The Elders’ Wish

Gambell, AlaskaSt. Lawrence Island Yup'ik Land

Film by Luzviminda Dinglasan

St. Lawrence Island elders Michael Apatiki and Beulah Nowpakahok describe traditional methods of food preservation in the Siberian Yupik culture, including walrus meatballs and local plants. They discuss the importance of preserving the unique and beautiful traditional Siberian Yupik language, and their hope for youth to continue speaking the language. The film includes comments on the impacts of climate change on subsistence.

This film was created at See Stories’ Professional Development Retreat for Educators in Homer Alaska, in June 2024 as part of the Digital Storytelling as a Culturally Responsive Teaching Tool course.

Lesson Plans

The Elders Wish

The film highlighted the two most unique cultures of the Siberian Yupik people: the traditional way of preserving food during […]

Classroom Guide

Essential Questions

How did the Sivuqaq people use their traditional knowledge, skills, and practices to sustain their subsistence lifestyle?
What natural resources did they use to preserve their harvested teghikusat (animals) and nunivagseghat (plants)?
How does the changing environment affect the subsistence lifestyle of the Sivuqaq people?
What is the impact of translating Yupik into English? How does the translation change the dialect of the current generation?

Standards

Alaska State Standards HS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to the adaptation of populations. HS-LS2-6. Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. HS-ESS2-4. Use a model to describe how variations in energy flow into and out of Earth’s systems result in climate changes. HS-ESS3-5. Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts on Earth's systems.
Alaska Cultural Standards Culturally knowledgeable students are well grounded in the cultural heritage and traditions of their community 4. practice their traditional responsibilities to the surrounding environment; 5. reflect through their actions the critical role that the local heritage language plays in fostering a sense of who they are and how they understand the world around them; Culturally knowledgeable students can build on the knowledge and skills of the local cultural community as a foundation from which to achieve personal and academic success throughout life. 2. make effective use of the knowledge, skills, and ways of knowing from their cultural traditions to learn about the larger world in which they live. Culturally knowledgeable students can actively participate in various cultural environments 1. perform subsistence activities in ways that are appropriate to local cultural traditions; Culturally knowledgeable students can engage effectively in learning activities based on traditional ways of knowing and learning. 5. Identify and utilize appropriate sources of cultural knowledge to find solutions to everyday problems.

Resources

Workshop Info

These films were created at See Stories' Professional Development Retreat for Educators in Homer Alaska, in June 2024 as part of the Digital Storytelling as a Culturally Responsive Teaching Tool course.