Please note that these are not the official minutes of the meeting. These are quickly typed-in notes provided by staff. Audio tapes will be available for purchase by the public at IMIG Audio/Video, 2611 Fairbanks St. Suite 100, Anchorage, AK 99503. Please contact Zena at (907) 274-2161. The price is $6 per 120 minute tape.

Introduction of Commission Members:

Gene Peltola, President, YKHC
Welcome to Bethel. 58 federally-recognized tribes. Proved 100 percent of primary care, mental 80,000 square miles with no road access.

YKHC Native Hire: Policy of Indian self-determination act Hire
1,250 FTE. Over 750 Native Americans. 70 percent Alaska Native hire. YKHC has a Native hire coordinator. Every vacancy goes through the coordinator. Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to train employees. Partial or full scholarships for college. 57 employees last year.

Yupik Eskimo and Athabaskan Indian. Primary language used, plus interpreters. YKHC developed travel management center to help passengers going to Anchorage. Provides tickets and arranges for transportation to hospital.

Recommendations: Translators needed at the Anchorage Int'l Airport help desk, particularly during AFN.

Biggest problem. Alaska Legislature. Currently 2800 is spent on health care nationally for every U.S. citizen. 1300 for Alaska Native American Indian. HIS Report. Legislature contributed basically nothing to infrastructure.

Kotzebue Pioneer Home is only home for Seniors in rural Alaska.

Budget BRUs being cut to rural Alaska last year. Would have had devastating impacts in our program. Maniilaq. Bad idea to move to BRUs. Historically, when mental health and alcohol treatment programs get increased, the BRU doesn't. Legislature needs education in rural Alaska. Should be a block grant program like Anchorage and Fairbanks. BRU's are treated differently.

Welcome from Immersion School students

Art Lake
President, Association Village Council Presidents
Advocating for 56 tribal governments. I've known intolerance all my life. This type of activity you just saw was not tolerated. Religious people who came here that singing and dancing, like we just heard, as words from the devil. The religious community had tried to eradicate the Eskimo culture. They have since apologized and we wish a few others would do the same. Like the Legislature. Our state government leaders, those who represent all regions, could go to such lengths to make. Inadequate funding in rural Alaska compared to elsewhere. You expect them to represent all people, no matter what color, no matter what region.

AFN received $15 million from federal government for wellness campaign. Upon hearing it, the Legislature says rural Alaska doesn't need any money because we're getting it from the feds. The funds go to Fetal alcohol syndrome awareness, high suicide rate prevention, We're the highest in those things. High drop-out rate in schools and lowest quality of life issues.

Intolerance from so many people about how I look. We call ourselves a great state. One as a pioneer in a lot of things. But for who and for whose benefit? Our people have suffered. It's unfortunate that that feeling still exists today. Intolerance and prejudice should have no room. We're all trying to do the same things, and that is improve the quality of life. Hopefully, by educating, we'll make some headway.

Education: Our Yupik children receive education in a foreign country every day. We live in Yupik Eskimo culture and tradition. 6 school districts. You don't see Yup'ik cultures and curriculum in the schools. You look at who develops the curriculum. They're not the tribes, or tribal people. Advisory School Board level. Goes to regional education school board and State Board of Education and the yup'ik culture and traditions are lost. No protocols established for tribal government and people.

Growing up, even in small communities, you don't speak Yup'ik because you'd get slapped on the hands. Not supposed to. That wasn't too long ago. We should not tolerate anything like that. If we are going to be successful we need recognize cultures and traditions. Larger society must adapt to that. Yup'ik Eskimo and tradition is not going to go away. Of course we, too, must be tolerant of other cultures that come into our country. We should all be respectful.

Question: How can you get the tribal governments involved?

Discussing it at the AVCP Convention tomorrow.
Educating and providing a sense of ownership to the process.

Georgianna question about economic development.
Problem here because the construction industry isn't from here. Force Accounting in our communities is a god-send. It makes sure that local communities can learn the local trades. So that at some point in the future they can have their own businesses. Through education and persistence we can educate even the Legislature to allow communities to take ownership of these needs.

