by Greg Lincoln
Every year, AFN honors those who have made outstanding contributions to their families and the Native community. Awarded the Roger Lang Youth Leadership award is Golga Oscar of Kasigluk. Congratulations! The 2022 Annual AFN Convention took place in-person for the first time in two years on October 20, 21, and 22, at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.
The 2022 Convention theme is “Celebrating Our Unity,” honoring the unity among our communities, families, and organizations of working together in taking on the challenges of today and those that lay ahead. Below are the artist award descriptions.
Golga Oscar
Roger Lang Youth Leadership
The Roger Lang Youth Leadership award goes to Yup’ik artist, Golga Oscar. Born and raised in Kasigluk, Golga has successfully produced and led many projects with various mediums ranging from skin sewing, basket weaving, and quillwork/beadwork/walrus ivory carving, exploring Yup’ik Native jewelry. As a fluent Yup’ik speaker, Oscar is dedicated to keeping his culture and traditions alive and relevant by teaching the next generations about their language and art. He also explores digital photography focusing on the beauty of Native identity. Golga graduated from the Institute of American Indian Art with his Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Business Entrepreneurship certificate, and is going for his masters degree in education and teaching at UAF. He is a secondary cultural instructor at Akula Elitnaurvik, and wants to pursue cultural awareness teaching and become involved in the fashion industry.
Elizabeth Aarons, MS, RN
Health
The Health award goes to Elizabeth Aarons, a registered nurse at Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) where she works in the Critical Care unit, COVID-19 Testing and Results, and the Oncology and Infusion Center. Elizabeth received her MS in Public Health Nursing from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), and prior was an intern in the Epidemiology department at Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) where she created fact sheets for data dissemination related to Alaska Native health disparities and outcomes. Elizabeth is Iñupiaq from Unalakleet, and credits her interest in medicine to a long line of Indigenous healers in her family. She is proud to serve in positions that can improve health outcomes among Alaska Native people.
June (Simeonoff) Pardue
Hannah Paul Solomon “Woman of Courage”
The Woman of Courage award goes to June (Simeonoff) Pardue. June is an Alutiiq and Iñupiaq artist, educator, and culture bearer who teaches at the University of Alaska-Kenai Peninsula College, University of Alaska-Anchorage, and Alaska Pacific University. She is a cultural developer and instructor for the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District and serves as an Elder Culture Bearer, instructor, and storyteller for the Knik Tribal Council in Palmer’s prevention and wellness program. June is recognized as an accomplished Alutiiq grass weaver, fish skin tanner, fish leather and sea mammal skin sewer, jeweler, and beader. Her work can be found in museums across the United States.
Roy Ashenfelter
Katie John Hunter-Fisher
This award goes to Roy Ashenfelter of White Mountain. Roy is Iñupiaq and grew up subsistence hunting and fishing. He has demonstrated his love and dedication to the subsistence way of life by serving as an advocate for the fish, caribou, and lands in his work and the boards he serves on. Roy currently works for Kawerak Inc., traveling within the region and assisting those with Native allotments. He says the highlight of his job is getting to know our people, and believes in providing communities with help in the best way possible.
Michael Fredericks
Small Business
This award goes to Michael Fredericks, a small business owner of SALT, an Alaska Native women-owned interior design and strategic engagement firm in Anchorage. Born and raised in Anchorage, Michael is of Yup’ik descent. She received her Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Washington and her Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Michael has leveraged her architectural training into a specialization in complex stakeholder engagement around design projects. Michael’s facilitation services have evolved to include business planning, community engagement, project planning, complex problem solving, organizational planning, action planning, and focused conversations around challenging issues. Michael is adept at helping groups define their unique version of success and provide them with a roadmap to achieve their goals.
Nathaniel Mitchell
Gin’tith (Richard Frank) Military Service
This award recognizes Haida and Tlingit veteran Nathaniel (Saaduuts) Mitchell for his 24 years of service in the Navy. Nathaniel is Yahkw ‘Láanaas (Raven/Shark) Clan and joined the Navy in 1997, volunteering in boot camp for Naval Special Warfare. After completing, he received orders to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training (BUD/S) in the summer of 1998. Six months later he graduated with class 220 and then received orders to SEAL Team 3. After two deployments with SEAL Team 3, Nathaniel volunteered again. He was assigned to a unit where he spent the majority of his time training and deploying to various locations. He has served for 24 years and has a long list of awards and commendations. Nathaniel is grandson of Frances and Franklin Demmert, and Irene Johnson, son to Sandra Demmert and Kenneth Johnson, father to Izzara, Carter, and Naomi, and brother to Barbara Blake.
Lieutenant Brian Wassmann
Glenn Godfrey Law Enforcement
Lieutenant Brian Wassman receives the Glenn Godfrey Law Enforcement award. Iñupiaq with family roots in Nome and the Bering Straits Region, Brian became a state trooper after graduating from University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) – fulfilling a lifelong goal of his. After serving the Alaska State Troopers for 29 years, he recently retired and has worked in several positions serving rural communities in Bethel, Fairbanks Rural Unit, Nenana, and Delta Junction. In 2022, Brian finished his career as the Deputy Commander of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation in Anchorage. He was passionate about the safety of victims of domestic violence and breaking the cycle of DV through law enforcement and collaboration with other service providers.
Mike Webber
Eileen Panigeo MacLean Education
This award goes to Mike Webber, an Alutiiq and Tlingit/Eyak Northwest Coast master carver from Cordova. A fisherman from six-years-old, Mike suffered a life changing accident on his family-run seine boat that led him to discover carving. Over the last two decades, Mike’s carving proficiency has elevated him to the status of master carver and world-renowned Alaska Native artist. His artwork can be found in museums from Alaska to Washington D.C., and as far south as the Grand Cayman Islands. The thousands of Copper River fleece coats popularly worn throughout Alaska are commonly adorned with trim designed by Mike. Today, Mike’s summers are busy running Webber Wild Seafood—his direct marketing fishing operation—while winters are dedicated to new art projects, teaching local design and carving classes, and raising his son.
