UNANGAX CULTURE

The story of George Fox is both a history lesson and the story of a forgotten soldier. Recognition for this Alaska Native soldier comes almost 80 years after he died in action in World War II. His name was recently added to the World War II fallen soldier monument on the downtown Anchorage park strip on 9th Avenue, just in time for Memorial Day.

On Friday, Oct. 21, the Anchorage Unangax̂ Dancers took the stage for the very last performance of Quyana Nights, a highly-awaited celebration of traditional dance hosted by AFN. Unangax̂ dancer and drummer, Dustin Unignax̂ Newman, composed the newest song for the Anchorage dance group.

The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and KUCB are proud to present "Aqalix Qada!" — a traditional foods video series. In this episode, traditional foods expert Harriet Berikoff shows us how to salt and pickle fish!

Taytum x̂anix̂ Robinson is the artist behind Qawax̂ Creations - a contemporary Unangax̂ jewelry line she started about a year ago. Her earrings are known on social media for their unique use of seal intestine, or seal gut, which has traditionally been used to make rain gear.

Unangam Tunuu [Unangax̂ language] classes are available at the University of Alaska for the first time in two decades. Instructors Haliehana Stepetin and Moses Dirks are using traditional methods as a framework for teaching this course.

A collection of audio reels made in the Aleutian region in the 1970s was digitized and will soon be available online through the University of Alaska Fairbanks.The recordings were part of a school project that started in 1977 when a group of Unalaska students and their teacher Ray Hudson started collecting texts about the culture, language and history of the Aleutians. They called themselves the “Cuttlefish Class” – a name they picked out together – and they called their project the “Cuttlefish Series.”The students put together six hefty volumes meant to bring the island community and Unangax̂ culture into the classroom. They contain things like fishing stories, letters, recipes for alodics (an Unangax̂ form of fry bread), as well as memories from Makushin and the other lost villages that were forcibly evacuated during World War II.

Lydia Dirks is a 21-year-old Unangax̂ artist who takes her inspiration from her family, Unangax̂ heritage, and other Indigenous artists, and hopes to use her work to inspire others to find healing through art.

We are excited to share with you a collaborative project facilitated by Aleutians Pribilof Islands Association, The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, and…

Since mid-March, Unalaskans have been hunkering down and socially isolating due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time—and even now as the State of…

May 5 is National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.The missing and murdered Native women epidemic is an issue…