Nunaniuryuraqama: Maintaining Self Through Environmental Energy

Nunaniuryuraqama: Maintaining Self Through Environmental Energy is presented by Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and AK EnergySmart.

Mayaq Irussaar Qip’arluk Kagganaq Maangyaar (Valerie Tony) is the latest representation of her Yup’ik and Sup’ik ancestry of the Kuigpak Tradition, geographically the Lower Yukon Delta. She is an interpreter of the Kuigpak oral history and strives to help others interpret and understand Yup’ik/Sup’ik spirituality. In this video she shares a song her father wrote in the tradition of Yuraq. Yuraq is a way to tell stories of the past and provide direction for the future demonstrated as dancing and singing and is an integral part of Yup’ik/Sup’ik culture. One message shared in this video is understanding the environment and the energy within it.

The video was recorded in a qasgiq, a traditional Yup’ik structure where, among other things, the community would meet and yuraq together. This video was developed as part of the AK EnergySmart program to complement the free lessons and resources available online (https://akenergysmart.org/). Education is essential in the creation of an energy savvy and responsible Alaskan citizenry. Through interdisciplinary units of study that investigate how energy is all around them, why we need energy, and how energy can be conserved, this K–adult curriculum provides valuable insights that youth can pass along to their families. All lessons are aligned to Alaska English Language Arts and Mathematics standards as well as the Next Generation Science Standards.