Mike Andrews, Director of Alaska Works
1996 Founded by Construction Trade Unions. Statewide Training Program. Apprenticeship program. Funded in part by Denali Commission and federal funds. No state investment. Work to help with local hire and train Alaskans in the construction industry. Thank you for inviting me to Bethel. Appreciate efforts of Tolerance Commission. Anxiousness and fears can be alleviated by listening. And listening helps. We are trying to provide job training and create partnerships to open the doors for opportunity. Urban Alaska 5 percent of economy in rural Alaska 8 percent of economy is construction jobs. Met with AVCP Regional Housing authority Ron Hoffman and Art Lake and put together job training and construction opportunities. Training completed for 27 people this summer ­ 11 days. There were 170 applications in the region to help build the homes in the villages. WE trained them, the construction business selected the 27 employees. For some time the State has had a concern about youth education. How to make school more relevant. It seems that the State is frozen in the headlights ­ yet nothing is more compelling than vocational and technical education closer to home. Our program and the partnerships we help put together shows that it can be done closer to home. Get the skills, learn on the job and proceed up the ladder. New vision: The People's Learning Center. Been around a long time. Art Lake and Gene Peltola both mentioned it. Needs to be an investment by the state in vocational and technical education. Need to keep that in front of legislators. It's critical. Give young folks more choice by giving them a place to learn. Recommendation: Get Voc-tech back on track like it was in the 80s before we got rid of the community colleges.

Working extensively in western Alaska, King Salmon. Trained 285 folks in last season. 250 have been employed. 85 Percent native applicants working in rural Alaska.

Sen. Lincoln comments and questions. Frustrated by Prefab houses being barged in, instead of local hire for construction. Airport expansion jobs didn't happen. Men looking for job opportunities which never came.

Alaska Works tracks to see if they have increased local hire. Did have some workers trained at Pt. Mackenzie to build pre-fab homes and then barge them up here. Through development of relationships we hope to work with more

Agatha John Shields
Co-Site administrator at Yup'ik Immersion School. Charter School within the School District. Equality is the main concern for our program. Main concern that we have for our school. First in state for Native language. We have 11 Yupik certified teachers, two English teachers. This is our 7th year. 186 students age K-6. We are trying to get a class in the High School for our program. It doesn't matter what your background is. Sometimes we are told that our school is unorganized. We have a more open, loving program. We have in-school suspension instead of out-of-school suspension. We have problem-solving teams involving parents and teachers. We also have role models. This year we had a student who placed first place in the spelling bee contest in the district. We are told that our school doesn't do well. Students get a vibe, just because they are in this program. Outsiders don't understand our program. Biggest concern is that students are starting to ask why? We struggle as a school district is whether it is equal. High School exams are based on a different type of learning. Our kids will get tested on an exam that we weren't a part of. Measurements for testing. It will set us up for failure. State requirement is you have to test. But our Immersion program goes to that level. We aren't as high in the testing but doubled our scores last year.

Thelma Buchholdt comments that Spanish and Japanese Immersion programs in the Anchorage School District are widely supported.

Rep. Mary Kapsner comments that language immersion schools are supported in languages that are widely spoken, but in Native languages have been struggling. People think that Yup'ik is a dead and dying language and therefore shouldn't be supported. Yup'ik is widely spoken in the Bethel region and is alive and well.

Sen. Lincoln comments that critics of the program say kids should learn their own language at home and that it shouldn't be at school. Sen. Lincoln can't speak her native tongue well because she went to Schools and didn't learn it there.

Historically, many parents who went to Alaska schools were punished for speaking Native languages and are often working and have limited time to speak their Native language at home.

