Xey Winter 2023-2024
First Alaskans logo

Table of Contents

Volume 21, Number 2
THE MAGAZINE OF Native peoples, communities, and ways of life
shaa k’et cheltsonh | focus
4
Divided United on Policy
Advocating for our communities, holding our differences
kón’ ts’îil | inspire
22
Presences of Arctic Homelands
Artist profile: Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich
27
Legislation, Education and the Dremel
Our tools in a fight against misperception
mech’elcheth | connect
32
Hearing on Boarding Schools Wraps Up with Healing Totem Pole Raising
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was in Alaska as part of her latest Road to Healing tour
37
ná’ihté’ / IMAGINE
Three to DC
Illustration by Sienna Reid
this issue’s language: Section and department titles are in Tanacross. Each issue of First Alaskans features a different Native language in this role. Thanks to the Tanacross Learners’ Dictionary, Preliminary Version, compiled by Irene Solomon Arnold, Gary Holton, and Rick Thoman.
shaa k’et cheltsonh | focus
Samuel Hiratsuka in a red flannel and denim jeans standing in front of  harvested trees
Samuel Hiratsuka, staff for the office of Representative Mary Peltola, stands in front of Sealaska’s collection of harvested totem-quality trees.
Photo by Kaa Yahaayí Shkalneegi Muriel Reid

United On Policy

United On Policy
Advocating for our communities, holding our differences
By Shaelene Grace Moler
Samuel Hiratsuka, staff for the office of Representative Mary Peltola, stands in front of Sealaska’s collection of harvested totem-quality trees.
Photo by Kaa Yahaayí Shkalneegi Muriel Reid
I

n April 2023, Tesla Cox, Katie Riley, and Marina Anderson traveled roughly 3,500 miles from their homes in rural Southeast Alaska to the US capitol with a thank you. Usually, policymakers in Washington, D.C. are overwhelmed with criticism about what they are doing wrong, or what they aren’t doing enough of. While it is rare for federal legislators and agencies to receive in-person praise for a policy that’s already been enacted, these women are not afraid to challenge norms– especially when they aren’t serving the communities they care deeply about. Representing a for-profit Alaska Native corporation, a grassroots conservation organization, and a collective impact network directed by a previous tribal administrator, Cox, Riley, and Anderson work for organizations that were historically at odds. Today, these individuals and organizations represent a growing shift in the Tongass National Forest within the Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) that is moving away from polarization and fighting, toward collaboration and building common ground– including in the policy arena.

xen | catalyze
Sarah Rassmussen-Rehkopf in a white lab coat

Bridging Community Connections Through Healthcare Education and Training

by Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf
W
hat would it mean to you to go into a clinic and be seen by someone who is part of your community, someone who shares some of those qualities that make you who you are, who can speak with you about the berries this year or the salmon run, who maybe looks like you and you can see your granddaughter or cousin in the way they talk?

I am Quileute and Makah and grew up in Sitka, in Southeast Alaska. I acknowledge who I am as an Indigenous woman and the story I am bringing with me into medicine: the knowledge passed on to me by my community, growing up in a remote tribal community, coming to medicine after seeing and experiencing interactions that I cannot let happen again. I am determined to be the change and join others to improve the healthcare system.

Bridging Community Connections Through Healthcare Education and Training

by Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf
W
hat would it mean to you to go into a clinic and be seen by someone who is part of your community, someone who shares some of those qualities that make you who you are, who can speak with you about the berries this year or the salmon run, who maybe looks like you and you can see your granddaughter or cousin in the way they talk?

I am Quileute and Makah and grew up in Sitka, in Southeast Alaska. I acknowledge who I am as an Indigenous woman and the story I am bringing with me into medicine: the knowledge passed on to me by my community, growing up in a remote tribal community, coming to medicine after seeing and experiencing interactions that I cannot let happen again. I am determined to be the change and join others to improve the healthcare system.

xen | catalyze
xen | catalyze

Bringing Alaska Native Voters Back to the Polls

by Shehla Anjum
I

n the early 1980s, most Alaska Native communities reported voter turnout ranging between 60 to 90 percent, but those numbers have declined sharply in the past three decades. The decrease worries Michelle Sparck, the Cup’ik director of strategic initiatives for Get Out The Native Vote (GOTNV), a non-partisan effort to encourage Native voting.

black and white illustration of an isolated house with a mailbox in front of it
black and white illustration of an isolated house with a mailbox in front of it

Bringing Alaska Native Voters Back to the Polls

by Shehla Anjum
I

n the early 1980s, most Alaska Native communities reported voter turnout ranging between 60 to 90 percent, but those numbers have declined sharply in the past three decades. The decrease worries Michelle Sparck, the Cup’ik director of strategic initiatives for Get Out The Native Vote (GOTNV), a non-partisan effort to encourage Native voting.

