Our Corporation’s motto is “cutting a path to a better future,” and we understand not everyone’s path is going to look the same. We work to provide programs, services, and opportunities to benefit all our Shareholders, wherever they are on their path, so they can be successful and self-sustainable.
In the last year, we launched new programs and services, made improvements to programs and services we already offer, and we hosted a variety of cultural and professional learning opportunities for our Shareholders in-region and in Anchorage.
CULTURAL LEARNING
Beaded Dentalium Earrings Class
In October, TKC partnered with Mikngayak to host a Beaded Dentalium Earring Class at our Anchorage office. Everyone who attended went home with a pair of beautiful beaded dentalium earrings along with the knowledge and skills to continue crafting!
“I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to attend this class! I learned several new skills and had a lot of fun!” one of the participants shared. Another participant commented, “Thank you, Mikngayak, Adrian and TKC for offering and hosting this fun class! It was so good!”
During the Middle Kuskokwim Gathering held Nov. 7-8 in Aniak, we invited event attendees and Aniak community members for a craft night. Those who joined us had the opportunity to also learn how to make the beaded dentalium earrings made during the October class, or they could work on a craft of their own. Craft night participants stayed late into the evening working on their beautiful hand-made projects.
Mukluk Making Class
TKC partnered with local seamstress Sally Hoffman to offer an in-region Baby Mukluk Making Class at Arviiq Center in Aniak. The three-day class was held Nov. 1-3 and 10 people participated. Everyone who attended learned to sew infant/toddler-sized mukluks or kameksak out of beaver fur, calf skin, and deer leather.
Qaspeq Making Class
We also hosted a Qaspeq Making Class with artist and owner of Frozen Stitches, Emily Leon. The two-day class was held Dec. 14 and 15 at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. All materials and sewing machines were provided and participants went home with a handmade qaspeq. “It was a great opportunity for use Shareholders that live in Anchorage,” said TKC Shareholder Amanda Hoffman who attended the class.
If you or someone you know is interested in teaching a class or hosting an event to promote cultural learning, please contact us at info@kuskokwim.com or message us on TKC’s Facebook page. Classes and events can be held in-person or online over Zoom.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Spill Response Training
As part of TKC’s Surface Use Agreement with Donlin Gold LLC, Donlin assists in providing Spill Response Training on an annual basis for residents from TKC communities. TKC and Donlin partnered to host a 24-hour spill response training in the Arviiq Training Center in Aniak from Oct 8-10th, 2024. Chadeaux Spill Responders taught the course, with 17 students from the TKC region. Villages that had participants in the training were from Aniak, Kalskag, Crooked Creek, Sleetmute, Chuathbaluk, and Lower Kalskag. The goal of the annual course is to have a trained workforce in the closest communities to assist with any emergency oil spill response operations. The training also includes an annual hazwopper training and is available to local residents in TKC’s 10 villages.
Toyostove Maintenance and Repair Training
In partnership with Aniak Traditional Council, TKC offered a Toyostove Maintenance and Repair Training from Nov. 18-22 at the Aniak Traditional Council’s Shop. The class was taught by Lucas Salzbrun from Rural Services Solutions. Nine people from the TKC region participated.
After the training, we were excited to learn that one of the participants, Evan Savage, Jr. from Kalskag, returned home and put what he learned in this training to immediate use. He began installing new Toyostoves in homes of Elders who needed them and ordering parts for Toyostoves that were in need of maintenance work or repair. Evan also shared the knowledge he learned in the training with his co-worker at Village of Lower Kalskag, Pete Sam, and together they worked to install Toyostoves for Tribal members who received assistance through the AVCP RHA Homeowner’s Assistance and AVCP Inc. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs.
“Classes like this are very helpful to our communities because we cannot simply call service repairmen when things need to be installed or fixed and most people cannot leave their villages for weeks or months to attend trainings away from home,” said Phyllis Evan, Tribal Administrator for the Village of Lower Kalskag. “We keep a list of people who have attended trainings as a resource to call upon when needed. This knowledge will continue to help our communities and we look forward to sending more community members to future trainings at Arviiq.”
Make sure to follow the Arviiq Center on Facebook for the latest information about our professional development opportunities. If there is a class you would like to see us host, or if you are interested in partnering with TKC to host a professional development class, please contact us at training@kuskokwim.com or message us on Facebook.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Elders & Youth Conference Sponsorship
To encourage intergenerational learning and sharing, through our TKC ROOTS program, we sponsored a group of Shareholder Elders and Youth (Grades 7 -12) to attend the First Alaskans Institute’s 2024 Elders & Youth Conference.
The four-day conference was held Oct. 13-16 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage. The theme this year was “Our Land, Our Food – We are Living Our Indigenous Ways of Life,” which was translated from Dinjii Zhuh K’yàa Zhit Gwarandaii in the language of the Gwich’in people. The experience allowed people from different generations to come together, heal in a cultural dynamic, discuss important issues faced from people all across Alaska, and learn from one another.
Each day the Elders and youth all wrote down what they took away from the conference and planned to share what they learned from the workshops they attended, as well as the speakers and dance groups that performed, to their families and communities. Participants were able to bring home a project they made in one of their workshops which included rose palms, pickled fish, and jarred herring eggs.
Overall the conference was a success and knowledge was taught of the Gwich’in people and culture.
TKC Nau
Earlier this year, we announced the launch of TKC Nau, our Youth Development Scholarship. This scholarship is intended to provide support for the personal, academic, and social growth of our younger Shareholders, ages 3 through the 12th grade.
Since the launch, we’ve awarded 27 Scholarships to our youth. Funding from these scholarships helped pay for sports registration fees, winter break camp fees, swimming lessons, skiing lessons, travel for competition, as well as materials for art classes and equipment for sports.
Learn more about the TKC Nau scholarship and apply online here.