Reyne Athanas
February 19, 1997 School Shooting Overview. Odd to talk about it because everyone here knows so much about it. Relates to intolerance of some young people when they are in school. Everything is so dramatic for some young people.
Evan and the two boys involved in the shooting felt they had no other way to go because they didn't have a positive outlet. They didn't feel like they had equality or tolerance for them. That doesn't make it right. During the shooting, so many people came forward and were heroes. They helped everyone who was. Afterward, we came together as a community. At the town meetings we formed action groups. Positive things in our community. All of this is about accepting different behaviors and people. TWCs Teens against Violence. These are students in schools that go to villages. An Action plan in place. Assets group help build resiliency for students. Donna Elliot at KUC dorm. All of these programs to build resiliency within themselves. Schools getting parents in the classroom, in the hallways, to become part of the school. Sad thing to say is there is still bullying going on. I'm no longer in the schools anymore ­ I learn it from my sons. If they aren't getting it themselves, my boys are doing it. That's disappointing.
Suggestions: Education is key. Anger management program. Multi-cultural acceptance. Anti-bullying lessons. Smaller class sizes will enable the teachers to do this.

Bob Herron, City Manager, School Board Member
First Town Meeting was held in this building, after the school shooting. This room was full. The town came together to see what we could do. 600 people staring you in the face asking what did you do? Why did this happen? Evan Ramsey lived right across the street from Sen. Hoffman and I lived right down the street. That night some of the students told stories about how they were being bullied in school and the school wasn't doing anything. I'm sure you've heard about intolerance in the communities you've been to so far. And how so many people do want to help. The committees at the time worked really hard at that time. Those committees are still in place and we will continue to try to make students and people more tolerant. It's all about role models. People in this region look to Juneau, look to leaders as role models. Legislators go down to Juneau and watch the intolerance there. How do you develop strong role models? That's the issue. Art Lake's comments about statewide groups addressing issues in Alaska. This is such a huge region. Tolerance will always be a big issue. I don't envy your job.

Sen. Lincoln question. School district about 85 percent Alaska Native. We've heard from minorities facing discrimination and here we have mostly Natives. People on the School Board representing the villages call Bethel urban. Bethel gets accused of same things Anchorage gets. Bethel is getting more of the funds. Bethel is getting all the advantages. People in Anchorage say Bethel is a village. The villages look to Bethel
Two sons. One looks Native, one doesn't. When we went to Juneau he never felt so much prejudice as in Gastineau School in Douglas. He was so glad to get back to Bethel, because he felt the prejudice of being Alaska Native. Here's it not just Native vs. white. Or Native vs. Native or White vs. white. It's cool vs uncool, geek vs. not a geek, etc. Some kids think nothing of comments. The symptoms were here
The thing I like about Bethel is there is a vibrancy in this community. Really unique. People coming through all the time.

Kelly Brown: As a school board member how do you see your role in advocating for programs. We are always advocating. And I see it as advocating. All of our jobs. One person to be a role model. LKSD has people testifying behind me about

Bill Ferguson, Superintendant, LKSD in Bethel.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to address you. Largest rural School District 24 villages. Yupik first language ­ many program.
3700 students. 85 percent are native. Predominent in villages. Bethel 50 to 60 percent Native. 25 percent Native teachers. 350 teachers of 1000 school disrict employees.
Aggressive career ladder program. Site Administrators rather than Principals. LKSD aggressive role to meet the needs of our students. Working to build a career vocational technical program to fill the jobs of locals. Includes all agencies in our area to develop wraparound program to meet emotional needs of our students. Alaskan On Toward Excellence. Advisory school boards at all our sites. Aggressive discrimination in Anchorage with paint ball incident and murders of Alaska Native women. Passive discriminatory issues are happening to us here today. If you look at the Legislature ­ and I'm not picking on them, but how many times have they come here to Alaska to hear from us. Funding is always an issue in education. People excited about increase this year. I was disappointed.
QSE and Learning Opportunity Grants cost differential is about 60 cents vs. $1 that urban areas got. This is discrimination. We're saying that our kids in rural Alaska are only worth 60 cents. Federal government recognizes that most of our land is federal and not taxable. Rural areas are contributing more ­ not through taxes
PLH 74 contribution. Anchorage was 1400 vs. us paying about 2300 student. We could generate other dollars. Gavel to Gavel issue is passive discrimination. Some of the members we see expressing themselves on TV. It's embarrassing to be a non-native, watching them and how they talk about rural Alaska. One of the problems we have in the School district is being a surrogate parent. And we can't do this. We support Quality Schools initiative and other programs. We can't pick up all the needs. Social problems, more parenting programs. We need more depth instead of breadth to our programs. All of us as parents need to look in the mirror and see what our kids will become. Look at the adults and you'll see where the discrimination is in our kids.

