Atautchimukta - To be United
This dance group is formed with members of the community who include Anchorage, Nome, Teller, Pt Hope, Noorvik, Selawik, Savoonga, and Wainwright. We have come together to unite as one sharing songs and dances which have been passed down from our ancestors of the Seward Peninsula and the Arctic Slope and also new songs that have been composed by the next generation of tradition bearers. By combining our communities to form this group we demonstrate the friendships and bonds we have created to ensure the passing on of our culture to our younger generations for many years to come.
Aangun Yatx’i
We are an Angoon based dance group formed in February of 2014 by Senator Albert M. Kookesh and his wife, Sally. The name: Aangun Yatx'i translates into the Children of Angoon. The group consists of Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Athabaskan, Yupik, and Caucasian children. The purpose of the formation of the group is to give our children the opportunity to represent their grandfather’s people by dancing and singing the songs of our traditional clans. It is important to the group that the children learn all aspects of their traditional ways of life as well as their Native culture. No one is discouraged from joining the dance group as we are accepting to all who want to learn the ways of our ancestors.
Barrow Dancers
The Barrow Dancers are from Barrow, Alaska. They will be performing motion dances that have been handed down from generation to generation, bartered, traded or created.
Minto Dancers
We are the Minto Dance Group. Minto is a Lower-Tanana Athabascan village located northwest of Fairbanks. For countless centuries, the people of Minto have lived and subsisted on the Minto Flats in the Interior of Alaska. Minto was originally located on the banks of the Tanana River but moved to its current location in the 1970s due to flooding. Minto is accessible by road, boat or air. Although Minto people currently live in various locations throughout Alaska and the Lower 48, our traditions are still strong and keep us connected. We all grew up learning our songs and dances, including the old memorial songs called Dra’ta’chalee’. Our group of dancers is composed of the people who live in and outside of Minto. We all worked together to practice our songs and dances, learning and teaching each other so that we can share with all of you. Ana Basee.’
Anchorage Unangax Dancers
The Anchorage Unangax Dancers were formed several years ago, so that our children living far from Unangam Tanaa, the Unangax homeland, could participate in their culture. The group has grown over the years, and we are proud to represent every Unangax tribe and village. Our dancers descend from villages throughout the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, Shumagin Islands and the western Alaska Peninsula, as well as the Commander Islands in Russia. The songs we performed tonight, excluding the Koryak trade song, were composed in Atka by Anakuchax, Kdam Idigaa, Qanglaagix, Qagnax, Aanakliitax, Tang^aagim Ayagaa, and Tugidam Ayagaa, amongst others.
Qikiqtagruk Northern Lights Dancers of Kotzebue
The Qikiktagruk Northern Lights Dancers are from Kotzebue. Their dance group is embraced by many descendants from the original Northern Lights Dancers who originated from Kotzebue, Kivalina, Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright and Barrow. Carrying on their traditions, they continue to teach the original dances throughout the NANA Region with strong success in villages of Noatak and Kivalina. They also have continuous international ties with the Russian villages of Chukotka, Uelen, Lavrentiya and Provideniya where they have exchanged dances and worked together to bridge the gap between Alaska and Far East Russia. Qikiktagruk’s motto is: “Dancing in the shadows of our elders.”
Kluti-Kaah Dancers (Copper Center)
Kluti-Kaah is located in the heart of the Ahtna Region where the general population resides along the Old Richardson Highway. The exterior boundaries of the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah extend to and include all lands customarily and traditionally used or owned by the Kluti-Kaah Native people along the Copper River since time immemorial. The dancers are made up of Neltsiine, Taltsiine, Tsisyu, and Udzisyu of all age groups.
Nelson Island Dancers (Toksook Bay)
The Nelson Island Dancers were created back in the fall of 2004 for the students of Nelson Island School. The Nelson Island Dancers performed at Cam’ai in Bethel for the first time in 2005. They later performed at the State NYO Championship in Anchorage from 2005-2009. In 2010, they performed for the Alaska Association of School Boards for the annual meeting in Anchorage. The dance team has performed for the local community and the LKSD Dance Festival held each year. The Spring of 2015, the team was given the chance to perform once again in Bethel for Cam’ai. That same year, they performed in Anchorage for the AFN Convention. In 2016 we were privileged to perform in Fairbanks for the AFN Convention again. The dance team is fortunate to be able to keep the culture going and thrilled to perform for you once again.