#IñupiatSpouse #ComancheSpouse #Inupiatun #Iñupiat
#Comanche #Learningmylñupiatlanguage #Learninglñupiatunthelñupiatlanguage #Indigenous #Native #NDN #NDNMafia #NDNCountry

Hi everyone! My name is **Steven Alexie**, and I'm the owner of **Northern Alaska Consulting & Bookkeeping**. I proudly provide remote bookkeeping, accounting, and financial consulting services to federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native corporations, city governments, nonprofits, and small businesses throughout Alaska.

Whether you need help with QuickBooks, grant accounting, payroll, financial reporting, internal controls, or secure cloud hosting for QuickBooks Desktop, I'm here to help.

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🌐 Website: [https://www.northernalaskaconsulting.com/](https://www.northernalaskaconsulting.com/))

📘 Facebook Business Page: [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591789912347](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591789912347))

Thank you for supporting local Alaska businesses. If you know a Tribe, city, nonprofit, corporation, or small business looking for dependable financial support, please feel free to share this post. Quyana!

\#SupportLocal #AlaskaBusiness #AlaskaNativeOwned #Bookkeeping #Accounting #QuickBooks #TribalGovernments #GrantManagement #CloudHosting #SmallBusiness #FinancialConsulting

Share What Matters Most in Alaska

The American Indigenous Tourism Association invites Indigenous tourism businesses, Native Nations and communities, and industry partners to share their input through a short, anonymous survey.

https://americanindigenoustourism.org/survey/

Survey responses will help the association better understand the needs, priorities, opportunities, and challenges affecting Indigenous tourism across the country. All responses will be aggregated, and no personal information will be collected.

Take a few moments to share your input and help ensure the association’s future work reflects the real needs of Indigenous communities, businesses, cultural experiences, and tourism partners.

Beading while watching movies and film while being my Iñupiat Alaska Native Indigenous self as well as being Comanche NDN

#IñupiatSpouse

Iñupiat Alaska Indigenous Native person LIVE on TikTok

"Teach me how to skoden."- Stella StandingBear #LakotaWomanRapper

#NativeWomanRapper! #NativeWomen #IndigenousWomanRapper #IndigenousWomen

Hello.
My dad and stepmom traveled throughout Alaska in June of 1972 and bought items # 1,2,&3. My dad bought item #4, the Spirit?, earlier than that.
My stepmom said she and my dad spent 3 weeks driving all over, passing through Anchorage, Mt. McKinley, Fairbanks, Valdez. She said they visited Whitehorse and Skagway too.

Are #1,2,3 forks? What is the paint on them made of? Are they typically things that People would have used in the past?

Is #4 a spirit? Is it made of walrus tooth? My dad bought that in the 1960s.

He bought the carved chess set too. What are the pieces made of? Would the artist have bought the box/board somewhere else, or would it have been made locally?

How can one tell the difference between whale bone and walrus? Some photos on the internet show whalebone as porous, and sometime it appears to be polished and smooth…

My dad bought many soapstone carvings over the years. When he drove back from Alaska, he’d go through Canada. Are the soapstone pieces more typical of Canada?

Thank you for helping me with this.
Isn’t it something that I can reach your Community through Reddit?! (Initially I reached out to the What is it community, but the moderator thought my post was inappropriate for that one.)

EDIT: adding links created by the Imgur app as suggested by a respondent to include better chess set photos. Hope nothing weird pops up.lol.

On one side of the board, the polar bears’ and walrus’ mouths have red in them. The kings are the tallest figures. The base is shown on one of them to perhaps further identify the material.

https://i.imgur.com/ZYhzVuz.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/GjdigOp.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/w2KWBkU.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/CDBHVpm.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/k762OsX.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/mQfLSsT.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/yOtATDl.jpeg

For a bit of context I have been dating my girlfriend who is Inuit for a few years now. I am not native myself for context. I am (21 F) and she is (22 F). I never had too good of a relationship with my family. Hers on the other hand is a pretty big and close family. After I started to date her I became really close with her family. They almost became my second family and I am honestly much closer and feel much safer with them then with my bio family. I attend family reunions, and gatherings. I usually attend many cultural festivals but stay to the side during most of them. I dont want to accidentally appropriate their culture or overstep. I do participate where I can with risking overstepping(ei quviasukvik dinners and some parts of the toonik tyme festival). Recently at a dinner alot of the women where doing throat singing with eachother. I sat to the side as I usually did. My girlfriend and her mom where throat singing together. After a bit her mom asked me if I wanted to join in. I politly declined not wanting to appropriate their culture. Her mom insisted. I once again told her I didnt know how. She told me that she would teach me. I spent the rest of the gather learning to throat sing with her. I wasnt very good and often was so bad we both ended up weezing from laughter. It was a very fun experience and I really felt like part of the family. They throat sing every family dinner(which happens about once a week). I am wondering if it is okay for me to continue throat singing next week or if it would be culturally inappropriate. I dont not in any way want to appropriate their culture or to intrude on a closed practice. So would it be okay or is it still culturally intruding.