Sen. Lincoln question about bigger picture of understanding, coming from rural Alaska. Students in classroom followed the national terrorist attacks and had it part of their education.

Thelma question about economic discrimination. Nine members in Consortium to build the new Voc-Tech Training Center. AVCP, LKSD, $1 million from Sen. Stevens in Dept. of Interior budget, University, YKHC, City of Bethel, etc working to educate and train locals to get the Davis-Bacon wage jobs. Four Career paths we are training students to get the jobs that get the Davis-Bacon wages. Health, Construction, Early Childhood Education.

Mary Kapsner question about parent involvement in schools. Four employees in Bethel work to get parents into the school in volunteer projects. We need them getting involved. Mary encourages him to brag about the school district.
Bill Gates consortium funding. Feather in our cap. We feel what we are doing
Employ largest number of Native teachers in the state. Role models. 75 Native teachers in our classroom. Sen. Lincoln talks about local immersian schools. Sen. Lincoln said it took nine years to get native language bill passed. LKSD brought that program forward before the bill even passed. Thank them for having the foresight to bring that program forward.

Sen. Lincoln and Rep. Mary Kapsner introduce state Native leader Katie John and thanks her for her work with subsistence.

Katie John
My name is Katie John. I come from Mentasta. I had 14 kids. Raised 29 kids. Been working hard for my life for what I call subsistence. We have meetings all the time to talk about subsistence. We need to move forward. We used to have subsistence. We don't use if for our own. We share it. Share with each other. Smoke it and dried. Fish the same way. We dry it and smoke. We are Alaska Native. We're never wasting our food. We get our moose, caribou, sheep. We don't throw away anything. Ankee (spelling) don't do that. Today we don't use it. Today, It's not that way. We used to walk. Non native go out with snowmachine. Two seasons in Mentasta. Whole season, no one get moose. We don't know what we're going to do without meat. We got no snowwheeler, we got no plane. We just go to hunt. Non-natives not using the meat. Hunting to get horn. Moose horn. Sheep horn. Throw away the meat. That is no subsistence business. We don't have store. No fancy food. Natives don't do that. Go outside to get meat. I learned my English from the kids. Didn't go to school. Learn from my grandparents. They teach me. That's how I was raised. That's how I know my way. Right now our culture depends on young people learning their family ways. That's why I try help everybody. Teach everybody. That's why I go all different places with my meetings. Even when I don't feel well. I have to go. Thank you for inviting me here. That's enough.

Kent Harding, safety coordinator, LKSD
Safety instructor. Career in law enforcement. Work with discrimination, with the motivation indicators. Bias indicators could include hostility, hatred, or negative attitudes toward gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, handicap. Crisis Intervention Plan. System for convening meetings,including procedures for communicating with the media. Expaning safe rooms, compiling names and phone numbers for mediators and those trained in anger management. Procedures and counseling, speakers programs and town meetings. Martin Luther King quote.

Gerry Kimsey, Site Administrator, Kilbuck Elementary
Jeff Blevins, Dean of Students
Six years in Tanunik. 3rd through 6th grade. Several things the School District has done since the shootings. We got a Dean of Students. Very helpful. Kids come to us with many shapes and forms and we address them in every way.

Jeff Blevins:
Many changes made after the student to increase the safety of students and staff. One entrance. All teachers wear orange vests during recess so students can find us easily. I wear a cell phone at all times. An emergency connection to all teachers to have someone come to help. Trained in nonviolent crisis intervention. Excellent communication in the school is a very important part of safety for our students and our staff. School Discipline Plan. I feel is a must. This plan makes it possible for me to not have to make potentially biased decisions. This makes it clear what to do. The students and parents know in advance what is expected of them. It's large. It's in-depth. It's a good document to stand behind. Page three deals with violence. We have a zero tolerance for threats and fights and violence. That student is removed. It doesn't end there, though. We have school social workers following up. I follow up. This helps to have Fairness. If all students are treated the same, by following this discipline plan, then the parents feel better to know that discrimination isn't happening. A good plan is a key. Our School District asked us to come up with a plan after the shooting. This is specifically designed by us for Kilbuck.

