Peter Twitchell

by Peter Twitchell When we were kids going to Sunday school at the Moravian Church in Bethel, every December we went in front of the church congregation and recited out loud the verses in the […]

by Peter Twitchell Today my article will be on the Bethel Moravian Church Christmas Bazaar. It was held annually every Christmas as far back as I remember. Mom Sarah and I got a ride from […]

by Peter Twitchell This coming spring, God willing, one of the Elders wants to take me out to see how they hunt on Prince William Sound! I will see them butcher a seal, get the […]

by Peter Twitchell Sitting at the Ryan Air Terminal I was reminded of the Aniak “Dragon Slayers” – the Aniak High School kids who were trained by Pete Brown who was working at the Aniak […]

by Peter Twitchell I have been living in the Matanuska Valley since June 2, 2019. The very first sound I heard was about nine o’clock in the evening and that was a train blowing its horn. […]

by Peter Twitchell I didn’t know what to call a part of the Matanuska Valley in my native Yupiaq language so I’ve decided to call it Uuravik, named after the slough below Lower Kalskag on the […]

by Peter Twitchell I am convinced that a truck battery should be replaced every 5 years if it’s running heavy and steady for that length of time. I am amazed how auto technology has come in […]

by Peter Twitchell Prayer Warriors are people who pray for individuals going through some tribulation in their lives, and it could be poor health or reoccurring health issues, illnesses, relationship problems, money problems, behavior problems […]

by Peter Twitchell I applaud the doctors who find cures for various diseases and viruses in the world. I heard doctors on television say the COVID virus can cause heart diseases in us, although we were […]

by Peter Twitchell It was at the Cowan Hut, owned by the City of Bethel, we had our “Electric Era” Band play for the community at large. People flooded into Bethel to dance from Tuluksak, […]

by Peter Twitchell When I became a freshman at the Bethel Kilbuck School, our class came up with the name. We looked at all the prominent people of Bethel’s history, and our class was chosen […]

by Peter Twitchell It has been a busy summer in the Matanuska Valley with millions of dollars pouring into our state to make our highways safer for traffic. I have seen since coming to retire […]

by Peter Twitchell There was a time our tribes in Alaska were healthy, strong, always helping one another with love, respect, honor for each other – and we still are. Because that is who we […]

by Peter Twitchell I want to share what I used to hear being talked about around our kitchen table when I was a boy in the early 1950s. Mom, Dad and their friends in the Kuskokwim […]

by Peter Twitchell I remember when I was a boy between the ages of 5 years old and 10 years old. Every day was a beautiful day on the Kuskokwim River. I loved to go outside […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was a boy, 7 to 10 years old, my Dad had many friends. One of those was an older man named Oliver Anderson. He lived in one of the Quonset […]

by Peter Twitchell When I first went to Disney World in Florida, I decided to rent a canoe to go down a narrow creek through Dade County. I was informed by the canoe rental owner […]

by Peter Twitchell I come from the small community of Bethel Alaska. There was never too many vehicles in the 50s when I was a boy. That would be in the early 50s and you could […]

by Peter Twitchell It was in 1981 I was invited to go to Greenland to meet with the leaders of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference Commission. After I met with the I.C.C. President, and his team, […]

by Peter Twitchell I’m glad I listened to the Chief Eddie, the Chief of everything. My son Danny is a proud Ap’a today, and I am a great and happy grandpa. My great grandson was […]

by Peter Twitchell I respect Tribes and appreciate our tribal governments for helping people. When I lived in Bethel Urucararmiut (ONC) used to make fish available and lunches for their elderly tribal members. ONC has been […]

by Peter Twitchell Each year I go back to my childhood and remember how life was in the 1950s. I remember I would go with Dad to the Standard Oil Depot in Bethel, which was […]

by Peter Twitchell Yupiaqs are told when we’re children that we came from the land. Our ancestors the elders believed in Ellam Yua, meaning the Son of the Universe. Creator God made us from the […]

by Peter Twitchell I remember when I was 18 and somebody mentioned somebody turning 51 years of age. I overheard them and I thought to myself, 51? I’ll never get there, it’s too far! Needless to […]

by Peter Twitchell In my youth I pushed myself to let things happen in my life, so I asked God Almighty for help for many things. 1. I want to start a rock-n-roll band. 2. […]

