What the Elders Have Taught Us, livre ebook

“This wonderful book gives the reader a glimpse into the cultural soul of the Alaska Native people, revealing how culture is very much alive and traditions are thriving.” — Margaret Nelson, Tlingit, Eagle moiety, President and CEO Alaska Native Heritage Center

As Alaska’s Native peoples confront contemporary challenges, they increasingly find strength in the traditional values and practices that have sustained their cultures for millennia. In stirring words, What the Elders Have Taught Us pays tribute to the first Alaskans and the ancient values they consider paramount. 

Ten essayists, one from each of Alaska’s diverse Native cultures, were asked to write about a specific value that is common to all, lessons that have been part of their oral teachings for countless generations. The resulting essays are infused with personal reflection as well as profound truths. 

Featuring Roy Corral’s outstanding photography, What the Elders Have Taught Us offers rare insight into the lives of Alaska’s First People—at work and play, in celebration and sorrow—living out the legacy handed down by the elders.

Live Carefully—What You Do Will Come Back to You
“It is as old as our people, the thought that your actions, good or bad, will come back to visit you. Growing up in the village, I saw early on that you got a label, a view others had of you by your response to various things, even if your intentions were something totally different from what was interpreted. A reputation can be a bonus or a hindrance, especially if you want to be taken seriously at some point. Some miscue or youthful indiscretion may stand between you and the respect you feel you’ve earned, even as you move into the role of ‘elder.’ Your choices may affect not only you, but the generations that follow.
“I come from a unique, history-filled village—Metlakatla—as a result of decisions made by my ancestors. They chose not just to move from Old Metlakatla in 1887, but thirty years earlier, they decided to listen to William Duncan, an Englishman who said he carried the word of God in a book. The choices those Tsimshian people made to leave behind their Native ways created, changed, and directed the history of our people to where it is today.”
—David Boxley, from What the Elders Have Taught Us
Preface: Gratitude for These Gifts by Roy Corral, Introduction: Anchoring Values by Will Mayo, 1) Athabascan: Show Respect to Others—Each Person Has a Special Gift, 2) Yup’ik: See Connections—All Things Are Related, 3) Iñupiat: Honor Your Elders—They Show You the Way in Life, 4) Aleut: Accept What Life Brings—You Cannot Control Many Things, 5) Tlingit: Have Patience—Some Things Cannot Be Rushed, 6) Alutiiq: Pray for Guidance—Many Things Are Not Known, 7) Tsimshian: Live Carefully—What You Do Will Come Back to You, 8) Siberian Yupik: Take Care of Others—You Cannot Live without Them, 9) Haida: Share What You Have—Giving Makes You Richer, 10) Eyak: Know Who You Are—You Are a Reflection on Your Family