Sen. Georgianna Lincoln asks about the perception that some students are treated differently. Blevins says he investigates every case. If I can't have it proven or if the student doesn't admit to it we just have a warning. We move from there if it happens again. Did student body put its stamp of approval of this plan? Most of it was taken from classroom rules, which students did participated in. Then we had a committee of teachers bring their classroom rules to a committee to write the Discipline Plan. Students don't argue with me over the discipline plan

Larry Ctibor, ME Second Step Intervention Program
Principal at primary school. Kindergarten through 2nd grade. We see at that level, all the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that we can see developing into problems as adults. Before kids come to school in kindergarten they have already adopted the belief systems and values that are not going to change unless they have some significant, real-life experiences to alter or change these early learnings. We're facing in the schools a very difficult challenge. Intolerance exists in many forms. Many symptoms and behaviors. Unfortunately, just like the terrorist incidents, there's no one point that we can attack and solve the problem. So our starting point is and remains in the schools, working with individuals throughout. Kids spend most of their time in schools. Human conflict is inevitable. We try to draw the parents into the schools to learn. Bill Ferguson mentioned the wraparound arrangements we set up with local social service agencies. After the murders in 1997 the community got very serious about looking at anti-social behaviors. All the schools have a policy at different levels. Example: A second grade boy thought a little girl was looking at his paper. He slugged her really hard. Big boy, little girl. I called in the parents and told them I was suspending the boy for three days for that behavior. One time is too much for that kind of behavior. Distinction between discipline problem and Program of Guidance. Guidance attempts to go beyond. Simple discipline isn't enough. Guidance involves time. Go over with them what has happened. Second Step Program is what we adopted. A conflict-resolution, violence prevention program. Curriculum Children have a series of age-appropriate lessons built around photographs and cards depicting a problem. Photographer was hired to have children who look like our children. Alaska Natives in the photograph. Role playing. Practicing social skills. Second step operates all the way through the system. 14 classrooms for 250 children. Five are temporary portable buildings.

Bev Williams
Tolerance isn't an appropriated standard. We go farther than that. Inclusion. Curriculum includes elders. Yup'ik language central. 22 have Yup'ik language program. Translated books with local authors and illustrators to get them up to par with cultural. Uses Yup'ik traditions and culture based on the six seasons of the year. Bilingual programs. English basic language from grades four through 12. We do try to get students out of their own environment. Alaska studies at 3rd and 4th grade levels. Require one semester of Alaska Studies. Previously it was ANCSA but now ANCSA is just one component of our High School required instruction. We have had three attempts at Alaska History texts but have not been successful to get one history text. Difficulties for cultural linguistic studies. Our Board requires three days of training for new teachers to adapt to the cultural ways of Yup'ik. Concerns at state level. Supportive of Standards adopted at the state level but worried about our language and culture standards. If we teach to the test, will we lose the indigenous language focus. WE believe the cognitive skills learned from the cultural programs are important, just as the benchmark exam skills are important.
Senate Bill 36: Bilingual language no longer gets funds, so we compete with special education funds. Competitive and that's a shame. Gavel to Gavel. When we watch it the body language says more than words. I'd like to convey that message to them.

Thelma Buchholdt question
Mentorship program through UAS. Career ladder to support the development of teachers from the community to go back. After get an AA, a direct grant to go to a UA program. Probably a majority of our teachers went through some sort of program here. Giving full-pay for part-time work.

Sharon Lindley, Cultural Navigator, Alaska Court System
Grew up in Bethel and have lived here my whole life except for getting my education. Two years as the court system cultural navigator. Part time position. Interpreting during arraignments, before the client gets an attorney. Lately I've had to get interpreters for Korean language. It is wonderful to answer questions from the Yup'ik clients. In most cases, their communication will incriminate them. Yup'ik arraignment video I got a grant to produce. I use it to allow Yup'ik defendents to hear their rights. Responses to the video include attentiveness and seriousness because they understand what they have been charged with.

