Talk to the Tundra: How a Yup'ik Village Heals Together | INDIE ALASKA

Roughly 500 miles Southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, the Yup'ik village of Toksook Bay faces the Bering Sea on the coast of Nelson Island, called Qaluyaaq by the residents who speak Yugtun. The small subsistence village has been grappling with grief and a lack of mental health resources for young people after they finish school.
This spring, high school juniors and seniors at the Nelson Island School partnered with the Lower Kuskokwim School District and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Alaska Chapter to lead the residents in community-wide events focused on hope and healing.
#mentalhealthmatters #indigenous #alaska
Watch their story in this documentary short from ‪@PBS‬ and ‪@pbsdigitalstudios‬
Appearing
Charlene Arrsauyaq Bosco
Everett Nurauq Sipary
Jacob Minegtuli Nicholai
Jim Biela
Video by
Valerie Lake
Matthew Faubion
Joey Mendolia
United States Census Bureau
Translation by
Catherine Moses
Rosale Lincoln
Music by
Universal Production Music
Special thanks to
Nunakauyarmiut Tribe
The community of Nunakauyaq (Toksook Bay)
Nelson Island School Staff and Students
Lower Kuskokwim School District
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Alaska Chapter
Dustin Morris, AFSP-Alaska Chapter
Dennis Lasley, AFSP-Alaska Chapter
John Sharify, University of Alaska Anchorage
James Biela
Anne Hillman
Linda Isaac
Production support provided by
The Alaska Mental Health Trust ‪@MentalHealthTrust‬
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ‪@RWJF‬
INDIE ALASKA is an original video series produced by Alaska Public Media in partnership with PBS Digital Studios. The videos capture the diverse and colorful lifestyles of everyday Alaskans at work and at play. Together, these stories present a fresh and authentic look at living in Alaska.
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[@alaskapublic]

Powerful story. We are so grateful that this piece was recognized by our public media peers with a Cultural Feature award from the 2024 Public Media Awards in Pittsburgh, PA. Thank you to the community of Toksook Bay for allowing Alaska Public Media to visit and share your story.

[@granolitayyo]

Wonderful video! ♥️ Thank you so much for sharing! ♥️ Like 85 👍🏻. I subscribed to your great channel. Love and peace always...

[@Justbrain1Eva]

Thank you for sharing @granolitayyo. Like. New subscriber.

[@indiealaska]

Thank you for watching and subscribing!

[@tammymitchell1432]

I’m glad that this episode is so long. Such an important topic. 🫶🏼

[@indiealaska]

Thank you for watching and for the kind words!

[@zoereidinger]

What a beautiful and kind handling of such a difficult topic.

[@indiealaska]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and share some kind words.

[@ModernGardener]

Such powerful stories. Thank you for sharing this video and thank you for everyone in the video who was willing to open up. What a beautiful and strong community

[@indiealaska]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching.

[@allieroundtheworld]

I’m so proud to be Yupik. 🧡🪶❄️

[@indiealaska]

Wish we could "love" this comment 100 more times.

[@johnkossen4821]

it is always hard to understand the struggle of others. Speaking to others only brings us all more knowledge and helps everyone involved. Great video

[@indiealaska]

Well said! Thank you for watching.

[@bjdefilippo447]

Thank you for sharing this moving story. I understand the feeling of being tired of having to be strong. It seems an unfair burden, and yet everyone is having to bear it, without much support. I'm glad to see that more resources are being made available, and made culturally appropriate. I wonder what we outside the community can do. Can scholarships be set up so that counsellors from the village can be trained, the return home to help? What future do they want for themselves, and how can we support that happening?

[@navabastanisarracino2306]

Thank you for all the work you are doing to change this awful legacy of suicide. Beautiful

[@indiealaska]

Thank you for helping us spread the word by commenting on this video. We appreciate you!

[@valkeriecoldlakevideo]

What a resilient, beautiful community

[@hippiehens102]

Beautiful ❤

[@indiealaska]

Thank you!

[@uyeda]

Cool video.

[@indiealaska]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching!