Native organizations from Atka to St. Paul host camps every summer across the Aleutian and Pribilof region. Participants gather in their communities to spend the week preparing traditional foods, making regalia and practicing song and dance.
But the largest gathering happens in Anchorage, where the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association hosted its 17th annual Unangax̂ Culture Camp at the Unangam Ulaa, or “The Home of the Aleuts”.
This year, there were over 200 campers, representing all 13 tribes in the region. Some traveled as far away as Hawaii, New York and Georgia to take part.
From June 8-12, participants learned traditional skills like how to braid seal gut, weave baskets and carve bentwood visors. Activities for children and teens took place in the mornings and afternoons, while evening events were dedicated to adults.
Many campers just stopped by to have a cup of coffee and visit with friends and family they hadn’t seen in years.
Darling Anderson is the culture camp coordinator and was once a camper herself. Originally from False Pass, Anderson lives in Anchorage now and says the camp helps Unangax̂ people stay connected to their culture, especially those living outside the Aleutian and Pribilof region.
“A lot of people aren't able to go back home,” Anderson said. “It's so expensive to try and get back to the region and go to these camps, and so much of us have migrated out of our region.”
For Christian Powell, culture camp has become more than a place to learn. Once a camper, Powell is an apprentice now, spending much of the week carving darts and building iqyax — or Unangax̂ sea kayaks. He says his favorite part of camp every year is the bonding that takes place.
“Because if you think about it, majority of these people don’t see each other all year round, and we all get to come together for a full week and do cultural activities,” Powell said.
To help make camp more accessible, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association offered travel scholarships with funding from the Aleut Corporation’s Ulakaia Center. While travelers typically apply for scholarships directly through the Ulakaia Center, APIA administered them as part of a new partnership the organizations plan to continue.
Anderson said that they were able to bring in 23 individuals this year, including a family of six from Akutan and someone from Georgia.
As an increasing number of people continue to move outside of the Aleutian region, Anderson says having gatherings like APIA’s annual culture camp is becoming increasingly important, giving people the space to connect with culture and pass traditions on to future generations.
Whether they traveled from the Aleutian Pribilof region, within Alaska, or the Lower 48, campers agreed that connecting with old friends and making new ones was one of the week's biggest highlights.