It is frustrating when trying to explain concepts. Not guilty vs. SIC
I have seen so many people act like they understand but they don't. Sometimes the defendant has no idea what they had done to get arrested. WE take it for granted that attorneys represent the clients best interests. Miscommunication. District Attorneys and public defenders lack the knowledge of our local culture. This misunderstanding of culture.

Ideally: we read them their rights, but reality: they don't understand their rights. The way the attorney communicates and the judges requirement to read rights ends in confusion. Failure or delinquency to pay the right people or fail to sign up for the sexual offender registration. These things are confusing for me, much less an old Yup'ik man. This will help prevent people from being arrested for the same things.

More education and intervention for people before they come before the judge. From the initial court order appearance to the final judgement. Bureaucracy of court system is limiting. Perhaps the cultural navigator position should be separate. Governor would do well in appointing a separate private project or agency to help the minorities understand the legal system. Contact with cultural navigator agency needs to be mandated for our defendants. If you ask them for help they'll say no. But they do need help. So many people in the room and they don't want to bring attention to themselves. If there are only a few people around then they will ask me questions. This agency can determine the extent of need for intervention. Canada; Vancouver Police and Native Language Society should be a model. I have a video. On a smaller scale it is something that can be used in Alaska's rural areas.

District Attorney, Judge, Public Defender are most often caucasion with very little rural experience and 6 to 8 years of education. Very different from most of the people in rural Alaska. There needs to be more voice heard from minorities. Our prison population is uneducated and poor and minority.

Education, translation to video. Those types of medium to explain the court system. More discussion and explanation. A plan that the government can lay down.

Thelma Buchholdt also on a judicial task force. Hopes Ms. Lindley could be a resource.

Myron Naneng
Past president of AVCP, village corporation chairman, telephone company representative, Calista Board member. Father of 10 children. One child in Yup'ik Immersion school. Issue I want to talk about today is Economic Intolerance. Regional housing authority. Other groups. The contractors don't hire villagers. Home construction. Hooper Bay contract 1999. Supposed to be delivered one year later. They are just getting them now. Homeowners are still waiting to get in there. Five homes sat on the beach or on the barge. Six homes sitting across the slough from one of the villages. Water and sewer. School teachers are some of the only ones who have adequate water and sewer. Villages don't have it. Community plans in Anchorage provide water and sewer for residents at the same time as the schools. Technology. Schools have technology right now but noone in the villages have it. That's economic intolerance. Fuel: If we bought fuel in bulk with the school district and health associations then we could provide fuel at lower prices. $3.26 per gallon at Hooper Bay for gas. Would be less if we worked together. We have a local newspaper in town that is intolerant. I am a Calista shareholder. I didn't ask to be a shareholder. It was forced upon us. After all these years, after working with our people, I can't believe the newspaper can say these things.

Sometimes I can't believe what I heard said about our students in the Yup'ik Immersion school. The kids are all the same.

James Angiuk
Father of five. Work for YKHC trying to give information and resources on the effects of alcohol. Try to educate. We have gone through a lot in the last few years. I have a daughter who was sexually assaulted. We are still trying to deal with it and our daughter's behavior still today. I need to get some support on low income housing. We have been in the housing since 1987. Trying to get out of food stamps and other public assistance but don't have enough work. Our debt over a period of six years was over $6000 in fees. Some people suggest not getting employment because our rent will go up. Change needed on lease agreements for public housing. Many tenants have problems with alcoholism and other issues and are unable to deal with management. AHFC doesn't address the PFD income. My daughter is having trouble right now and it has been difficult.

Rep. Kapsner is going to try to help him. He will call her legislative office.

