The Elder Project

The Tuluksak high school students are doing an elder project for our community. The students want to know more about their Yup'ik culture, values and ways of life in order to preserve them. This includes helping elders in their everyday lives and also learning from them.

Students have already identified the village's elders and begun working with them. So far, projects have ranged from helping with household chores, hauling water, emptying honey buckets, chopping wood, and delivering lunch to cutting down and delivering Christmas trees.

Elders will also be helping students by teaching them skills, such as trapping and sewing, as well as telling stories that were passed down to them.

In addition to cutting down Christmas trees, students took ring samples to use for tree-ring dating. They will scientifically date a tree based on the analysis of tree rings.

Some trees may be more magnificent than others, but each has its own charm. The above tree, nicknamed Harvey, could easily serve as a prop for "A Charlie Brown Christmas." For now it makes its home in Ms. Dixon's Social Studies classroom, bringing joy to (or rousing pity from) all who see it.