Yup’ik,

The Yup’iks of southwest Alaska and the Iñupiats of north Alaska have very different languages, but they share some of the same customs. Most Yup’iks and Iñupiats have a subsistence way of life. That means they fish and hunt for survival, not for sport. Hunting for food is serious business; they always thank the animal for giving them food to eat.

The whole family shares in catching and preparing the salmon, as the catch has to last through the winter. Some parents work in the schools, government offices, radio and television stations, and sawmills. Still others earn a living by selling traditional arts of grass baskets, walrus ivory carvings, dolls, or the famous musk-ox wool clothing. Did you know that musk-ox wool is the lightest, warmest wool in the world?

You may think it snows all the time, but it doesn’t. In the summer the tundra is covered with wildflowers, and children pick berries and wild celery. Kids attend summer camps like the Iñupiat Camp Sivunniigvik, which means “place of planning” in the Iñupiat language, to learn culture and language. It’s fun learning traditional games like the blanket toss. Some say hunters could spot game over the horizon by bouncing so high.

In Yup’ik camps children learn many of the ancient dances that tell a story, along with some new ones, like “We Were Flying in a Plane and Almost Crashed!” There aren’t many roads here, so people get around by plane or boat.

Have you ever seen the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics on television? In July, Native people from all over compete in games like Ear Pull, Knuckle Hop, and Toe Kick. There’s lots of dancing, singing, and feasting, too. Although it is competitive, children are usually taught to cooperate rather than compete. In the harsh northern environment, it is necessary to care for one another so everyone can survive.