Yuuyaraq | The Yup'ik Way of Being
Yuuyaraq | The Yup'ik Way of Being
Transcription and Translations by Davina Carl Alices Rearden, and Corey Joseph
Edited by Ann Fienup-Riordan
THIS BOOK presents
stories, traditional tales, and
qanruyutet (oral instructions)
shared by elders from
throughout southwest Alaska
as part of the Yuuyaraq
curriculum project. In what
they say, elders provide a
window into a uniquely Yup'ik
view of how the world works
and what it means to be a real
person. And they have done so
with their young people firmly
in mind.
Yuuyaraq embodies a way of
life in which sharing is central-
sharing of food, of stories, of
knowledge. Our hope is that
this book carries this message
forward, to audiences of all ages.
I hold Yuuyaraq teachings very
close to my heart. Because of your
work, I am able to bring back
what is no longer taught and
understood. We are now making
being Yup'ik alive again. I am in
awe when I read and learn about
(our ancestors'] ways.
-LKSD teacher Myra Woods,
Toksook Bay