Yup’ik Immersion: A Beacon for Displaced Alaska Children

Recent severe flooding in western Alaska, triggered by ex-Typhoon Halong, has devastated Native villages, displacing hundreds of people and homes. In the wake of this disaster, a unique Yup’ik language immersion program in Anchorage has emerged as a beacon of hope, providing displaced children not only with education but also a vital connection to their language and heritage.

Devastation in Western Alaska

Last month, ex-Typhoon Halong brought catastrophic flooding to western Alaska, particularly inundating coastal villages near the Bering Sea. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed, leaving dozens of families dislodged and some residents missing. For children like 10-year-old Rayann Martin from Kipnuk, their lives were uprooted, forcing them to relocate hundreds of miles to Anchorage, a stark change from their traditional village life.

A Sanctuary of Language and Culture

Anchorage’s College Gate Elementary hosts a remarkable Yup’ik immersion program, a vital initiative dedicated to preserving the Alaska Native language and culture. This program has become an invaluable refuge for displaced children, offering a stable, culturally-rich environment. Rayann Martin, despite having spoken mostly English at home, is now actively learning Yup’ik with her teachers and new classmates like Lilly Loewen, experiencing a profound reconnection with her ancestral tongue.

Program Structure and Growth

The Anchorage School District has a long history of supporting immersion education, having adopted its first Yup’ik program in 1989. Today, the district offers various language immersion programs, serving over 10,000 students. The Yup’ik program itself is experiencing a ‘boom,’ with 70 to 71 evacuated children newly enrolled, as noted by Brandon Locke, the district’s immersion director. At College Gate, students receive half of their daily instruction in Yup’ik and half in English, covering core subjects like literacy, math, social science, and arts.

A Principal’s Personal Connection

Darrell Berton, the principal at College Gate Elementary, brings a deeply personal understanding to the plight of these children. He vividly recalls being a 12-year-old watching a tsunami-like surge from the 1964 9.2-magnitude Alaska earthquake devastate his home in Old Harbor, Kodiak Island. His family was evacuated, and he grew up with a strong connection to hunting and subsistence life. This personal history, coupled with his late ex-wife’s mother being a fluent Native Yup’ik speaker dedicated to language preservation, gives Berton a unique empathy for the displaced families. He states, ‘I’m here because I understand what they’ve gone through,’ recognizing the program as a way to give back ‘what trauma took from us Indigenous people.’

Bridging Generations and Sustaining Heritage

The immersion classes extend beyond academics, actively helping children bridge generational gaps in language and culture. Many parents and grandparents may have lost fluency, but their children are now reclaiming it. The program incorporates activities like Olympic-style Native Alaska games, featuring hunting techniques like seal shuffling and plank planning, to acculturate students to traditional lifestyles. Berton recounted inviting many displaced families, who showed him photos of their spoiled stockpiles of traditional foods like moose, goose, duck, and seal, further highlighting the program’s role in preserving their way of life.

Student Voices and Lingering Homesickness

Rayann Martin now communicates more in Yup’ik with her classmates and teachers than before, expressing her progress. Airlarila Among, another 10-year-old whose sister’s home was swept away, finds learning Yup’ik phrases helpful, even if it’s a slightly different dialect. Non-Yup’ik classmate Lilly Loewen joined because she finds it ‘really cool’ and wants to understand more about their language. Despite the warmth of the new community, many students, including Rayann, admit to feeling profoundly homesick, living in motels hundreds of miles from their coastal homes and the life they knew.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What caused the severe flooding in Alaska?
  Ex-Typhoon Halong caused catastrophic flooding in western Alaska villages last month, leading to widespread devastation and displacement.
• What is the Yup’ik immersion program?
  It’s a school-based initiative in Anchorage focused on teaching the Yup’ik Alaska Native language and culture to children, aiding in its preservation.
• How does the program help displaced children?
  It offers a stable, culturally relevant learning environment, helps bridge generational language gaps, and contributes to healing from the trauma of displacement.
• Are only Yup’ik children enrolled in the program?
  No, non-Yup’ik students also join, attracted by the unique opportunity to learn the language and culture.
• When did the Anchorage School District begin offering immersion programs?
  The district adopted its first Yup’ik immersion program in 1989 and now provides various language immersion options.

This story from Alaska reminds us of the profound impact community-led initiatives and cultural preservation efforts can have in times of crisis, offering not just education but a vital sense of belonging and hope when it’s needed most.

Yupik Program a Beacon for Displaced Alaska Children