by Peter Twitchell Looking back to my childhood I can say Alaska Native Tribes lived healthy lives eating mostly wild foods from the land, rivers, coastal shores, and lakes and streams. Eating fish of all […]

by Peter Twitchell I’m not a medical doctor but I would like to share what I saw on the news. The ad was for those who took cholesterol meds. The announcer was talking about the […]

by Peter Twitchell Today I remember my dad, David Adams Twitchell, who was two days old when his mother died of tuberculosis back in 1924. He was raised by the Williams Family in Akiak, Alaska. […]

by Peter Twitchell It always lifts my spirit to see our children participating in Alaskan events like the Native Olympics for our youth. I thought it was noteworthy, that we see our youth participating in […]

by Peter Twitchell Don’t ever underestimate the honesty and the ability of young minds to look beyond our own objectivity. “H*** House” was the name us boys called the old pool hall throughout our high […]

by Peter Twitchell As most people who saw the “10 Commandments” starring actor Charlton Heston, I will use a word from that great motion picture, which was used by “Moses and the Pharoah” himself. The […]

by Peter Twitchell In 1971 Mr. Andrew Edge of Bethel was the KYUK General Manager who asked me if I was willing to take the responsibility of being the radio operations manager of our local […]

by Peter Twitchell When you live with someone who is addicted to alcohol, it can be very stressful for the person who isn’t drinking. That could be a mother with a child who drinks and […]

by Peter Twitchell Seal hunters in the greater Anchorage area were successful for the people of the area in getting their quota of seals this month. That’s good to see – our Elders and family […]

by Peter Twitchell This article will be taken out of the Strength Behind Screening from the Bentah Nuutah Native Clinic in Wasilla, Alaska. This is taken out of the monthly medical information, Be the Strength […]

by Peter Twitchell Every time I turn on the television set, I see world news, local, state, international chaos on this earth, complete disorder, and confusion about what is right and wrong. People from all […]

by Peter Twitchell Well, this year‘s permanent fund application took up most of my time for the last two days. I would like to thank Anchorage news KTUU for reminding us of the deadline to […]

by Peter Twitchell Doors open to you when you’re sober and when you sober up the world of opportunities opens up to you like it did for me. I want to talk about people I’ve […]

by Peter Twitchell When I think back to Bethel when I was a boy in the 1950s, you had to be educated – a craftsman mechanic who knows something about electrical engineering and how machines […]

by Peter Twitchell My article today is entitled, Remembering Grandma’s Spring Camp”. I have fun memories of camping out with Mom, Dad, Grandma Hannah when the Kuskokwim River ice would break up in front of […]

by Peter Twitchell The good Lord tells us in the Holy Bible, in all things give thanks. Many times I see redheaded sparrows, little birds, happily flying near me and they have their little movements. […]

by Peter Twitchell Old age is not bad. I’m more content with life, more relaxed, more focused. I regard good health way up there, it’s very important these days to take care of oneself. Paying […]

by Peter Twitchell As I’ve grown older and wiser, and closer to the Lord and savior Jesus Christ, our Redeemer of Nazareth, I have learned a few things about my own behavior. When I was […]

by Peter Twitchell I rarely see people mask up at the post office, at the grocery stores, at the thrift stores, at the Goodwill stores, or at the major food chain stores. The schools in the […]

by Peter Twitchell Having worked as an alcohol counselor from 1995 to 2016 when I retired, I’m convinced that native substance abuse counselors have advantage over those fresh out of college with degrees. Degrees are […]

by Peter Twitchell Growing old has not been a drag but I found that I appreciate more of life much more and like they say, every day we’re above ground is a good day. It […]

by Peter Twitchell I’ve always had this good feeling all my life about belonging – starting at home in the community in the region of Bethel, Alaska – I was a Yupiaq Eskimo. As a […]

by Peter Twitchell I am a member of an Elders Group who gathers together once a month to discuss issues relevant to support each other and explore affordable housing and services which would also be valuable […]

by Peter Twitchell First order of business is I wish everyone in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta a very Happy New Year. In my lifetime I’ve loved many things and many people. First, I love my […]

by Peter Twitchell Christmas in the 1950s was simple. You got the dog teamed up to pull a sled and you mushed through five feet or more of snow and powder snow to look for […]