Sam Shields
In Alaska for 12 years. Bethel for 8 years. I'm a retired combat vet. Husband of Agatha Shields, co-administrator at the Yup'ik Immersion School. Three children. I'm here to talk about business issues and education. I'm the manager at GCI here in Bethel. What you are doing is good. But we need more information given out to the public. Some businesses are discriminating here. If you are Native and you look like you are from the village you can't get Lysol or mouth wash or yeast or other products. They think they are using it to make alcohol in the villages. A teacher who was here for 20 years was baking bread for a feast. Couldn't get yeast. I talked to the manager about it and he didn't realize that it was even wrong. I asked him how they knew they were from the villages and he said their hair wasn't as good. I told him that if they were discriminating like that they would get sued. He didn't realize that targeting people because of their race or color was illegal.

Molly Thomas
I am here because of a frustration that I have. In March I was hired to a State position at Dept. of Corrections in Bethel. Shortly after I was hired I was told by my supervisor that I could not speak Yup'ik during the work hours. She was Yup'ik, too. I had to turn in my resignation two weeks ago. I wish I would have known you were here. I would have waited. About 85 percent of the people we see speak in Native languages. I placed a formal complaint about my language. My Supervisor's supervisor came from Fairbanks to go over my complaint. I'm the third Native person who has resigned from that position. Trained in alcohol abuse prevention. I had concerns that my certification was going to expire. I remember I was told I would be able to keep my certification as a counselor. Because I made the complaint I had retaliation. The supervisor had said if the staff doesn't like it here the door is right there. Another remark during the meeting I'm sorry, you think Yup'ik. I stopped thinking Yup'ik a long time ago. You can't think Yup'ik here. When you start doing that you are going to get yourself in trouble. I am frustrated because I went to my supervisor, and went to her supervisor. She's a governor appointed employee and I was told there was nothing I could do. She's Native. I feel very good that I can communicate in my language. I interpret for other probation officers. If you make sure that individual defendants understand, we'll have a lot more people getting into less trouble.

Karen Cooke
(spoke in her Yup'ik language with a translator and with translating equipment called Personal PA )
I am Cucuaq. I am a school teacher. I have been for 8 years. I teach English and Yupik. I started as an English teacher and now I speak Yupik. We need to understand that our language is not strong. When we speak to others, I may speak in English. English is mandated so is therefore a stronger language. When I'm at the store I am sometimes tired of speaking English. I try to talk to people in my Yup'ik language and so many people don't know it. One store I go to has one Yup'ik speaker. As an example, look at the art of cutting fish. We in the villages are not better at cutting fish. We are told that we are the same people but we don't have the same culture. Health officials tell us we need eight glasses of water a day. But if we drank that much in the winter we would freeze if we got lost. Our traditions are not the same. Our ways of living are not the same. Although we read and speak English we are told that we don't understand. Taking Sharon Lindley's speech for example. Inmates don't understand, even though they speak English. If our way of life is not understood by other cultures, there is a misunderstanding. Our way of life is changing. When I encourage our Native foods I hear that our food stinks. I don't tell other cultures that their food stinks. Grass is grown so that cows could be fed so that people can eat. WE as Americans are told that this is what we should eat.
Americans use 80 percent of all the world's resources. Our culture is to take what we need. Not any more. We are told not to be wasteful. That is our teaching. Our two cultures are not the same. There does not seem to be any middle ground. The American culture says 8 cups of water. Yup'ik culture is one cup. How are we to listen to our elders if our western education is different to what our grandparents learned. There is a big difference. Many times I try to talk to elders and they don't understand. They say that they understand because they grew up after contact with the American system. I know my traditions are what will help us as we advance. One law. Although the cultures and ways of living are not the same. They are too different. We in rural Alaska. Although I am very young and don't know much about our traditional way of life. I am told that we carry on what Eben Hopson started. The economic way of life ­ we cannot totally embrace this. We can make things work. That is what I want you to convey to your peers. We need to move toward what Eben Hopson started ­ self determination.

If we do not use our Native language it will not be strengthened. I have been to the ICC and it is practiced and used. There is a translator here and I know Trim is good and I want to use him. If there is a non-native speaker around I don't use the language because people feel that they are being talked about when they don't know the language. Perhaps some did not show up tonight because they did not know there was a translator here ­ they thought it might all be in English. So I wanted to make sure someone is speaking the language. Thank you.

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