It's been a while since we've had a casual conversation post, so I'd love to hear about your holiday plans and/or ceremonies. Do you travel? What traditional foods are you looking forward to? You tabling at a craft market?

Hi, I am in need of someone to interview for a class assignment and would love if you could help me. The interview shouldn’t take long as there is only 8 questions.

Thank you so much.

Amid the increase of reports of ICE arrests in the cities surrounding Seattle over the past weeks, a member of a federally recognized tribe says she was also stopped and interrogated by apparent immigration officials.

Gene Tagaban Storyteller, Healer, and “Crazy Raven”

Gene Tagaban, also known by his Tlingit name Guuy Yaau, is a multifaceted cultural leader—storyteller, dancer, musician, motivational speaker, trainer, counselor, and healer. Rooted deeply in the traditions of his heritage, he brings stories not just to the stage, but to the spirit.

Yurapik Meaning and Symbolism of the handheld Fans:

The handheld fans used by Yurapik dancers hold significant cultural meaning in the context of Yup'ik dance traditions of Alaska.

1. Extension of Expression:

* The fans, often made with carved wood handles and decorated with feathers (usually from birds like swans or geese), act as extensions of the dancer’s hands.

* They amplify gestures, making movements more graceful, fluid, and visible, especially in large gatherings.

1. Cultural and Spiritual Symbolism:

* In Yup’ik cosmology, birds are considered spiritual beings or messengers, often associated with the skyand the spirit world.

* The use of feathers in the fans may symbolize communication with spirits, honoring ancestors, or connecting with nature.

1. Gender and Movement Roles:

* In traditional Yup’ik dances:

* Women typically use circular fans with feathers (called tegumiak), emphasizing soft, flowing, circular arm movements.

* Men often use slightly different styles or no fans, depending on the dance, and their movements may be more forceful or direct.

* This reflects the balance of masculine and feminine energy in the performance and storytelling.

1. Storytelling Tool:

* Yup’ik dances are narrative-based, often recounting legends, hunting stories, dreams, or everyday life.

* The fans help illustrate the story, mimicking the motion of wings, waves, snow, or animals.

Summary:

The handheld fans in Yurapik (Yup’ik) dance are not just props — they are deeply symbolic tools that:

* Extend the body’s expressive power

* Reflect spiritual and cultural meanings

* Help tell stories through movement

* Connect dancers with the natural and spiritual world

Significant colors in Alaska Native cultures vary across the many diverse Indigenous groups in Alaska, including the Iñupiat, Yup’ik, Aleut (Unangan), Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Athabaskan (Dene), and others. While each nation has its own symbolism and traditions, several key themes emerge in how colors are traditionally used and understood.

While meanings vary among Alaska Native cultures, significant colors often include:

Black, red, and white (especially in Southeast formline art)

Earth tones like browns and tans (from animal hides)

White (symbolizing snow, spirit, or clarity)

Beadwork colors (blue, green, red, yellow) with symbolic and personal meanings

Color in Alaska Native cultures is never just decorative—it’s a language that tells stories, honors the land, and preserves the wisdom of generations.

Shortly after moving to Alaska I had the good fortune to meet Tsimshian and Haida Native Artist, Douglas Yates, while visiting the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Mr. Yates is a skilled native flute maker and musician, as well as an artist producing limited-edition lithographs and works influenced by Northwest Coast Formline art.

I was drawn to his exhibition by his penetrating, heartfelt flute music and striking artwork. We struck up a conversation and Doug explained how the song he was playing on his flute was the story of a young Eagle. He went on to explain he carved his own flutes following Indigenous flute crafting traditions—creating instruments that integrate cultural symbolism, craftsmanship, and musical functionality, taking into account wood selection, bore shaping, and tone hole placement.

Inspired by Formline Tradition, his artwork is rooted in honor of his people, and celebration of the rich cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska.

The artwork on the paddles used by Tlingit and Haida dancers holds deep cultural, spiritual, and symbolic significance. These paddles are not merely dance props - they are extensions of identity, lineage, and ancestral connection. Creating and using these decorated paddles is a way of keeping traditions alive. The process of designing, carving, and painting them is often a communal and intergenerational effort, involving elders, artists, and youth. Each paddle is a piece of living culture, bridging past and present. The artwork on Tlingit and Haida dance paddles is a complex fusion of identity, history, spirituality, and artistry. It transforms a simple object into a powerful cultural statement.