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ANUNIAQTI The Hunter

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NANA is owned by the more than 15,000 Iñupiat shareholders who live in or have roots in northwest Alaska.

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NANA is pleased to honor Nellie Kuugaatchiaġruaq

NANA is pleased to honor Nellie Kuugaatchiaġruaq Ballot as our 2023 Elder of the Year!

Nellie is from Noorvik, her parents are the late Clarence and Dorcas Jackson. When Nellie was growing up, she spent a lot of time with her grandparents, Isaac and Jennie Jackson. Nellie and her husband, Hendy Sr., have six children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

From a young age, Nellie knew she wanted to help children in her area and has spent 25 years working as the Noorvik Indian Child Welfare Act coordinator. Nellie’s work is vital; it takes a large amount of emotional strength. She says that the Iñupiat Iḷitqusiat value of piqpaksriłiq iḷiḷgaanik (love for children) is what has kept her in this role. She represents the tribe in court matters. There have been times when Nellie has been able to intervene so that children are not taken out of Noorvik for foster care placement. Instead of having them sent away, she works hard to ensure placement with relatives or community members until families can be reunified. Nellie says, “Everybody makes mistakes. We need to give parents a chance to rebuild themselves when they stumble. It’s what is best for our community, and it is what is best for our children. We cannot let our children be taken away from their village and separated from our way of life.”

When she is not working, Nellie is busy volunteering. She enjoys being around the students at the Noorvik school and encouraging them in any way she can. She also provides important support to school staff, who rely on her cultural knowledge and intricate ties to the community to better understand and serve the students. Nellie is chair of the Noorvik Elders council, a member of the regional Elders council, serves on the regional school board, the Alaska Native Indian Child Welfare Act board and the Inuit Circumpolar Council board.

Taikuu, Nellie, for all that you have done to perpetuate the Iñupiaq culture and for the positive impact you have on our people.

Niqipiaq translates to ‘real food,’ a word use

Niqipiaq translates to ‘real food,’ a word used to describe what is harvested from our land and waters to eat. Niqipiaq comes in many forms: seal oil, smoked salmon, dried caribou, fresh berries and more. Learning to harvest and preserve different kinds of niqipiaq is knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation.

NANA recognizes that subsistence is the highest and best use of our lands. Our corporation is committed to protecting traditional activities and subsistence resources.

What is your favorite kind of niqipiaq? Is there someone who taught you how to harvest or prepare Iñupiaq food items?

It’s a wonderful time of year as we begin to cel

It’s a wonderful time of year as we begin to celebrate graduations!

We want to congratulate our NANA shareholder and descendant graduates from preschool to post-graduate! Email your graduation photos, graduate’s name, school name, as well as the grade or program name, by Thursday, June 15!

The photos we collect will be shared in the Hunter and on our Facebook page. In the meantime, congratulations to the Shungnak High School class of 2023! Pictured here: Devin Cleveland, Nakauraq Woods, Sara Tickett, Shaylene Sheldon, Jered Lee and Mark Griest. Not pictured: Shauna Penn and Marie Tickett.

NANA’s Kotzebue headquarters staff made the most

NANA’s Kotzebue headquarters staff made the most of their day off last week to go ice fishing!

Pictured, back row left to right: Donene Stein, Elizabeth Ferguson, Andrea Bailey, Ray Schaeffer, Mickey Jorgensen, and Aya Goodwin.

Front row left to right: Nina Lie, Alyssa Schaeffer, Joanne Harris, Lucy Nelson, Ann Howarth, Corita Thomas, Ruth Moto, and guest Connie Thomas.

NANA leadership is wrapping up a busy week in Wash

NANA leadership is wrapping up a busy week in Washington D.C., where we attended meetings to discuss the proposed Ambler Access Project (AAP) with members of congress and federal agencies, alongside Tribal officials and industry leaders. In the meetings, NANA shared our position that we strongly support a transparent public and Tribal consultation process to evaluate the AAP. We also shared that we support timely completion of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement by the Bureau of Land Management, as it will provide the public and stakeholders like NANA with additional information to make an informed decision about the project.

Our subsistence way of life depends on smart, responsible development that ensures a sustainable future for our region and the generations of Iñupiat to come. NANA appreciated participating in the discussions this week in Washington and we look forward to continued engagement around the project.

NANA is a proud sponsor of the Arctic Encounters S

NANA is a proud sponsor of the Arctic Encounters Symposium, a gathering that brought together over 1,000 leaders from more than 25 countries.

As part of the Arctic Encounters activities, NANA was very excited to see three of our shareholders whose innovative designs were featured in the 4th Annual Far North Fashion Show held at the Anchorage Museum. Rocking the runway were designs by Alannah Jones, Clara Qaulluq McConnell and Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer. Before a standing-room-only crowd, each designer showcased creations inspired by traditional life in our region with a modern twist.

Nanġagiptigin! Congratulations to these designers!

Photo credit: Arctic Encounters

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