This bilingual volume focuses on the teachings, experience, and practical wisdom of expert Native orators as they instruct a younger generation about their place in the world. In carefully crafted presentations, Yup?ik elders speak about their "rules for right living"?values, beliefs, and practices?which illuminate the enduring and still relevant foundations of their culture today. While the companion volume Wise Words of the Yup'ik People weaves together hundreds of statements by Yup?ik elders on the values that guide human relationships, Yup?ik Words of Wisdom highlights the words of expert orators and focuses on key conversations that took place among elders and younger community members as the elders presented their perspectives on the moral underpinnings of Yup?ik social relations. ø The orators in this volume?including Frank Andrew from Kwigillingok, David Martin from Kipnuk, and Nelson Island elders Paul John and Thersea Moses?were raised in isolated Yup'ik communities in southeastern Alaska and were educated much like their parents and grandparents. ø Translated, edited, and organized for a general audience, this bilingual edition is for those who want to know not only what the elders have to say but also how they say it.

The Yup'ik people of southwestern Alaska were some of the last Arctic peoples to come into contact with non-Natives, and as a result, Yup?ik language and many traditions remain vital into the twenty-first century. Wise Words of the Yup?ik People documents their qanruyutet (adages, words of wisdom, and oral instructions) regarding the proper living of life. Throughout history, these distinctive wise words have guided the relations between men and women, parents and children, siblings and cousins, fellow villagers, visitors, strangers, and even with non-Natives. Yup?ik elders have chosen to share these wise words during Calista Elders Council gatherings and conventions since 1998 for instrumental reasons?because of their continued relevance and power to change lives. ø The Calista Elders Council, which represents some thirteen hundred Yup'ik elders, recently spearheaded efforts at cultural revitalization through gatherings with younger community members. In describing the content of traditional instruction as well as its central motivation??We talk to you because we love you??elders not only educate Yup?ik young people but also open a window into their view of the world for all of us. ø Wise Words of the Yup?ik People will serve as a valuable resource for the Yup'ik people and those who wish to learn more about their lives and values.

Ellavut / Our Yup'ik World and Weather is a result of nearly ten years of gatherings among Yup'ik elders to document the qanruyutet (words of wisdom) that guide their interactions with the environment. In an effort to educate their own young people as well as people outside the community, the elders discussed the practical skills necessary to live in a harsh environment, stressing the ethical and philosophical aspects of the Yup'ik relationship with the land, ocean, snow, weather, and environmental change, among many other elements of the natural world. At every gathering, at least one elder repeated the Yup'ik adage, "The world is changing following its people." The Yup'ik see environmental change as directly related not just to human actions, such as overfishing or burning fossil fuels, but also to human interactions. The elders encourage young people to learn traditional rules and proper behavior--to act with compassion and restraint--in order to reverse negative impacts on their world. They speak not only to educate young people on the practical skills they need to survive but also on the knowing and responsive nature of the world in which they live.

This book brings together as complete a record of traditional Yupik rules and rituals as is possible in the late twentieth century. Incorporating elders' recollections of the system of ruled boundaries and ritual passages that guided their parents and grandparents a century ago, Ann Fienup-Riordan brings into focus the complex, creative Yupik world view - expressed by ceremonial exchanges and the cycling of names, gifts, and persons - which continues to shape daily life in communities along the Bering Sea coast. Her analysis is illustrated with many contemporary and historical photographs. Identifying "metaphors to live by, " Fienup-Riordan tells of "the Boy Who Went to Live with Seals" and "the Girl Who Returned from the Dead." She explains how in Yupik cosmology their stories illustrate relationships among human beings, animals, and the spirit world - the "boundaries and passages" between death and the renewal of life.

The Yup'ik people of southwest Alaska were among the last Arctic peoples to come into contact with non‑Natives, and as a result, Yup'ik language and many traditions remain vital into the twenty‑first century. Wise Words of the Yup'ik People documents their qanruyutait (adages, words of wisdom, and oral instructions) regarding the proper living of life. Throughout history these distinctive adages have guided the relations between men and women, parents and children, siblings and cousins, fellow villagers, visitors, strangers, and non‑Natives. Yup'ik elders have chosen to share these adages during Calista Elders Council gatherings and conventions since 1998 because of their continued relevance and power to change lives. The Calista Elders Council (now Calista Education and Culture) recently spearheaded efforts at cultural revitalization through gatherings with younger community members. By describing the content of traditional instruction as well as its central motivation--"We talk to you because we love you"--elders not only educate Yup'ik young people but also open a window into their view of the world for all of us. A new introduction explores this book's impact over the past decade. Wise Words of the Yup'ik People will continue to serve as a valuable resource for the Yup'ik people and those who wish to learn more about their lives and values.

Before it was written, this book was spoken. For ten winter days in 1977, the orator Paul John—widely respected as a dean of Yup’ik elders, and recognized for his tireless advocacy of Yup’ik language and traditions—held an audience of Yup’ik students rapt at Nelson Island High School, in southwest Alaska. Hour after hour he spoke to the young people, sharing life experiences and Yup’ik narratives, never repeating a tale. Now, more than a quarter-century after Paul John’s extraordinary performance, Sophie Shield’s translations and Ann Fienup-Riordan’s editing have brought his words back to life, and to a new audience. This book records one elder’s attempt to create a moral universe for future generations through stories about the special knowledge of the Yup’ik people. Tales both authentically Yup’ik and marked by Paul John’s own unique innovations are presented in a bilingual edition, with Yup’ik and English text presented in facing pages. As Paul John says, "In this whole world, whoever we are, if people speak using their own language, they will be presenting their identity and it will be their strength."

Photographic record of the contemporary lives of Yup'ik people of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska, demonstrating integration of traditional and 'outside' lifestyles.

Yup'ik elders of southwest Alaska recall, "Our ancestors were never heavy with a tool kit." They carried in their minds what they needed to live rich lives in the harsh environment of the Bering Sea coast. Frank Andrew, Sr. (1917-2006), was one of the few elders to bring this knowledge into the twenty-first century. Not only did Frank Andrew possess knowledge and wisdom--he shared it. For five years before his death he worked tirelessly with Yup'ik translators Alice Rearden and Marie Meade and anthropologist Ann Fienup-Riordan to document his knowledge of life on the Bering Sea coast. What he shared is specific to the Canineq (lower coastal) area at the mouth of the Kuskokwim River. When he talked about kayak building, tomcod fishing, or bird hunting, it was based on his own experience in the area surrounding Kwigillingok, where he spent his life. His unprecedented depth of knowledge and eloquent storytelling inspired this book. Paitarkiutenka / My Legacy to Youis the bilingual companion volume toYuungnaqpiallerput / The Way We Genuinely Live: Masterworks of Yup'ik Science and Survival, which gives readers a sense of the complexity and variety of Yup'ik tools and technology. Paitarkiutenka offers greater detail about working with wood, kayak construction, and coastal hunting. Stories and information on seasonal activities in the Canineq area appear here for the first time. This book acknowledges the enormous amount of information and remarkable skills that each individual needed to live life on the Bering Sea coast; it is Frank Andrew's legacy to us all.

Making up more than ten percent of Alaska's population, Native Alaskans are the state's largest minority group. Yet most non-Native Alaskans know surprisingly little about the histories and cultures of their indigenous neighbors, or about the important issues they face. This concise book compiles frequently asked questions and provides informative and accessible responses that shed light on some common misconceptions. With responses composed by scholars within the represented communities and reviewed by a panel of experts, this easy-to-read compendium aims to facilitate a deeper exploration and richer discussion of the complex and compelling issues that are part of Alaska Native life today.