by Peter Twitchell It is my hope that our kids and grandchildren will begin talking with Elders. We as Elders now are able to tell our stories and time is limited for many of our […]

by Peter Twitchell My relative Lillian Lliabon of Akiak, Alaska told me a story about Two Good Shaman in the Yupiaq culture who helped members of their tribe with their powers. She also told me […]

by Peter Twitchell I received a piece of mail today with a statement in front. It read: “Who is your Rock?” I wrote beside it, “The Almighty God, The Creator of Heaven and Earth, My Lord […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was growing up in the 1950s us kids always listened to what our Elders and especially moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas who were teaching us to love, respect, and be kind […]

by Peter Twitchell It is no secret when I left Bethel October 30, 2016 it was mainly to leave the high cost of living in real Alaska for a chance to live a better life […]

by Peter Twitchell I’m thinking back in time to 1954 when Mom brought me to the log cabin building – the school in downtown Bethel which was located next to the Cowan Hut, across the […]

by Peter Twitchell Everybody feels down in the dumps at some point in their lives, bummed out, discouraged, gloomy, and miserable. This is a normal human reaction when you lose your job, lose a friend, […]

by Peter Twitchell Elder Adam Kawagley of Akiak used to bring the subject up of “Wars and Rumors of Wars.” As we know a rumor is not always proven to be a fact or genuinely […]

by Peter Twitchell Since I was a boy growing up in Bethel, my favorite person way beyond my age range was Sonny Hoffman. Every time he saw me with my Dad or walking the streets […]

by Peter Twitchell The Ancients of our Yupiaq Tribe made the ancient laws. Our Ancients and Ancestors of our Yupiaq Tribe made accurate predictions of what was to come in the future. They had a […]

by Peter Twitchell How does one person maximize their life? I’ll share how our Yupiaq Ancestors maximized their lives and their existence as Tribal members. They took to heart and practiced the laws set forth […]

by Peter Twitchell Long before I came into the world how were people of Southwest Alaska, the Yupiaq? We’re blessed with the beautiful tundra that provided berries, our sloughs and rivers, we’re full of fish […]

by Peter Twitchell 1971 was an exciting time for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region because a group of men; Ap’a Ted Stevens, our brother George Hohman, and our Chief and Leader Edward Hoffman; pushed to acquire approval […]

by Peter Twitchell I have a tidbit, a small morsel that I’m thinking about and would like to share with you. Siberian rivers in Russian flow north, Alaska’s rivers flow west and south. Today, I’ve been […]

by Peter Twitchell We had stable food. All Alaskan Natives that had access to the sea and its tributaries. Seals and the walruses were our natural foods that gave us strength and longevity. We looked […]

by Peter Twitchell I want to share my miracle today, and what a day it was after feeling the absence of the privilege of sharing in the joy of my children. I got into Facebook to […]

by Peter Twitchell I remember a trip I made to Mountain Village in the not too distant past. The village was located high on the side of a hill on the lower Yukon River. I will […]

by Peter Twitchell One of the greatest tragedies in life is forgetting our culture and our people, and all that we remember hearing them talk about – how our people survived in a place where […]

by Peter Twitchell I believe all us kids when we were 5, 6, 7 years old did as we were told in the morning by our mother – to swallow a teaspoon full of cod liver […]

by Peter Twitchell When I look back in my life I took so many chances in the dead of winter driving down to Johnson River to fish for pike when it was snowing and blizzarding […]

by Peter Twitchell Our friends are irreplaceable! As an Elder I feel this more and more as people move on to the spirit world. Most of my friends and I shared common interests like music, […]

by Peter Twitchell The year was 2010, December 25 when I cried my eyes out in my little house on Watson’s Corner. I thought about this, in my 50 years back then, that I had […]

by Tad Lincoln Her name was Helen Bautista, a true friend to the mentally disabled and the high school kids in Bethel from 1967 to 1970. Mom Bautista gave us high school kids the back […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was in my late 20s, I always looked forward to hunting with my late first cousins, Joe Woods Jr. and Manny Joe Evon. We hunted moose every fall. One moose […]

by Peter Twitchell I remember as a boy in the 1950s Independence Day Fourth of July celebrations in Bethel were spectacular and always fun to attend, they were a lot of games and a lot of […]

