My Aana's Graduation

My grandma (aana) is one of the most inspiring and selfless people I know. She lives by what she preaches, and she is a true leader who, by her words in a speech to us at the Emerging Leaders Dialogue, is in it as a service to the people. She served on the Alaska Redistricting Board this year and is the President/CEO of NANA Regional Corporation... and all while doing this, she completed her Master's in Rural Development at UAF.

I attended her graduation and was so happy to be apart of it. I'm so proud of the person she is and what she has accomplished in her life, coming from not having much and becoming a single mother at the age of 18 with my beautiful mother. She's a great role model to myself and many other young leaders, and I'm proud to call her my aana and be named after her, both my middle name Marie and my Eskimo name Kasannaaluk.

My aana & I after her graduation


My aana - Master's degree graduate of UAF

Spring Time in Unalakleet

Spring time... it's my favorite! At least in Bush Alaska. Bird hunting, crabbing, ice fishing, emperatures are warmer, there's still snow, you can still ride snowmachines on the snow and on the water. It's just a happy time for me :) I went home to Unalakleet for my dad's birthday and Mother's Day; it was perfect timing, though it was a little early for the birds.

Out bird hunting, I didn't shoot anything, but I was completely content with life, sitting in the blind out on the flats. My dad was a "stay at home dad" when I was little (fished in the summers), so he took me where ever he went. Bird hunting in our family has been more than providing - it's bonding and spending quality time with each other without the distraction of Western technology (despite the fact that we have fun with our snowmachines and enjoy the water skipping portion of hunting). I love it and it will forever be my one of my favorite past times.

I also got to help my dad check their crab pots which they keep out from the time there's ice in the ocean until the spring. This is for subsistence purposes. In some of the pictures you can see Unalakleet right behind us, that's how close we are to town! It's a bountiful land that'll forever be home.

My brothers and I heading to the blind with our snowmachines


Here's my dad & I heading out when I was little with our hunting dog Jabbar


Crane flying over Unalakleet


My baby brother sitting in our blind


My dad, brothers Keoni & Gage, and little cousin Kanayaq pulling crab pots from the ice


My brothers & I with the crab we got from two pots

Arctic Man 2K11! 26th Annual!

In Alaska, people anticipate this event all year. Snowmachiners, snowboarders, skiiers, partiers... everyone ready to have some fun, let loose, watch some good ol' action on snow. About 10-12,000 people attend every year, all camping out on one pad below the Hoodoo Mountains by Summit Lake, Alaska.

The race starts at the "Tit", where the skiier or snowboarder heads down the mountain. Then they hook up to their teammate who is on a snowmachine, who takes them for part of the track, and near the end the skiier releases off the tow rope and heads down the mountain. It's a five mile course, with the record running around 4 minutes to make it down.

Our crew headed up early Thursday and was there the entire weekend until Sunday afternoon. I'm well worn out, my body sore from riding (snowmachine) and snowboarding on Friday and Saturday, and very tired from the lack of sleep. It was definitely one of the most epic weekends I've had in my entire life, but I am very glad it only comes once a year! Party on Wayne!

Arctic Man racers:


Nina & I excited to be there! Coincidentally stopped outside the Trooper station:


Me at the top of the Tit getting ready to board down:


My crazy friend Lou havin fun in the amazing snow:


Excited to head up to the mountain!:


Only the greatest crew aka Team Imiq!: