2024 Reflection From Native Movement Executive Director
Remarks from Elders & Reflections & Closing Panel at the 3rd Statewide Just Transition Summit: Remembering Forward.
Native Movement continues to pursue our vision and mission with love and determination. Despite the challenges of this year, we continued to make strides in all three baskets of our work: Action and Advocacy, Community Education, and Movement Infrastructure support. We have endeavored to center care, thoughtfulness, and a deep commitment to fostering strong, empowered communities in all our work. The abundance of good work makes it difficult to capture in this blog post but we can uplift a very few highlights.
This year we co-hosted the 3rd statewide Just Transition Summit: Remembering Forward, with a theme of “Chʼa a kayaa áyá yéi g̱ax̱tusanéi”, meaning “We will imitate them (our ancestors),” a quote from a Lingít Elder named Kaatyé (David Kadashan). We also co-hosted a major Action Camp in Nome Alaska,hosted the “Ceremony as Resistance” Organizer Camp, collaborated on numerous legislative fly-ins, and so much more base-building work.
We have been proud to be an integral part of historic community wins, from the “No Action” selection in the proposed Ambler road permitting process to the passage of the first MMIP legislation in Alaska. And we have been steadily supporting 20 Community Affiliate groups throughout the state who are carrying out work in Landback campaigns, language revitalization, arts in action, and much more.
And this year we launched the Native Movement “Warrior Wear” Store in Fairbanks! This walk-in store front is providing opportunities to support the designs of Alaska Native artists and amplify advocacy work. You can still order from anywhere in the world at our online shop as well.
Movement leadership care and redistribution of resources are two areas we have been prioritizing in recent years. This year our long-time founding Director of the Gender Justice & Healing team was able to take a much deserved sabbatical! We granted five Healing Justice Scholarships to Alaska Native movement leaders for intensive healing time and needs. Seeing a gap in funding of the arts, we launched the Alaska Native Artists Open Call Movement Fund and we expanded regranting support to be able to support tribal community requests, including the biannual Gwich’in Gathering. We have done all of this by working with advisory groups and committees to establish governance and processes to support this work with great intention, thought, and care.
Our legal board and advisory board have been critical to all we do and have seen some beautiful transitions. Early in the year one of our long-time board members, Tagnak Rexford, stepped out of her board position to make room for others. Tagnak has been one of the longest serving board members and before becoming a board member was the Alaska Director of Native Movement in the early 2000s. We honored her long service and continued partnership with Native Movement.
Native Movement Legal Board Member, Oliver Tyrrell
Native Movement Legal Board Member, Tikaan Galbreath
Joining our legal board this year are two phenomenal humans: Oliver Tyrrell and Tikaan Galbreath! Oliver is an inspiring youth leader, he is Yupik and Iñupiaq with family from Emmonak, Alaska. Tikaan is from the Village of Mentasta and is a leader in Native agriculture and food sovereignty. Our legal board have been dedicated to multiple days of meetings this year and we are so lucky to have such humble, intentional, and powerful leaders in our midst.
Recently our legal board, advisory board and staff came together in Fairbanks to get ready for 2025. We are so grateful to our board for the dedication they have made to supporting Native Movement’s growth, vision, and labor. In addition to their continuous advisement, they engage in numerous subcommittee meetings, and represent us in many places globally. Check out our website to read more about all our board and advisory board members.
Native Movement staff – Too Oozhrii Nickoli & Dorothy Shockley – at WEIO 2024
Native Movement’s work depends not only on the dedication of our leadership but also on the efforts of so many throughout the state! You all! You who read out newsletters, who raise your voice to testify, who have marched in the streets and through the halls of our legislature. Our work is built on the belief in Movements and movements are built from many!
In this end of the year time we encourage you to continue your partnership with our work by donating to Native Movement. Every donation makes a difference for us and we need this support especially now, as we prepare for the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
We hope you all get some good rest time surrounded by loved ones during this holiday season. Stay tuned for January’s newsletter when we welcome new staff leadership – Movement Infrastructure Director and Deputy Director! As the sun returns to us, we are reminded of the resolve of our ancestors and offer gratitude for the teachings they passed down to us.
In solidarity!
Enei Begaye,
Native Movement Executive Director
