Keep Paddling Against the Wind

In Alaska, many Indigenous serving entities in education, social/human services, supplements, or health care are available to AN/AI. Since first contact with explorers, educators, and the church, many of our Alaska Native traditions were banned which kept our ancestors mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy. Today the Western system has taken over our communities. The health system only focuses on a part of our beings, the mental and the physical, and in our traditional ways, we focus on all four aspects of our beings which consist of emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. The Indigenous serving entities need cultural sensitivity workshops or training, because if you do not understand a group of people's culture, worldviews, and history, how can we be of service? When you learn and understand about culture, worldviews, and the true history, you can better serve the population you work with. Once I did a round table discussion live on television with a non-Native woman who had a master's degree in counseling psychology. Our topic was "Alaska Natives and Suicide". She had a pile of textbooks in front of her and she said to me, "The message the Western culture sends to you, not a message from me, is that I know how to help you, I have a degree, I went to a university and I learned from these books. You do not know how to help yourself, because you do not have a degree and you did not learn from these books". My response to the Western culture was, "Tell me where in the United States the universities teach you how to understand me, my people, and my culture, tell me where." She pointed at her textbooks and said, "Maybe one or two sentences in these books." I responded, "So that sums it up? Now you know how to help me?" She could not answer that question. I heard an Indigenous Elder once say, "The answer is in the culture." I understood what that meant. What he was referring to part was that we can heal and grow through culture. We have these traditional methods our Alaska Native people have used for thousands of years that worked for us. For instance, there is "Yuuyaraq/Yuguumalleq", the way of the human being that teaches us how to live a positive life and how to govern our people. Our Indigenous people have been accustomed to this Western system that our Indigenous organizations use Western policies. Why can't we integrate our Alaska Native traditional values into policy to be of better service to our people? At this current job, I have made some "good trouble" to try to make some changes within the organization in hopes of integrating more Alaska Native ways. There is systemic discrimination within our Indigenous organizations. We need to educate our Indigenous people and decolonize our organizations to be of better service to our people. 

I have been doing public speaking for about 17 years. I have over 10,000 hours of public speaking experience. Trying to be humble when I say this, but I am known all over Alaska because of the work I've done in the past with workshops, trainings, educational events/activities, working with thousands of students K-12 and adults of all ages. I am a storyteller, activist, a tribal healer, and a people lover. As my co-workers tell me, I make "good trouble" when I try to make a change in a good way. The solution is simple but not simple. The answer I heard from an Indigenous Elder was, "The answer is in the culture". What the Elder was referring to was that our traditional ways teach us how to live in harmony, at peace, and with wisdom. Yuuyaraq/Yuguumalleq, the way of the human being. Yuguumalleq is of the St. Lawrence Island Yupik people who teach how to live with the natural laws of our ancestors. In the Yup’ik language, they call it Yuuyaraq. This way of life governs our people to live in harmony with all beings and spirits. Living with the natural laws or traditional values of our people gives us inner strength, peace, and wisdom. These are the traditional life skills of the St. Lawrence Island Yupik people and the Central Yup'ik people. Life skills training is intended to teach people of all ages the traditional social competencies and life skills needed to support positive social, emotional, physical, and spiritual development. This strategy aims to enhance people’s capabilities so that they may be able to adapt and deal effectively with daily tasks and challenges. The strategy enhances personal growth using traditional life skills.

The goals of Traditional Values life skills are to:
 Provide ancestral tools to help others with personal growth.
 Facilitate the development of meaningful relationships with peers, family, and others using traditional values or natural laws.
 Teach people to recognize unhealthy social influences in the environment and to make better choices through cultural activities.
 Teach people how to manage anger, stress, and depression through modern and traditional meditations.
 To educate Indigenous serving programs about the Yuguumalleq/Yuuyaraq way of life so they could have a better understanding of how to serve our Indigenous people.
 To teach the traditional resiliency of the Alaska Native people through cultural
activities.

