Project: Elders and Youth: Sharing Our Past
Grantee: Ninilchik Traditional Council
Story by: Christina Pinnow
The Ninilchik Village Tribe has actively been working on preserving our culture and traditions that seem to have been lost or forgotten along the way. Even though we are still in the beginning stages of such a vast project, our membership and council both embraced the idea to establish our culture and document our past way of life here in the village of Ninilchik. Many of our elders and youth enjoyed our gatherings and activities throughout the year and would like to see continued efforts in providing these opportunities as well as documenting stories, photographs, newsletter articles and recipes. Our elders and youth harvested salmon, processed salmon, went on nature hikes identifying trees, plants and flowers. They also participated in a tour of the village of Ninilchik and talked about how life was different in the village before the road system and additional outside influences were introduced. We held a Ninilchik gathering this fall, everyone enjoyed traditional foods, music and storytelling. We will continue to have more gatherings, documenting our language, stories and way of life. A survey is being conducted and information gathered from our elders will be compiled and used to help establish our culture.