xen | catalyze
Landscape angle photo view of The Alaska Native village of Nunapitchuk on a gloomy overcast day, which The Alaska Native village of Nunapitchuk is situated on the Johnson River, which flows into the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska; A 2007 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers community survey states erosion in Nunapitchuk threatens homes, outbuildings, sheds, fuel tanks, the cemetery, drying racks, smoke houses, food storage facilities, utility poles and lines, power generators, the school, clinic and church, and the airport runway.
The Alaska Native village of Nunapitchuk is situated on the Johnson River, which flows into the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska. A 2007 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers community survey states erosion in Nunapitchuk threatens homes, outbuildings, sheds, fuel tanks, the cemetery, drying racks, smoke houses, food storage facilities, utility poles and lines, power generators, the school, clinic and church, and the airport runway.
Photo by Sue Natali, Woodwell Climate Research Center

Agency Disaster Programs Overlook Melting Permafrost

Policies and regulations are a poor fit to Alaska’s unique terrain and climate
By Joaqlin Estus / ICT
S

ome 80 percent of land in Alaska is made up of permafrost, that is, land that’s been frozen for anywhere from two to a few hundred years. Now, it’s melting. That can lead to collapsed ground, uneven settling, erosion, and flooding. As the ground sinks in some Alaska coastal villages, homes, power plants, and other structures become islands at high tide, not just during extreme weather. Yet, such events don’t qualify as disasters under agency definitions, much less, give reason to grant funds for relocation.

“When we were in (the village of) Nunapitchuk this past summer, part of the school collapsed and then last year the washeteria collapsed,” said Robin Bronen, executive director of the Alaska Institute for Justice, speaking at a recent workshop. “And it’s all because of thawing permafrost.”

xen | catalyze

Medicaid Renewal Preparedness is Key to Maintaining Coverage

By Tara Carey, Southcentral Foundation Senior Public Relations Specialist
M

edicaid eligibility renewals returned to the regular annual review process April 1. This impacts community members who qualified for Medicaid while federal provisions were in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. To limit gaps in health coverage, being prepared can give your family time to consider your options and take action. Medicaid renewal preparedness starts with making sure your contact information is up to date with the Alaska Division of Public Assistance (DPA) and by opening and responding to all mail from DPA.

Renewal dates will vary for families, and renewals will be processed in batches throughout the year and into 2024. Typically, annual renewals occur around the anniversary of when coverage began.

kón’ ts’îil | inspire

Presences of Arctic Homelands

Artist profile: Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich
by Ilegvak (Peter Williams)
E

rin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich is an emerging Alaska Native artist who is already garnering widespread accolades along with early career support from the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation. She is currently a SITE Scholar and pursuing an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. During the bustle of early summer, I interviewed Ivalu over the phone to learn more about her work.

“I have this really deep love and deep gratitude for what has kept me, my Elders, my people, and my Ancestors, tied to the north and tied to these places that I get to call homelands,” she explained. As Ivalu spoke, she occasionally emphasized a word by gently drawing it out, expanding her soft rhythmic tone. Slight interference distorted the call. “And so much of that beauty in their wild being is something that I’ve always been captivated with.”

kón’ ts’îil | inspire

Legislation, Education and the Dremel

Our tools in a fight against misperception
By Kawerak, Inc.
Walrus ivory artist Daryl Kingeekuk
Walrus ivory artist Daryl Kingeekuk loves his life in Savoonga. He specializes in scrimshaw and enjoys making hunting scenes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WALRUSIVORY.ORG
O

ur northern coastal regions of Alaska feature incredible beauty. Here, the land and sea have sustained our people for time immemorial, as we continue to move in harmonious coexistence. Our way of life depends on marine mammals, like the Pacific walrus, which provide our Indigenous food security, as well as cultural connection and expression.

Elaborate artistry found in our walrus ivory crafts marks a long tradition of cultural pride and serves as a concrete example of our no-waste values. The walrus continues to tell our stories through carved ivory and drum skin. It supports our vitality through our dance performances and art sales.

kón’ts’îil | inspire

Huna Totem Corporation Announces New Logo

Huna Totem Corporation logo
H

una Totem Corporation, in celebration of its 50th anniversary on Nov. 9, has announced its new formline logo to be used in all corporate communications moving forward. The logo was originally previewed to Huna Totem Shareholders during its 50th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 23 at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska.

“We are thrilled and humbled by this visual innovation,” said Russell Dick, President & Chief Executive Officer of Huna Totem Corporation. “This new design is a celebration of our resilient history as a people and an organization, a reminder to be passionate about our culture in the present, and a symbol of the bright future ahead of the Xúna Kaawu.”

mech’elcheth | connect

Hearing on Boarding Schools Wraps Up with Healing Totem Pole Raising

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was in Alaska as part of her latest Road to Healing tour
by JOAQLIN ESTUS

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about residential and boarding schools. If you are in crisis, here is a resource list for trauma responses from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition in the U.S. In Canada, the National Indian Residential School Crisis Hotline can be reached at 1-866-925-4419.

People carry the Boarding School Healing Totem Pole to later raise it at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Oct. 22, 2023.

four lines of men, a pair on each side, use long wooden posts to carry the Boarding School Healing Totem Pole down a wide pathway

People carry the Boarding School Healing Totem Pole to later raise it at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Oct. 22, 2023.

