\u201cI just couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Nashookpuk said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nashookpuk grew up whaling and became a whaling captain in his late 40s, after his father passed away. He went out on the ice most years, helped other crews catch whales and, since participating crews share harvests, provided meat for his own family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After years of attempting to land a whale, Nashookpuk\u2019s family considered retiring the crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This season brought a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a sleepless night, the Nashookpuk crew harpooned a whale and set off a chain reaction of human activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bell rang, and for several hours, Point Hope buzzed with the sounds of snowmachines heading out to the ice. People were eager to help Nashookpuk\u2019s crew pull their whale, more than 48 feet long, from the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The air was salty and cold. A call from one of the captains \u2014 \u201cAll hands!\u201d \u2014 drew dozens of people to the rope. In a long single-file line, they pulled the whale onto the ice. Stopped. Pulled again. The whale moved inches at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After about 3 1\/2 hours of work, the whale was finally out of the water. It towered on the edge of the ice, the bristle of the baleen glistering in the lowering sun, the curves of its huge head and body smooth and round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jan Nashookpuk\u2019s 25-year-old daughter, Janice Schaeffer, walked up to the whale, touched its back and cried. As a child, she used to imagine herself sitting atop a whale her father had hunted. Now the dream had come true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHonestly, it made me feel like a little girl again,\u201d she said. \u201cIt healed my inner child, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the whale was butchered, the last step was to put the whale skull back into the ocean \u2014 a ritual to help the animal come back to the captain again as another whale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crews carried tons of meat and maktak home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to feed the people, that\u2019s what it is about,\u201d Jan Nashookpuk said. \u201cMy children want us to keep going. You can never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another cultural celebration happened when a 5-year-old star of Barrow Dancers got his first solo encore at AFN\u2019s Quyana<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stomping his feet and jumping up high perfectly to the tempo, Edward Long looked focused and calm at Quyana Alaska in October. A slightly surprised smile lit up his face when the crowd roared, asking him for an encore performance of his solo dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was the first time Edward had performed alone, but as soon as the sealskin drums started singing again, without a blink he went back to aggi, I\u00f1upiaq dancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019re saying, one day he\u2019s gonna be the leader of the dance group,\u201d his mother, Stella Okpeaha, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2023, the Arctic saw the warmest summer on record<\/a>, according to the 2023 Arctic Report Card. As a result, Arctic communities and ecosystems continued to see dramatic changes \u2014 such as spikes and declines in salmon populations, stronger and more frequent storms and eroding coastlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet the shifts also brought about resilience and collaboration between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report highlighted the Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub, the partnership between University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers and I\u00f1upiaq observers who, since 2006, have documented the changing environment and how those changes affect infrastructure, traditional harvests and travel safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the partnership, observers have shared how increasing coastal storms contributed to flooding and erosion in communities, damaging roads and buildings, as well as community ice cellars critical to Indigenous food security and cultural preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Observers have also described how weather changes led to shifts in where and when they can fish and hunt waterfowl, caribou and marine mammals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe don\u2019t think of ourselves as victims of climate change or the environment,\u201d Roberta Glenn said. \u201cWe\u2019re able to go out and hunt animals and live lifestyles rich with cultural tradition. Climate change is happening but we are strong. We have ideas about how to move forward and we\u2019re ready to share with whoever wants to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last summer, several villages in the Arctic were left without internet and cell service<\/a>. A cut to the subsea fiber optic network caused the outages, which lastedmore than three months<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the meantime, residents hit by the outages turned to satellite internet<\/a> and analog operations. Businesses pivoted to cash transactions, and libraries manually checked out books. Others turned to satellite internet alternatives to get back online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The latter was part of a bigger trend: In just a few months, satellite internet has reshaped web access in rural Alaska<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since late in 2022 when Starlink internet became available in Alaska, thousands of residents have signed up at a pace that\u2019s exceeding expectations, observers say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Starlink signal isn\u2019t perfect, they say. Its strength diminishes as more users compete for bandwidth. But it\u2019s also gotten faster and steadier as SpaceX has added satellites to the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 