I thought the saying "If you don't know where you came from then you don't know where you're headed" fit very nicely with this question and it's one that I've seen resonate in lectures, text books, and various communication I've had with native leaders. I had the pleasure of taking Paul Ongtooguk's Multicultural Counseling class a couple years ago which was really eye-opening to me. The class immediately broke down some superficial knowledge I had about the Alaskan Native people and then started to rebuild it.
Professor Ongtooguk spoke of how the Alaskan Native people are primarily to blame for their youths' inadequate understanding of Alaskan history.
Of course, the white man didn't help this cause while introducing various illnesses in the early 1900's (e.g., the Great Death) but he wanted to make sure that the current elders try not to use that as the primary reason that so many Alaskan Native youth are in need of an Alaskan Native identity and instead work on educating them on why this culture has survived for thousands of years.
I see this happening, especially at the high school level in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley where the school district helps fund the Native Youth Olympics each year (I'm currently in my third year as Head Coach at Burchell High School). I look forward to doing my part at educating the youth in my area about the amazing culture that has been here and will remain here for years to come.
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