February greetings, dear friends and relatives,
This month we are updating you on the latest about The Wisdom Project and our plans for April film screenings and community consultations. These films, being produced by Lawrence Johnson and Wisdom of the Elders, Inc., will feature Inupiaq and Athabascan response to environmental and climate issues. We share traditional ecological knowledge, including oral history, cultural arts and the astute observation of our elders as they discuss the beauty of subsistence living in Alaska and threats to their way of life. In my village of Anvik on the Yukon River, our Caribou People have thrived for 14,500 years, despite threats from a severe sub-arctic environment. You can read about it below.
Our Indiegogo campaign is launching this week thanks to our Development Intern, Danielle Radacosky-Pentoney, AKA Dani. We are raising funds for Wisdom’s upcoming climate radio series. (Yes, radio series and film series!) Wisdom of the Elders Radio Program: Series Four is funded by National Endowment for the Arts, but we must raise 1:1 matching funds. So we are asking our community for assistance to accomplish this. Our production team of 12 is very committed to our work, despite the fact that they are very under-paid for their skills and talents. We are trying to be fair to them and provide production fees that are more than mere stipends. If you can help us network among your friends and colleagues and let them know to check it out, it will help us produce the first two in this series of 8 magnificent one-hour radio programs, which will be produced over the next two years.
The much-awaited visit of Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame is happening next Friday. We hope you will join us Valentine’s Day evening when Peter and his son Christopher Yarrow gift the Peter Yarrow Benefit Concert to our community. It is titled “An Evening and Love and Laughter” by our stage director, Chris Vontanner who has been busy working his magic to decorate the stage. You can tune in to a live interview with Peter and Christopher Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m., at our Media Sponsor KBOO Radio, 90.7 FM. For any of you who haven’t been listening in, KBOO has been airing Wisdom of the Elders Radio Series weekly on Thursday evenings at 6 PM. Thanks, KBOO!
Finally, I’m sharing another excerpt from Alaska, from fellow Athabascan, Allen Stevens in this month’s e-newsletter. I put this article at the end of the articles because I realize the quotes I select are a little long. I can’t help it. Everything in Alaska is expansive. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, it’s okay. But for those interested in village life in Alaska and the intersection of science and culture (STEAM*), then you can read about Allen and his story. He must live in urban Anchorage to support his family, but his heart is in moose country at Stevens Village.
*STEAM is science, technology, engineering, ARTS, and math!
The Wisdom Project: Film Screenings and Community Climate Consultations
Peter Yarrow and Wisdom featured on KBOO FM
Wisdom of the Elders Indiegogo Campaign for Climate Radio Series
Film and transcripts of Alaska Native elders
