Connect + Culture + Cause

Featured guest Kiliii Yüyan joins Mary for a conversation on storytelling through photography and his new book, Guardians of Life: Indigenous Science, Indigenous Wisdom, and Restoring the Planet. Kiliii, who is of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé East Asian Indigenous descent, is an award-winning photographer, speaker, and National Geographic Explorer. His work captures life in polar regions, beneath cold seas, and within human communities through a sensory, holistic lens shaped by deep, long-term immersion.

Join my conversation with Tik Tok sensation, and Executive Director for the Artic Slope Community Foundation (and friend) Patuk Glenn. Patuk and I reminisce about meeting at an American Indian and Alaska Native tourism conference where she was the guest speaker. We  share our love for maktak and I learn more about her Iñuit culture. 

Tune in to hear Super Harvester, Steve Johnson of Sitka, Alaska talk about the challenges of food securitiy in rural Alaska and his role in helping provide food to the community. Steve Johnson is also the owner of a smoked fish business called Tradish Fish. 
Check out his business at:
www.TradishFish.com or on Instagram @Tradishfish

Bailey McCallson is a Yupik Inuit from Bethel. Owner of Tuskworthy Premiums LLC, Bailey is an ivory artist and pilot. Join Mary and Bailey as they chat Yupik culture and how Bailey works with ivory and baleen that connects him to his culture as well as his girlfriend Ashley. 
Follow Bailey on Instagram at @tuskworthy_premiums or checkout his website at www.tuskworthy.com

I had the honor to visit Lance Twitchell, talking about our endangered Tlingit language. Lance shares his hope and the efforts being made to promote language speakers. This was our first visit after filming Lance on my film The Woman Who Married a Bear, the first narrative film completely in the Tlingit language, which was done with Lance's guidance, translating skills, and on-camera acting.
X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell (Lingít, Haida, Yupʼik, Sami) is a Professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast, and lives in Juneau with his wife and bilingual children. 

Tune in to hear Naomi Michalsen, a member of the Tlingit tribe of Southeast Alaska and Mary talk about Naomi's  dedication to the health and wellness of families and communities through sharing her plant knowledge. Naomi has more than 25 years of experience working as an advocate, coach, presenter, indigenous chef and cultural specialist. 

Kanisha, who lives in Cordova, is one of the most humble people I know. She borders on the shy side, even though she is multi-talented. Tune in as she shares her healing work as well as her artwork.

Tune in to hear a conversation between Rob Kinneen and I. Rob, known as the Tlingit Chef, shares his experience working on normalizing Indigenous foods through his cooking career. Rob and I met over 13 years ago at Sitka’s first Seafood Festival over food and film. 
 

Tune in as Mary and Sylvia talk art. Painter and Cordova community member Sylvia Lang shares how her paintings reflect her Tlingit culture and why her paintings only go to non-profits.