Willow Morrow
Professor Middleton
ENG 101
26 November 2018
A Big Issue in the Biggest State
Alaskans consider their uniqueness to be one of their defining features; from cultures and traditions to food and activities, Alaska is like no other. These aspects all stem from the culmination of the lives and histories within the state, primarily those of Alaskan natives. The areas of the state that embrace their native history and culture are those who reap the most benefits, such as southeast Alaska. Unfortunately, the past and present of Alaskan natives mirrors the paths of struggles faced by other minority groups across time, but change is always achievable, and the increasing of Alaskan native presence on the Kenai Peninsula would better their lives as well as the livelihood of the state. Such a shift would require small steps, but the hardest part of any journey is having the courage to start.
Alaskan natives on the Kenai Peninsula, and more specifically the Kenai-Soldotna region, do not receive the same recognition that other native groups in the state do. The first step in understanding why this is comes from an understanding of the region’s history. The Kenai Peninsula is located in Southcentral Alaska, resting just beneath the state’s largest city, Anchorage. The name of the peninsula is derived from the indigenous people that originally inhabited the land, the Kenaitze Athabascan natives. After having their territory seized by the Russians and sold to the U.S, natives across the state have fought long and hard to have the same rights as other citizens and to be treated as equals. Despite gaining these basic human rights, the experiences and hardships of natives in Kenai remain, for the most part, ignored. As a result, they are amongst those who face the highest rates of accidental deaths, suicides, alcoholism, homicides, fetal alcohol syndrome, and domestic violence in the United States (cite this). These issues are more prominent amongst those on the peninsula than they are in regions of the state such as southeast; the Kenaitze Athabascans see less of their traditional life recognized, less of their art displayed, and therefore face the consequences unfairly brought upon them by their suppressors. Because of this, southeast should serve as a guide on how to combat these issues more effectively.
An even deeper understanding from working in Native volunteer groups allows for practical solutions to be proposed. Being a regular volunteer for the Tlingit organization Braveheart Volunteers over the summers in Sitka as well as a former member of the Kenaitze Dena’ina Youth Council in Kenai has allotted me a grander view of the cause and effect of ignorance. The most prominent native volunteer organization in Sitka is Braveheart Volunteers, which focuses on care for elders in the community, while Kenai’s volunteer organizations focus on issues faced by natives in the community, ranging from suicide rates amongst youth to trash pickups on native owned beaches by out of state dipnetters. These drastically different issues not only reflect the well-being of their respective communities, but the treatment and mindset towards natives in them as well. As Nadia Walluk, an Education Committee member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe experienced, “Tlingits are way more represented in the Sitka area more so than the Dena’ina Athabascans in Kenai… I felt throughout high school that people held unfair stereotypes about me, for example, I was called an ‘alcoholic native’.” Treatments such as these are why so many of the natives in the region develop problems, something that Walluk and many others are working towards preventing. This prejudice and hatred stems from a lack of understanding and empathy from fellow citizens of the state, something that has long since plagued the world as a whole, but can be stopped one land at a time.
The solution to the under representation of Kenaitze Athabascan natives in Kenai would not be a simple cure all action, but rather a well thought out plan that would gradually see permanent change within the community. Following the lead of Sitka, there are many easily achievable steps that could kick start a potentially catalystic movement. Starting small, the city of Kenai could begin by presenting art of the natives throughout town, from projects as small as art fairs to as large as public works projects, Alaskan Native has always been popular–amongst tourists and locals alike. These would generate more attention and affection towards natives in the area, spurring supporters to look more into their causes and issues as seen in Sitka. Art fairs, farmer’s markets, performances, and public works projects dominate southeast and their positive influence is quite easily seen through the overall higher satisfaction and happiness of natives there. Art fairs are a feature present in Kenai, but they are not heavily publicized, “On the first Tuesday of every month the natives have an art fair event with booths where people can buy and sell artwork, I’d like to see this made more public…” says Nadia Walluk. Another solution that is heavily utilized in southeast due to its success is the incorporation of Alaskan Native history in elementary school, being taught in each grade up until high school, where it becomes optional. This allows children to grow up with an understanding and respect towards native culture and native people. This could be achieved by members of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s education committee working with the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, whose headquarters are within close proximity to those of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s. Raising awareness is one of the first steps to solving a problem, and it is through these methods that attention can effectively be drawn. Not only are these methods achievable, as evidenced by their success in Southeast, but they're practical as well–they've been attained elsewhere and therefore can be in Kenai too. Anyone can help by supporting the work of natives and taking the time to learn more about them.
People in the Kenai region may argue against such support however, not due to underlying hatred but because of the belief that enough is already being done to support the Kenaitze Athabascans. Over the years, Alaska Natives have seen improvement in income, education, health care, and living conditions–largely thanks to federal programs and grants (cite this). They may also argue that schools have already begun placing native history into the curriculum, especially in high schools in the district, since AK History is now a required course to graduate from high school. While these may hold their merit, they don’t answer why the issues have yet to disappear or show any sort of significant decrease. While natives do receive plenty of funding, that money cannot buy the riddance of prejudice that has been instilled by generations of people on the peninsula. Also, even though AK History is now needed to graduate from high schools on the peninsula, similar requirements are not present any earlier than that. The course itself does not focus heavily on the lives and cultures of Native Alaskans either, but rather as a general history course of the state. Those who argue that enough is being done must look not at what has been done, but look at the problems that are still prevalent and haunt the peninsula.
What each change would bring
Validity