Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska

Inside the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska office, a few locals are sitting around a long table making posters for Walking With Our Sisters, Unalaska’s annual event for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day.

The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska started their recycling program in 2024, collecting glass, No. 1 plastic, aluminum and cardboard.

The four-day storm hit Unalaska on Dec. 26-29, bringing 100 mph gusts, elevated tides and a storm surge that swept the coastline. It damaged the airport’s runway and closed off Summer Bay Road for vehicles.

For this episode of Island Interviews, KUCB's Sofia Stuart-Rasi sat down with Tribal Administrator Chelsey Dorrough to learn more about the tribe’s search for a design.

The funding replaces nearly half the station's budget lost when Congress eliminated CPB support, covering operations through June 2026 while KUCB develops a long-term plan.

Tanang Awaa, which roughly translates to “work of my land” or “work of my country” in Unangam Tunuu, is a week-long culture camp for Alaska Native adults, hosted by the Qawalangin Tribe. This summer marked its second year.

It was on July 9, 1927, almost a hundred years ago, that Benny Benson ran the very first Alaska flag up a flagpole. He was the 14-year-old Alaska Native student, who won a statewide contest for the flag’s iconic design –- eight stars of gold on a field of blue.

"Walking With Our Sisters" marchers carried homemade signs that read “No more stolen sisters,” “Justice for the Missing and Murdered” and “We won’t be quiet” as they walked along Airport Beach Road to City Hall.

Locals in Unalaska are partnering with a regional Native organization to preserve Unangam Tunuu for future generations.

In this episode of “Island Interviews,” KUCB’s Sofia Stuart-Rasi sat down with Jackie Adams, the City of Unalaska's grants coordinator, Dr. Shanoy Anderson, the environmental director with the Qawalangin Tribe, and Donna Van Flein, corporate affairs and grants coordinator for the Ounalashka Corporation.