Hearing on Boarding Schools Wraps Up with Healing Totem Pole Raising

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was in Alaska as part of her latest Road to Healing tour
by JOAQLIN ESTUS

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about residential and boarding schools. If you are in crisis, here is a resource list for trauma responses from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition in the U.S. In Canada, the National Indian Residential School Crisis Hotline can be reached at 1-866-925-4419.

A

day that had a sad, painful start ended with a celebration of the raising of a Boarding School Healing Totem Pole.

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, held a hearing on boarding schools on the morning and afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 22 at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Like her prior stops in the Lower 48, devastating stories and painful memories were shared with the secretary.

kón’ ts’îil | inspire

Three to DC

Illustration by Sienna Reid of Tesla Cox, Marina Anderson, and Katie Riley with Capitol building in background
ná’ihté’ | IMAGINE
Illustration by Sienna Reid featuring (from left to right) Tesla Cox, Sealaska Shareholder Development Director; Marina Anderson, Director of the Sustainable Southeast Partnership; and Katie Riley, deputy director of the Sitka Conservation Society in front of the US capital building. In the spring of 2023, Cox, Anderson, and Riley traveled to Washington DC to advocate for the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy and the youth programs it supports.

Masthead

First Alaskans Logo
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Iġġiaġruk Willie Hensley (Iñupiaq)
Chairman

Sam Kito, Jr. (Lingít)
Vice Chairman

Nurr’araaluk Valerie Davidson (Yup’ik)
Secretary/Treasurer

Dr. Iqalluuq Sven Haakanson, Jr. (Sugpiaq)

Georgianna Lincoln (Athabascan)

Savik Richard Glenn (Iñupiaq)

Sinot Sylvia Lange (Tlingit/Sugpiaq)

Dr. Rosita Yeidiklasókw, Kaaháni Worl
(Lingit)

IN MEMORIAM
Morris Thompson (Athabascan)

Dux da neik, K’oo del ta’ Byron Mallott
(Lingít)

Kaasháan Albert Kookesh (Lingít)

Aveogan Oliver Leavitt (Iñupiaq)

STAFF
Apagzuk/Apagruk Roy Agloinga
(Iñupiaq)
Incoming President/CEO

‘Wáahlaal Gidaag Barbara Blake
(Xaadas/Lingit/Ahtna)
Senior Director of the
Alaska Native Policy Center

Kuwúx Kim Buller
Gyedm si ndzox

Uyuruciaq Elizabeth David
(Yup’ik)
Senior Director of Indigenous Finance

Qunmiġu Purruq Kacey Hopson
(Iñupiaq)
Indigenous & Governmental Affairs Strategist

Purruq Erica Khan
(Iñupiaq)
Indigenous Storytelling
& Communications Strategist

Napangcuk Katherine Leinberger
(Sugpiaq)
Ikayuq (“Assistant/Helper” in Yugtun)

Sedaadze’ Renee Linton
(Holikachuk Athabascan)
Indigenous Knowledge Researcher

Silugngataanit’sqaq Melissa Marton
(Sugpiaq)
Senior Director of Indigenous Operations
& Innovations

La quen náay Liz Medicine Crow
(Xaadas/Lingit)
Outgoing President/CEO

Tumaq Cody Pequeño
(Cup’ik)
Indigenous Stewardship Fellow

Ayyu Qassataq
(Iñupiaq/Yup’ik)
Chief Administrative Officer

Kaaswóot Gloria Wolfe
(Lingit)
Indigenous Leadership Continuum Director

Paluqtaq Courtenay Carty
(Yup’ik)
Indigenous Advancement Director

First Alaskans Institute logo
First Alaskans Institute is an Alaska Native non-profit organization. Our mission is: True to identity, heritage, and values, Alaska Natives are informed and engaged in leading the decisions that shape the future.
First Alaskans Winter 2023-2024 cover
ON THE COVER
Marina Anderson, Sustainable
Southeast Partnership Director.
See page 4. Photo by Lee House.
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First Alaskans Magazine is published by
First Alaskans Institute. © 2024.

PUBLISHER
Elizabeth La quen naáy / Kat Saas
Medicine Crow (Tlingit/Haida)
EDITOR
Vera Starbard (Tlingit/Dena’ina Athabascan)
MANAGING EDITOR
Kaasteen–Katelynn Drake (Tlingit/Inupiaq)
CONTRIBUTORS
Shaelene Grace Moler (Tlingit), Kaa Yahaayí Shkalneegi Muriel Reid (Tlingit), Lee House (Tlingit), Sarah Rasmussen-Rehkopf (Quileute/Makah), Shehla Anjum, Joaqlin Estus (Tlingit), Tara Carey, Ilegvak Peter Williams (Yup’ik/Tlingit), Erin Ggaadimits Ivalu Gingrich (Koyukon Dene/Inupiaq), Sienna Reid (Tlingit), Huna Totem Corporation, Kawerak, Inc.
ART DIRECTOR
Dean Potter
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Thanks for reading our Winter 2023-2024 issue!