Meet Marjorie “Kunaq” Tahbone

Meet Marjorie “Kunaq” Tahbone

“…With the research that I have been doing for traditional Inupiaq tattooing, I come to learn that marine conservation is at the root of our traditions, protocols, celebrations, and values.”

Inupiaq, Nome Eskimo Community
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Graduate in Cross Cultural Studies
Class of May 2018

What drew you to the Caleb Scholars Program?

I grew up with a strong cultural identity built around marine life. Being Inupiaq, I was taught about reciprocity of the land and sea, as we rely on the animals that live in them for sustenance. Marine Conservation is our way to ensure we have food for the next season and generation. That is what drew me to this scholarship program.

What does marine conservation mean to you? How do you engage with marine conservation at school and/or at home?

I believe marine conservation is an outcome to living our traditional values and culture. We are inherently taught to respect and take care of our land and animals. Through the avenues of our culture, marine conservation seems to be the base. With the research that I have been doing for traditional Inupiaq tattooing, I come to learn that marine conservation is at the root of our traditions, protocols, celebrations, and values. We live by these values with our protocols to ensure that our children’s children have access to food from the animals from our land. I work to learn more about our Inupiaq worldviews and share the knowledge that I gain through my research.

What are your future educational and career goals? What are the top three things that are moving you toward those goals?

Right now I am currently working towards my masters degree in Cross-Cultural Studies, and I plan to continue my education by attaining my PhD in Indigenous Studies with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. My goal is to be an educator of our language and culture within the Bering Strait Region. Right now there is always a need for language teachers and culture bearers to educate and share. I am motivated to work toward my goals to fulfill what is needed for our communities.

Do you have a personal connection to Caleb or his legacy?

My mother was the subsistence director for Kawerak for many years, she worked hard with policies and was an advocate for our people, just like Caleb. I know how much work she put into her job for the betterment of our people, and I so much respect for her and for Caleb for what they did to help our people.

Can you share a fun fact about yourself?

I hold the world record for filleting a salmon to hang for dry fish, 29.9 seconds. Broke it at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics 2016!

Thank you for your commitment to marine conservation and continuing the legacy of Caleb Lumen Pungowiyi!

Meet Kaylene “Iñuuraq” Evans

“…Another Caleb Scholar had told me how much he stressed the idea of unity. This really resonated with me because successful movements and communities need a strong, unified core.”

Inupiaq, Nome Eskimo Community
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Bachelors in Political Science & Ethnic Studies
Class of May 2017

What drew you to the Caleb Scholars Program?

I admired Caleb’s dedication to marine conservation and his work for wider issues concerning Arctic communities. I was especially drawn to the program as his love for his culture and protection of our Native ways of life was a major driving force in his work. As I share this quality, and many from our communities do as well, I was determined to apply for the Caleb Scholars Program. I believe the program offers an amazing opportunity to facilitate our passion into action to preserve Caleb’s legacy.

What does marine conservation mean to you? How do you engage with marine conservation at school and/or at home?

From my understanding of traditional Iñupiaq knowledge, marine conservation is apart of our holistic lifestyle. Meaning, marine conservation is a part of every aspect of our way of life that it is integral to our being. It is our traditional values, subsistence hunting and gathering, nature-based spirituality, and knowledge of our environment we are so closely apart of. I engage with marine conservation at home by fishing and gathering sustainably, taking only what’s needed for myself and my family, appreciating the land and waters, and learning all I can from elders about our culture then passing it down to children. Away from home, I have had the opportunity to advocate for the protections of our land and marine waters from further Arctic drilling.

What are your future educational and career goals? What are the top three things that are moving you toward those goals?

I will be applying for a Masters Degree in Indigenous Politics with a Decolonial Futures focus. Within my career, I strive to restore authority to Native Alaskans to decide how to teach our children and care for our people, land, water and resources. A major goal within that is to establish an immersion school in Nome, as a way to inspire future generations to care for our rich culture, language, and environment. The top three motivators for achieving these goals are my responsibility to tribe (nation), my family, and passion for cultural perpetuation.

Do you have a story about a personal connection to Caleb or his legacy?

I am deeply inspired by his life-long dedication to preserving our subsistence way of life by utilizing traditional knowledge, and how far his passion extended into different facets of cultural perpetuation. Another Caleb Scholar had told me how much he stressed the idea of unity. This really resonated with me because successful movements and communities need a strong, unified core. In order to achieve that, people with different backgrounds, experiences, and education all are valued and cooperatively utilize their strengths to move towards a similar goal. It is a great honor to be selected as a Scholar to work together with others to carry out Caleb’s legacy of marine conservation.

Can you share a fun fact about yourself?

I have traveled to 11 countries by studying abroad!

Thank you for your commitment to marine conservation and continuing the legacy of Caleb Lumen Pungowiyi!

Meet Joanne Semaken

University of Alaska Anchorage
Biology, Class of 2015
Native Village of Unalakleet

What are your thoughts on marine conservation?

I was raised in Unalakleet where I was taught to respect the land and the river. When I was in high school, my life revolved around sports. I heavily relied on my family to provide. Once I was graduated, my interest in learning how to put food away and preserving as much information about my culture from the elders grew. It also sparked an interest in my “future” family as well. I began to ask questions like: If I don’t learn how to preserve, yet conserve, where will my “future” family get the food that I grew up on? What must I do to help conserve and protect the species that I love so much, so that my kids will have access to these resources? If it wasn’t for my ancestors, who relied heavily on fish, seals, whales, and walruses for thousands of years, without their practices of conserving and upholding a balance with nature, those animals wouldn’t be here today. That realization is when I became interested in marine conservation.

And your future plans?

I plan to graduate in December 2015. My hopes for the future are that my Inupiaq native language will be restored and strengthened. Also, that the next generation will have access to the rich resources and foods that both my ancestors and I have survived on.