by Peter Twitchell Today is a brand new day and we have a lot to be thankful for when I think about it. I thank The Almighty Creator God for helping our scientists in the […]

by Peter Twitchell Today is my day, “Father’s Day.” June 18, in the year of our Lord and Father in Heaven, 2023. As a dad I am reminded of the day and year of my […]

by Peter Twitchell When we’re out in the wilderness camping, hunting, berry picking let’s all take extra precautions to avoid having a wildfire. It’s summer and it gets hot and dry grass and the trees […]

by Peter Twitchell Kids like me grew up in Bethel Alaska – a quiet little town. Throughout the 1950’s we observed many local activities going on around our community. We knew nothing about television or […]

by Peter Twitchell A friend and I saw a man sitting on the ground at the corner of a drive-through in what it looked like a prayer position. People often sit at that location with their […]

by Peter Twitchell I believe as a Yupiaq Tribe we really need to start working together to get health aides in all of our villages on the coast, Kuskokwim river, in the Yukon River villages. […]

by Peter Twitchell I’ve never said publicly how proud I am of my two sons David and Danny and my daughters Saranne and Suzi and all their accomplishments at their young ages. They have worked […]

by Peter Twitchell In my boyhood back in the 1950s I was very fortunate to hear the stories of the ancient Yupiat of long ago from hundreds of years ago. Mom and I lived at […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was a teenager through my 50s I didn’t know of physical pain. For one thing I was tireless and for 50 years I worked 3 to 4 jobs in a […]

by Peter Twitchell It is a fact and unfortunate set of circumstances that the older we get we lose our loved ones to old age and our friends that we grew up with to sickness […]

by Peter Twitchell Life as we all know is stressful even at home. We could be without a job but helping family anyway, we can be doing things for family who come first in our […]

by Peter Twitchell Our grandma Hannah Pitka used to tell us kids when we were about seven years old on up, and this included me and my first cousin Joe Woods Jr., not to get […]

by Peter Twitchell This is a question I ask Moose Hunters: Have you ever butchered a moose with a pocket knife with a blade no longer than 2 inches? WHAT? The response I usually get. […]

by Peter Twitchell Our lives from childhood to adolescence have depended largely on our parents, and other mature adults including our beloved Elders and our teachers who were there for us sixteen years of their […]

by Peter Twitchell The television networks, have been showing law judges trying cases on television that millions of people watch each day. Judges on television hear cases every day about personal injuries, and other legal […]

by Peter Twitchell As I advance in elderhood I look at the world with open eyes savoring each moment and everything has greater meaning for me. One such event is the 1000 mile longest sled […]

by Peter Twitchell I saw a newscast just the other day on KTUU Channel 2 Anchorage where my relative Mr. Michael Williams of Akiak testified that he had caught two (2) Chum Salmon last summer […]

by Peter Twitchell In my life I am fortunate to reflect back and look into the mirror to witness gospel songs, country and western songs, rock songs, and songs of my own composing and all […]

by Peter Twitchell I had an amazing dream that I was at my fishcamp across from Bethel and the whole Kuskokwim River went completely dry – the entire Kuskokwim a river emptied itself dry just […]

by Peter Twitchell Alaskan Native Elders Group of which I am a member meets every month at the Native Valley Clinic upstairs second floor and you’re always invited to join us for lunch and discuss […]

by Peter Twitchell Looking back to my youth I remember my Dad making a snow angel on the ice at the sandbar above our fish camp and property across the river from Bethel. It was […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was a boy of 12 years old I became aware of Chief Edward Hoffman. And whenever I ran into Edward Hoffman outside Northern Commercial Company store or the Alaska Commercial […]

by Peter Twitchell I was so busy being an adult not a Kidult. I haven’t been making paper airplanes anymore for the last 50 years. The last time I made a paper airplane was when […]

by Peter Twitchell As I am writing this article, I am sitting here on the late Elder Joseph “Joe” Jefferson Vanderpool’s favorite chair. Joe became like a lifelong friend to me back in 2019 when […]

by Peter Twitchell When I began working at KYUK Radio May 21, 1971 I never thought that I ever would get into radio broadcasting as a line of work and making a living. I put […]