I have created a curriculum using Alaska Native cultures and traditions focusing on growth and healing. I have used the curriculum in recovery services with people in recovery from addiction both outpatient and inpatient. It has been reported by the participants that these cultural teachings were one of the favorites because they have learned traditional ways of healthy living, coping, healing, and growth. 

Solution: Facilitating cultural sensitivity workshops/training for non-Native organizations and people using my personal experiences and stories from others, inter-ethnic communication, Alaska Native cultures, AK Native traditions, and history - Alaska Native perspective. 

I am interested in teaching AN traditional life skills through skin sewing, traditional values, and traditional methods such as Yuuyaraq/Yuguumalleq. These methods will help bring healing into the community through the curriculum I created and through relationships with all things alive. I am my own witness that these methods help with growth and healing being raised by traditional Elders and also learning from tribal or traditional healers. I am interested in educating non-Natves about cultural sensitivity through workshops and training so they can better understand who we are as Native people. Once a non-Native woman during a table discussion live on TV said to me, "The message that the Western culture sends to you is that, I know how to help you, I have a degree, I went to a university, and I learned from these books. You do not know how to help yourself, you do not have a degree, and you did not learn from these books." My response to her was, "Tell me where in the United States the universities teach how to understand me, my people, and my culture, tell me where." She pointed at her textbooks and said, "Maybe one or two sentences in these books." I responded, "So that sums it up? Now you know how to help me?" She couldn't answer that question. I now have my bachelor's in counseling psychology and working towards my master's degree in Rural Development. Just because someone has a college degree does not mean they are going to know and understand how to help a group of people. College education was meant for the Caucasian community. No one studied my people on St. Lawrence Island to go and teach about our cultures and traditions in a university. We need Indigenous educators like myself to educate non-Native entities or people about who we are as Native people, our history, and our traditions. If they learn and understand the generational and inter-generational traumas of the Alaska Native people, they will know how to better serve our people. You need me to educate others. I have 16 years of experience with this. Who will benefit from this? Alaska Native/American Indian and non-Indigenous people. I am working towards helping open a healing center in the community using Alaska Native traditions and Western professionals working together to be of service. In this center, we will focus on the entire being, not just a part of what Western medicine does. We will use AN spirituality, culture, and traditions in this place of healing. We will meet people where they are at. All are welcome. We will focus on healing our AN/AI from generational trauma and educate Indigenous serving entities about historical trauma. It takes one person to start something and I am that one person.

I am currently on my own team. I am the right person for this because I am considered a Cultural Bearer in Alaska. My former workplace taught me about all Alaska Native groups for nearly 17 years. I am the right person because I am compassionate and I am a tribal healer. I wrote a book called "Keep Paddling Against the Wind" to use as a tool to educate non-Indigenous people about our Alaska Native cultures, historical trauma, inter-ethnic communication, and my healing journey. Trying to be humble in saying this, but people look to me in the community because of my knowledge and character. I am authentic and genuine. I learned from my grandparents who were traditional Elders and other Elders in the community from different Alaska Native cultures. I am driven and when I want to do something, I get it done. It is in my heart, mind, and spirit to educate people and to help bring healing and growth into the community. I am a recovering alcoholic. My sober date is January 5, 2012. I wrote about my personal experience with alcoholism, homelessness, child abuse, domestic violence, serving at a correctional center from two DUIs, going to treatment more than once, and what helped me with recovery, healing, and growth. I have created a plan - goals, objectives, and strategies. I am in the process of writing letters to all Alaska Native corporations and organizations, and to leaders about my hopes and dreams of opening a healing center for the community. Please help me help our AN/AI people. Let's work together towards decolonization! I am desperate to help our AN/AI people. 

