A Journey to What Matters- Kasaan Community Carving Program

carving

Carving back time Project: Community Carving Program Grantee: Organized Village of Kasaan Story and photos from: Bethany Goodrich, Sustainable Southeast Partnership and Marina Anderson, Organized Village of Kasaan In the small village of Kasaan, Alaska is a carving shed nestled among trees and wildlife. The carving shed in Kasaan is more than a space to … Read more

A Journey to What Matters- Hoonah City Schools Dancing with Our Ancestors Project

dancing

Project: Hoonah City Schools Dancing with our Ancestors Grantee: Hoonah City Schools Story and photos from: Heather Powell During the Dancing with our Ancestors project students were blessed with the opportunity to connect with their culture in ways that included several different art forms, like drum making with North West Coast Form line by renowned … Read more

A Journey to What Matters- Exploring Native Textile History

textile

Exploring Native Textile History From Steve Henrikson, Alaska State Musem Curator The Alaska State Museum is preparing a large exhibit exploring the history of textiles developed over the past two centuries by Alaska Natives and First Nations of the Northwest Coast–primarily Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian weavers. Six weavers, most representing these tribes, were selected to … Read more

A Journey to What Matters- Tanana Chief Conference Cultural Programs

chief

Project: Tanana Chief Conference Cultural Programs Grantee: Tanana Chief Conference Story and photos from: Cindy Schumaker Keeping Traditions Alive: Skin Tanning Workshop There was a time when families in Koyukuk made a living trapping, skinning and selling wolf, beaver, marten, and muskrat hides. According to tribal administrator Loretta Lolnitz, many youth today have never seen … Read more

A Journey to What Matters- Youth, Elder, Active Hunter and Gatherer – Food Sovereignty and Self Governance

hunter

Project: Youth, Elder, Active Hunter and Gatherer – Food Sovereignty and Self Governance Grantee: Inuit Circumpolar Council Story and photo from: Carolina Behe On February 25th and 26th, 2019, Inuit from across Alaska and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) came together in Bethel, Alaska to explore Inuit values surrounding our relationships to the environment and … Read more

A Journey to What Matters- Alaska Native PLACE Sewing Workshops

alaska native

Project: Alaska Native PLACE Sewing Workshops, Professional Development & Dialogue Grantee: Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center Story and photos by: Angela Demma Alaska Native PLACE, which stands for Providing Living Artists Creative Environments, holds a monthly gathering for Alaska Native artists (except during subsistence activities in the summer), in Anchorage and beyond on Facebook. The … Read more

A Journey To What Matters- 35th Annual Elders & Youth Conference – Survival Kit Tool Making

survival

Project: 35th Annual Elders & Youth Conference – Survival Kit Tool Making Grantee: First Alaskans Institute Story by: Denbigh Perry Volunteering for the 2018 Youth and Elders Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, which is hosted by the First Alaskans Institute; was a terrific opportunity. This event was held in the Dena’ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage. … Read more

A Journey To What Matters- Learning From Our Elders

journey

Project: Journey of Artistic Exploration Grantee: Bethel Council of the Arts Story by: Laura Ellsworth There were 14 students lined up and ready to go on the first day of the Nasqurrun (headdress) sewing class at the UAF Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel. The students were young, and some, a bit older. A few in the … Read more

A Journey To What Matters- Na Ganiyaatgm, Na Lagm (Our Ancestors, Our Fire)

Project: 35th Annual Elders & Youth Conference Grantee: First Alaskans Institute Story by: Lena Jacobs Photos by: Sven Haakanson The First Alaskans Institute (FAI) hosted the 35th Annual Elders & Youth Conference in Anchorage October 14-17, 2018. One of the conference highlights every year includes the Living & Loving Our Cultures Workshops, during which conference attendees … Read more

A Journey To What Matters- Cultural Traditions Workshops

traditions

Project: Cultural Traditions Workshops Grantee: Tanana Chiefs Conference Authored by: Cindy Schumaker Reclaiming cultural heritage is part of the solution to the ills adversely affecting the well being of Alaska Native people. By reconnecting with traditional values, preserving traditional ways of knowing, becoming grounded in one’s past, the damage of cultural trauma will begin to … Read more