2,500 Alaskans had purchased Starlink equipment through Microcom. The North Slope Borough ordered at least 25 Starlink units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think most everybody, if they have the ability, have switched over to utilizing Starlink,\u201d said Nagruk Harcharek, president of the Voice of the Arctic I\u00f1upiat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after the fiber-optic line is repaired, the Northwest Arctic Borough wanted to keep using Starlink to ensure there is internet redundancy and reliability, Ingemar Mathiasson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not clear if the Arctic fiber will be reliable enough to keep functioning,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to go up and fix it, but what if it happens again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to sports, teams from Arctic Alaska have been making headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tikigaq girls basketball team repeated as 2A state basketball champions<\/a> in the spring, defeating Metlakatla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had even higher expectations of the girls this year,\u201d Tikigaq head coach Ramona Rock said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a really good year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost seven months later, athletes from Utqiagvik won their divisions repeating as champions at the 2023 Alaska state wrestling tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior Uatahouse Tu\u2019ifua finished the season undefeated and won his third state championship at the 285 lb. division. Manusiu Muti won her second consecutive state championship in the 235 lb. division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey both have huge determination to just do everything the right way, perfect technique, strength,\u201d Utqia\u0121vik wrestling coach Herman Reich said about the athletes. \u201cThey are what a coach dreams about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Tu\u2019ifua and Muti joined the Utqia\u0121vik wrestling team, the program has grown significantly \u2014 in part because of their attitude and success, coach Reich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Muti, inspiring more youths \u2014 especially girls \u2014 has always been a goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWrestling provides you with not only physical strength but mental strength and endurance. … It builds (up) your confidence \u2014 which is something important for girls to have in themselves,\u201d Muti said. \u201cI\u2019m actually starting to see some of that confidence in the group of girls I had this season and it brought me so much joy to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019d been 43 years since Wainwright resident Marlene Okakok first tried to complete her high school diploma. In spring 2023, at age 63, she finally became a graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okakok\u00a0was one of three graduates from Qar\u0121i Academy<\/a>, the only tribal school on Alaska\u2019s North Slope. The academy provides access to education based in the I\u00f1upiaq language and culture, and while the school is located in Wainwright, it serves students across the North Slope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Qar\u0121i, three local teachers, or Ilisaqtitchiriit, share traditional knowledge, I\u00f1upiaq values, culture, history and language with academy students. Students also receive instruction online from certified teachers virtually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Okakok, the community-oriented nature of education in the academy was crucial for achieving her long-awaited goal. Born in Utqia\u0121vik, she grew up and studied in Wainwright, but moved to Illinois a month before graduating high school. When Okakok moved back to Wainwright nine months later, she couldn\u2019t figure out how she could still receive her high school diploma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI tried and tried until I finally just gave up,\u201d she said. Decades later, with help from Qar\u0121i Academy teachers, Okakok was finally able to enroll and pass her U.S. history class and get all credits she needed. \u201cNow I\u2019m able to get my diploma through Qar\u0121i. I am so excited!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inspired by thatsuccess, Okakok started working toward her driver\u2019s license. But most of all, she wants her story to motivate other students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to encourage those who don\u2019t have their diplomas to get their diplomas because if I can do it at my age, they can do it as well,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we will be there to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2023, the Arctic has been in the spotlight, attracting visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited <\/a>Kotzebue in August to speak about Cape Blossom Port construction. The same month, national health officials came to Northwest Alaska<\/a> to discuss the importance of telehealth, the effects of climate change on health and the benefits of traditional food. In October, a U.S. Department of Energy climate scientist came to Utqia\u0121vik<\/a> to examine permafrost projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the visits that brought a lot of joy to residents was from a former NBA player, Willie Reed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 6 feet, 11 inches, Willie Reed towered over the children and Elders surrounding him in Noatak this fall. With his encouraging message, Reed uplifted his audience and made his personal story of overcoming challenges relatable to rural Alaska youths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reed is a recent Miami Heat center and most recently played as a power forward for Buducnost VOLI in the Eurocup. He came to Northwest Alaska twice this fall<\/a> to inspire youths and motivate them to stay healthy and true to their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The visits were about more than basketball: Reed also spoke about bullying, staying drug-free and alcohol-free \u2014 and about taking care of your mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to push yourself toward your goals, Reed said, is to make sure you have like-minded and growth-oriented people around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The basketball player also shared his story of overcoming challenges \u2014 from health issues to adversity he experienced as a child. Reed said that through his childhood experience, he can relate to some of the challenges Alaska youth might be facing. Reed grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, living in a three-bedroom house with more than 10 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI understand what everyone\u2019s going through here in the villages and just growing up in a tough environment and situations but being able to make it out. So I just want to share my experiences to help motivate and share joy with the people here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m big on no excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hearing Reed\u2019s words, junior Vincent Jr. Onalik said he felt inspired and motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty interesting story about how he came from a pretty small family with a small house and how he became this NBA prospect,\u201d Onalik said. \u201cI\u2019m basically in the same situation: me and my parents and my younger brother, we live in a one-bedroom house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s a dream of mine to play on the college team,\u201d Onalik said, \u201cat least.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During her 23 years working as a health aide in Northwest Alaska, Eunice Carter has responded to numerous dangerous calls. But the incident she remembers most happened when she was performing CPR on a child in a family\u2019s home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A member of the family told her and several other health professionals in the room, all women: \u201cIf you don\u2019t save my relative, no one is gonna live,\u201d Carter remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carter and her colleagues suggested bringing the patient to the local clinic to get the necessary medication, and the situation was defused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The incident is not unique: Health aides across Northwest Alaska often respond to emergency calls where they need to de-escalate the situation, and in many of those cases, they\u2019re working without anyone who can protect them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the last couple of years, the Maniilaq Association has noticed higher levels of violence in village clinics, said Kenneth Turner, Maniilaq Health Center safety officer. Elevated stress levels, staffing shortages during the pandemic and a rise in drug use were some of the factors that contributed to the increase, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In October, the Maniilaq Association started a pilot program to bring security guards<\/a> to Kiana, Kivalina, Noorvik and Selawik to assist health professionals working at the clinics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Arctic residents grieved for their loved ones over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When traditional Inupiaq seamstress Mary Lou Sours died, she was remembered for her passion for craft, teaching and life<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sours taught maklak-making classes in Noatak, Kotzebue, Anchorage and many other communities and made regalia for her grandchildren, relatives and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe had a passion for sewing and sharing her knowledge. She knew very well that the tradition that she carried, it\u2019s being forgotten nowadays,\u201d her daughter Alannah Jones said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re raised in a community where your traditions are dying, one thing you want to do is try to help preserve those traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u00f1upiat leader and whaling captain Oliver Leavitt died this year at 79<\/a>. He was remembered by his friends and fellow Alaska Native leaders as a giver, a cultural leader and a uniting force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout his life, Leavitt served in many leadership positions across the state and was a key player in the negotiation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. He was treasurer of the Arctic Slope Native Association for 24 years, a board member of the Alaska Federation of Natives for 28 years and the first president of the North Slope Borough Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leavitt was known as not only a prominent political and corporate leader, but as a revered whaler and skin boat builder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was also a cultural leader,\u201d said Willie Iggiagruk Hensley, another Alaska Native leader and one of the founders of the Alaska Federation of Natives. \u201cPeople like him are very rare because he was firmly rooted in the language and the culture of the I\u00f1upiaq people but he also became effective as a business person, as a political person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.adn.com\/resizer\/5mVjhk8LmvF3ZFq0F4dlw7QJTFg=\/1440x0\/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/adn\/PSLNRTNTXBAE7IXBGAJXP6MFRQ.JPG\")
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Dancing alone in front of the crowd<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Warming Arctic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Technological challenges and breakthroughs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
State champions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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North Slope\u2019s only tribal school has its first graduates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Visitors to the Arctic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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To keep health aides safe, Maniilaq hires security guards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Remembering the lost ones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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