Yup’ik Teaching Moment: A Powerful Mind

Umyuaq Tukniuq [OOM-yawk DOOK-niwhk] is Yup’ik for “A Powerful Mind.”

Storyknife, January/February 2024 edition

Calista Education & Culture, Inc. (CECI) presents the Yup’ik Teaching Moment in our Storyknife newsletter. CECI highlights Yuuyaraq, the traditional/cultural way of being in our Region. The Yup’ik Teaching Moment is provided from interviews conducted by Mark John, CECI Cultural Advisor with Elders from the Region.

Everyone has a mind, and what distinguishes people is how they choose to use it. It’s the difference between an untimely death and a properly lived life.

Umyuaq Tukniuq [OOM-yawk DOOK-niwhk] is Yup’ik for “a powerful mind.”

In Yup’ik culture, the human mind is inherently powerful. It can push others toward positive or negative outcomes. A person’s gratitude is powerful, but a person’s hurtful feelings can be powerful too. If you do something positive for someone and they are grateful, it is as though they are pushing you toward your own happiness.

An Elder noted that the effects of gratitude are not always immediate. Those who are able-bodied, especially young people, should help Elders or those who are not able. The reward may not be immediate but will be given in the future.

Helping others is always reciprocated, even if it may not be returned in the same way. Elders say that when someone consistently helps others, when it seems like they aren’t going to have something, something unexpected becomes available. Traditionally, an example may be in the form of fish for the fisher or an animal being available to the hunter for subsistence.

The mission of Calista Education & Culture, Inc. (CECI) is to celebrate and promote Yuuyaraq, the traditional/cultural way of being in the Calista Region which inspires and encourages our people to achieve their dreams through education.

The CECI scholarship program awards scholarships two times each year. The application deadline for the Fall 2024 Term scholarship is June 30, and the Spring Term scholarship application is due December 1 each year. Apply today!