Pilot: I am already doing this kind of work when requested by organizations to teach or speak. I currently have four organizations that invited me to teach my curriculum, Yuuyaraq/Yuguumalleq, life skills through skin sewing, and medicinal plants. I am ready to expand what I do and recruit others to join me. What I have done so far is very popular in Alaska. I receive requests to share or teach several times per month. I am ready to make it my main focus and work. It is my heart's work. I want to help our people and I am desperate. I want to open an organization or center to practice and recruit others to help our AN/AI people. 

I do not have the financial means to purchase materials and technology to be able to teach regularly. I would not be paid regularly because I would be on my own unless I do contract work. I need help in all aspects of opening a center such as policies, board members, employees, programming, financial help, and a building. I need help from others for logistics. I need help creating a website. I need partners from the community whether from a homeless shelter, treatment centers, hospitals, educators, Elders, leaders, etc.

I do not have a team yet. I have several people who are onboard with this. I am meeting with an individual to recruit her for this project. I am also meeting with Alaska Pacific University very soon for my curriculum. 

I create my curriculum with my ideas using Alaska Native cultural traditions. I take traditional stories using my perspectives and make them into the curriculum. I use my personal stories and experiences to educate others. What I taught in the community has made a huge impact on people from all walks of life. People learn a lot from me and have given me many positive feedback. This is hard to do speaking about all the work I've done because "humble". 

My solution would help people make wiser choices and decisions, discipline themselves, live in harmony with all things alive, and have inner strength and peace. We would have fewer Alaska Native and American Indians incarcerated and in the custody of social services. We would have fewer people on the streets and having issues with substance addictions. We would have more successful services in the community as a whole. We would be integrating Alaska Native traditions into policy and laws such as our values. We would have more healers working in the community alongside Western professionals. Our people will be healthier as our ancestors once were, maybe not exactly like, but healthier. 

My goals are to educate Indigenous serving entities and to help open a healing center so we can be well again. How we will measure this through surveys from the community and Indigenous serving entities. There will be statistics at the state and national level. I constantly receive feedback from those who have attended my workshops or training, from those who attend my cultural groups, and from visitors from all over the world whom I have taught at my last job of nearly 17 years. 

Today I use my computer and my traditional knowledge passed on to me by my paternal grandparents and other Alaska Native Elders in the community. I also use PowerPoint to do the presentations that I've put together based on the knowledge I learned from Alaska Native Elders and also the things I've come up with through stories shared with me by others. In the Alaska Native community, our Elders do not tell us the moral of the stories, it is something you learn on your own or come up with your perspective of the stories. The knowledge passed on to me teaches people how to live in harmony and peace with all things alive, self-discipline, and how to govern your people. I'm a critical thinker and love learning from other Alaska Native culture bearers. I do not use Google or the internet to find answers about Alaska Native cultures, I go straight to the source to learn accurate information. I've also learned a lot working for the Alaska Native Heritage Center for nearly 17 years. This is where I learned about all Alaska Native groups, worldviews, history - Alaska Native perspectives, and traditions. I read sources written by Alaska Native people and videos made by Alaska Native people. I take it to heart to learn about Alaska Native people directly from the sources. I use TikTok to educate others about the history of Alaska Native people, inter-ethnic communication, worldviews, and who we are as Native people. I am very passionate about what I do. 

in Anchorage, Alaska, and different parts of the state when invited to speak or teach. 

I plan to speak and teach even at the national and international levels besides in the state of Alaska. I plan to write to policy and law makers. 

Currently just myself. I am the voice of thousands of people in one body. 

Most of it was for 16 years and my curriculum for nearly a year. I also want to add, a lifetime of learning from Alaska Native Elders and culture bearers. 

I want to recruit different professions and traditional people from all over the state. If need be, those from down states who will first be educated about who we are serving. 

Yuuyaraq/Yuguumalleq, traditional life skills, life skills through skin sewing, cultural sensitivity training and workshops, public speaking, videos, and social media. I need these to reach my goals of growth and healing. 

I will be looking into grants provided for AN/AI and I am hoping from donors and Native corporations.