Every morning for two weeks, songs and drums filled the Akutan school, where youth and adults gathered for a collaborative culture camp.
Six campers traveled from Atka, three from False Pass, and more than a dozen from Akutan participated each day. Co-coordinator Josephine Shangin of Akutan said the first week was dedicated entirely to song and dance.
“It’s a really ambitious lineup,” Shangin said. “And it’s been intense. We’ve got one, two, three, and we’re working on a fourth song.”
Together, campers and mentors workshopped lyrics and translated them into Unangam Tunuu with support from language speakers and teachers Crystal Dushkin and Sally Swetzof of Atka. One of the songs, Achan Ingiiga, the traditional name of Akutan village, tells the story of hunters moving through the fog in Akun Strait, guided home by the voice of Ayagaa Tunutux̂, a mountain in Akutan.
“I’m amazed at how much work all the youth have put in, and the hours and the focus,” Shangin said. “When you’re using your summer to wake up at 9 a.m. to show up to dance, you know it’s impressive. And I'm really proud of all the kids.”
The camp alternates between Atka and Akutan each year, a collaboration that began in 2019. Dushkin said each community brings unique teachings to the camp, and helps one another fill in knowledge gaps.
“In Atka, we do our language and dance throughout the year, it’s not just during the summer or just during culture camp” she said. “The dance and language part is incorporated in our camp, but it’s not a heavy focus. But we focus a lot on traditional foods at our camp in Atka.”
During the second week in Akutan, campers focused on other cultural practices, including weaving, regalia making, model iqyax̂ building, bentwood hat making and mask carving.
At the end of the two weeks, campers debuted their new songs to the community before traveling to Unalaska to perform at the inaugural Anaĝaĝinangin Festival in August.
