, all the people of the United States. It was a sad scenario when the remains of ancestors were considered "property." In fact, in one letter from the Smithsonian, it was stated that the remains could not be returned because the Smithsonian had a responsibility to care for them on behalf of all American citizens, not just "discrete interest groups." They were returned and reburied in the Fall of 1991 but only after considerable legal wrangling and an act of Congress. It is difficult even now to think of those ancestral remains as property. The government identified them as property, but Native people cannot usually make that kind of connection. They just know they have a responsibility to return the remains of their ancestors to their intended resting places. In virtually all documents advocating for cultural property rights, the issue of repatriation of human remains is mentioned. But sometimes the meaning of the word property is different from one culture to another. But it is not just lawyers and government bureaucrats that invoke legalese into such a sacred concept as a people's cultural heritage. Indigenous peoples, as well, tend to think of these property rights in a legal sense. But in today's world there is no choice. We often have to resort to the legal and political arenas to preserve and protect our birthrights. In the arena of international law and indigenous rights there are a few instruments that have made cases for indigenous cultural property rights in one form or another. For example: International Labour Organization Convention Number 169, Article 2 (b) (passed in 1989): Governments shall have the responsibility for developing, with the participation of the peoples concerned, coordinated and systematic action to protect the rights of these peoples and to guarantee respect for their integrity. Such action shall include measures for promoting the full realization of the social, economic and cultural rights of these peoples with respect for their social and cultural identity, their customs and traditions and their institutions. United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which passed out of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1994 and is now working its way through the UN hierarchy says in: UN Draft, Article 8: Indigenous peoples have the collective and individual right to maintain and develop their distinct identities and characteristics, including the right to identify themselves as indigenous and be recognized as such. UN Draft, Article 12: Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature, as well as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs." UN Draft, Article 13: Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation of human remains. UN Draft, Article 14: Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons. UN Draft, Article 24: Indigenous people have the right to their traditional medicines and health practices, including the right to the protection of vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. UN Draft, Article 29: Indigenous peoples are entitled to the recognition of the full ownership, control and protection of their cultural and intellectual property. They have the right to special measures to control, develop and protect their sciences, technologies and cultural manifestations, including human and other genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs and visual and performing arts. I know that many of you are familiar with the Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples passed by indigenous people in New Zealand in 1993. One recommendation in this declaration that I see as crucial is that indigenous people should define for themselves their own intellectual and cultural property. How do we "define for ourselves?" And what are cultural property rights to us? How should we exercise those rights? As the Nike slogan goes, "Just do it!" I believe, for example, that we should not allow outsiders to define who we are. This has been going on for 200 years in Alaska and has caused considerable confusion. In my area of Kodiak Island, the Russian fur traders that arrived in the late 18th century called the Sugpiat the indigenous people living there (Aleuts) just as they had done to the Unangan in the Aleutian Islands. They did this because of the similarities they observed between both the Unangan of the Aleutian Islands and the Sugpiat of Kodiak Island to a coastal indigenous group on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The people on Kodiak began using this term in their own language, the result being the word "Alutiiq." The name Alutiiq has had a revival and has grown in popularity in recent years, mostly as a way for the Sugpiat to distinguish themselves from the Aleuts of the Aleutian Island who have a different culture and language. But Alutiiq is a good term because a conscious decision was made by the people to use it. As if things weren't complicated enough, enter the anthropologists who decided to call the Sugpiat "Pacific Eskimo" or even "Pacific Yup'ik" because of the close linguistic similarities with Yup'ik people. While virtually no Alutiiqs use this term, anthropologists insisted for quite a number of years that they were correct. I don't believe there is anything wrong with people from Kodiak Island calling themselves Aleuts and, because it has been in use for so many generations, it may not be likely that a return will be made to Sugpiat. But it should be the responsibility of the people to learn the history of these terms so they can make an informed choice. But whatever terms are used they are, to me, cultural property. As cultural property, there are responsibilities and duties attached. Learning those responsibilities and duties is where we find ourselves today. There are a number of important and exciting projects going on today that are directly addressing and defining those responsibilities and duties. Dr. Erica-Irene Daes, the chairperson-rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations said in 1995 to the 47th session for the Commission on Human Rights, Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities: "To be effective, the protection of indigenous peoples' heritage should be based broadly on the principle of self-determination, which includes the right and the duty of indigenous peoples to develop their own cultures, knowledge systems and forms of social organization." I would like to emphasize some parts of Madame Daes' statement. She said, "the right and the duty of indigenous peoples to develop their own cultures, knowledge systems and forms of social organization." She made it a point to mention the principle of self-determination which is crucial to all we do as Alaska Native people and communities. Without exercising self-determination, Native peoples cannot exercise their rights or their duties and cannot define for themselves what their cultural and intellectual property is. But before we can make such definitions we must search for the questions. As Thurber said, "It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." Thank you very much and I hope I wasn't as boring as everyone said I was going to be. Copies of some of the documents referred to by Dr. Pullar can be viewed on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website at: http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/rights.html | |
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Aleut/Alutiiq Region: Kodiak Alutiiq Cultural Values:We are the descendants of the Sugpiak, the Real People. Understanding our environment and events that have shaped our lives and created the culture of our ancestors is vital for our children's cultural survival. The history of our People and our place in the world is a part of who we are today. Kodiak Alutiit must learn and pass on to younger generations our understanding of our natural world: the sky, land, water and the animals. As we meet the challenge of living in the 21st century, we must continue to live in honor of those things we value: Our Elders Our heritage language Family and the kinship of our ancestors and living relatives Ties to our homeland A subsistence lifestyle, respectful of and sustained by the natural world Traditional arts, skills and ingenuity Faith and a spiritual life, from ancestral beliefs to the diverse faiths of today Sharing: we welcome everyone Sense of humor Learning by doing, observing and listening Stewardship of the animals, land, sky and waters Trust Our people: we are responsible for each other and ourselves Respect for self, others and our environment is inherent in all of these values. NATIVE EDUCATORS OF THE ALUTIIQ REGION o ALUTIIQ ELDER'S COUNCIL THE ALUTIIQ ACADEMY OF ELDERS | |
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