Rural Alaska

Elders and Youth Conference speakers gave back to their communities

Na Ganiyaatgm, Na Lagm.

It means "Our Ancestors, Our Fire" in the Tsimshian language.

It's a nod to the internal flame that connects people with ancestors and homelands, and it will be the theme of the 35th annual Elders and Youth Conference.

The conference, hosted by First Alaskans Institute, will run Monday through Wednesday at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage.

[See the Youth and Elders agenda here.]

Elders and Youth conferences help keep traditions alive as the modern world encroaches. This year's will feature Sm'algyax, a dialect of the Tsimshian people in Southeast Alaska. It's part of a new effort to feature different Alaska Native languages each year.

The elder keynote speaker will be Ugiaqtaq Wesley Aiken, 92. Born in Utqiagvik in 1926, Aiken played a prominent role improving life in his North Slope homeland, and for all Alaska Natives. He will speak at 9:30 a.m. on Monday.

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Aiken fought for Alaska Native rights, participating at the famous "duck-in" in Barrow in the 1960s, when an international ban on spring migratory bird hunting slammed rural Alaska villages that needed bird meat to survive, the institute said in a release.

At the protest, sparked by the arrest of a local hunter, 138 men, women and children presented their harvest of 138 ducks to the federal game warden. They asked to be arrested for subsistence hunting.

Last month, the state and federal governments apologized for the hardships the policy caused Alaska Native families.

['We got it wrong': Governments apologize to Alaska Natives for banning migratory bird harvests]

Aiken helped form the Alaska Federation of Natives in 1966; the North Slope Borough in 1972, governing Aiken's home region; and the Arctic Slope Regional Corp., which became the wealthiest Alaskan-owned company.

Aiken didn't stop at those achievements.

In the 1980s, he worked with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission to win a fair quota for bowhead whales.

Again, a major victory came this September.

Whalers rejoiced last month when the International Whaling Commission, for the first time, approved automatic quota renewals as long as bowhead harvests remain sustainable with healthy stocks. The decision eliminates costly political fights as multiyear quotas expired.

As a teen, Aiken herded reindeer to help his family, and continued to support them by hunting and trapping throughout his life. A World War II veteran, he served with the Alaska Territorial Guard from 1944 to 1959, and remained involved with the National Guard until 1973.

The youth keynote speaker will be Tristan Yaadoh Jovan Madros, 20, from Kaltag. He speaks 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Last year, Doyon, the Native regional corporation, recognized Madros as a Shareholder of the Year recipient for their Chief Andrew Isaac Leadership Award.

Madros was raised by his grandparents, Franklin Madros Jr. and Cora Madros. He learned traditional ways of life from them, including how to make sleds from birch, sew moose-hide boots, and build a fish wheel.

"He deeply values Native traditions and is a culture and language bearer and teacher, hunter, fisherman and gatherer," the institute said.

Madros is second chief on the Kaltag Village Council, and on the Kaltag dance group. He serves on the Tanana Chiefs Conference Youth Advisory Emerging Leader's Council and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission board.

The conference this year kicks off with a pre-conference event Sunday, Oct. 14, with a session at the Dena'ina Center called the Warming of the Hands. That will be followed by a welcome potlatch at Moseley Sports Center at Alaska Pacific University.

Workshops during the conference will feature traditional activities – weaving, beading, storytelling and carving – and sessions focused on self-empowerment, values, leadership, education, wellness and law.

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Cultural performances will include the 7th Annual Chin'an: A Night of Cultural Celebration, on Monday, 7-10 p.m. at the Dena'ina Center, with tickets for $5 and free for elders.

Appearances at the public event will include:

• Cody, a Cup'ik comedian from Chevak.

• Ix̱six̱án, Ax̱ Ḵwáan (I Love You My People) from Juneau.

• The Yup'ik Rainbow Dance Group from Anchorage.

Those not able to attend the conference in person can watch it live on GCI Channel 1, 360 North and on the firstalaskans.org website. Visit the website for registration information.

Alex DeMarban

Alex DeMarban is a longtime Alaska journalist who covers business, the oil and gas industries and general assignments. Reach him at 907-257-4317 or alex@adn.com.

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