This is a place for me to type out my thoughts on various issues and topics relating to the Native American experience. I am
Inupiaq and was born in Nome, Alaska and lived there until I was about eight years-old. My favorite, and most influential, places to live were with other tribes. These included my hometown - site of a gold rush and one of the few 'wet' Native villages;
Mobridge, South Dakota - where Kevin Locke taught me to count on my ribs and pray in sign language; Iqaluit, Baffin Island - before the Canadian government gave the land back to the Inuit, I was allowed to take Inuit classes until middle school; and
Neah Bay, Washington - where I went to high school and didn't fully embrace the culture until I went on a Canoe Journey with my brother, also the site of 'controversy' as the tribe fights to begin hunting whale again. From these places I take many lessons and am grateful for the opportunity to have grown up with Native people. I attended the University of Washington and intend on finishing my degree within their Program on the Environment. I found a Native community
within UW as well, and that is where I found my passion for Native issues. For the time being I am a stay-at-home mother of two and I am unsure how quickly each essay will be finished. Forgive me if my words seem jumbled and trailing, the best time for me to type is late at night right before bed (and sometimes beyond my normal bedtime).
The first essay I would like to write will be about Manifest Destiny, and there is the inspiration for this blog's title. I enjoy learning from others and welcome comments and ideas and I hope that my readers have an open mind for what I have to say.
Quyanna!
