Peter Twitchell

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 […]

by Peter Twitchell I never knew growing up that I would be called to be an alcohol counselor. I became a substance-abuse counselor in 1995 working at the Phillips Alcohol Treatment Center in Bethel, Alaska. […]

by Peter Twitchell When I left my home in Bethel I knew I would miss our subsistence way of living and the people of southwest Alaska and the Yukon. I will never forget the land, […]

by Peter Twitchell Worldwide we as a human race have had our share of turmoil and anxiety with viruses, storms, wars, and anger. December is the time of peace and joy when families, tribes, and […]

by Peter Twitchell Our way of life as we knew it has changed drastically in the last few decades. The teachings of our ancestors the ancients, the elders is being forgotten and not practiced anymore […]

by Peter Twitchell Seven years ago this month on the morning of November 03, 2015, we lost our beloved Kilbuck School. It went up in a huge fiery billow of smoke and ash. It was […]

by Peter Twitchell In 1965 when my dad David died in an accident, I was 15 years old, the only thing I had besides Mom and my brother Tony was the Sears and Roebuck portable […]

by Peter Twitchell Today I would like to talk about how I got interested in music. It’s not a long story. I grew up as a boy infant. I remember being bundled up in a […]

by Peter Twitchell Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth I believe has a purpose for each and every one of us who are still able. I know Almighty Creator God plays an important […]

by Peter Twitchell There are countless humorous stories from the early days. One story involves the Sears Roebuck catalog. Here is as I heard it. I was told by an Elder on the southwest coast […]

by Peter Twitchell Today I want to focus on original Bethel families who made up Bethel at where it was, the permanent residents when the village of Bethel was simply known as “Gathering place of […]

by Peter Twitchell My first cousin Mary Evon told me when I was a teenager that all my cousins were my brothers and sisters. I began looking at Mary as a leader, an Elder who […]

by Peter Twitchell Through the years since May 1971 KYUK has had great announcers – people like Levi Lott. He was one of the first announcers, he was from Tuluksak knowing the traditional language of […]

by Peter Twitchell I try my best to live in the present, in the moment because that’s all I have in my life – this moment to breathe fresh air, to feel the sun’s warmth on […]

by Peter Twitchell Life gets interesting as I age. First, I’ll admit time flew by from my youth to my retirement age. I have to admit again that it seems like it’s slowed down to […]

by Peter Twitchell It just dawned on me on this day 9/11/2001 between 9:30 and 10 o’clock I was camped across from the Aniak gravel bar watching two American jet fighters behind the Korean Airlines […]

by Peter Twitchell My Dad David Twitchell was raised by the Joe Williams Family at Akiak, Alaska. A few days after my dad was born in 1924 his mother passed on to the spirit world […]

by Peter Twitchell Today I am grateful to be 72 years of age only by the grace of Almighty Creator God am I able to share this with you. It’s like I told my healthcare […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was a boy about 13 my mom made a profound statement that I never forgot. As a matter of fact, she brought this up twice to me into my teens […]

by Peter Twitchell Each one of us are given gifts that help us to grow in the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4:16 Christ Jesus is the head of the church. As followers of Christ […]

by Peter Twitchell I returned to Bethel over the last couple days to clear out my Bethel storage. It didn’t make any sense to live in the Matanuska Valley and have storage in Bethel. It […]

by Peter Twitchell I didn’t want to watch the news after the multiple shootings and needless mass killings across our country in the last three years, it’s been a really sad state of our country now […]

by Peter Twitchell I can share that I have been in church gatherings since infancy. Mom always bundled me up and brought me to worship services in church for the family of God gatherings, to […]

by Peter Twitchell I had no clue that some Yup’ik words had their origins from the Natives from Russia. Words like milk (mulukuuq), miiskaq (large bowl for making Eskimo Ice Cream or, “Akutaq”), tengmiaq (goose), […]

by Peter Twitchell All our Elders are going home, now we are the Elders. Yes – baby boomers. It was wonderful to grow up from kids to adults being fed a daily diet of words […]

by Peter Twitchell This is Peter Twitchell, lifelong citizen of Bethel. My family settled and lived in Bethel Alaska since time immemorial. I for one, although I live far from the city limits of Bethel, […]

by Peter Twitchell Who is teaching our kids about our sacred Tundra land, air, and sea? We the people are the stewards of this land to take care of it as we would an infant […]

by Peter Twitchell My next article is a continuation of what I brought up not too long ago. A lifelong friend of mine and I openly discussed the homeless situation in Bethel because he has […]

by Peter Twitchell I want to write a little story about village of Akiak in 1962. When I was 11 years old in ‘61 dad David Adams Twitchell took me up to the village of […]

by Peter Twitchell There was an interesting question posed to two contestants on the Family Feud show today. Host Steve Harvey asked each member of the family this question: “What makes you suspect that your […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was growing up across the river from Bethel it was also our fish campsite where mom and dad made the best fish salmon slabs and strips. The fish was always […]

by Peter Twitchell I heard someone make the statement that “alcohol does not let people get violent.” I myself would never make such a statement. I couldn’t because I believe alcohol fuels our negative emotions […]

by Peter Twitchell Live and learn! Until today I didn’t know plants needed food! Growing up I never gave this a second thought! I guess I never looked deep enough into the soil so to […]

by Peter Twitchell I am amazed about talk shows on TV, especially since the pandemic started in 2020. Many of them are of a personal nature, such as people who don’t have an idea whose […]

by Peter Twitchell Recently I was at a grocery chain store here in Wasilla. Upon checking out I searched my pockets, my card clasp, and my wallet for the discount card. My total purchases were […]

by Peter Twitchell I learn something new every day and that’s a good thing and the fact is that we all do. How has it been all these many years that I thought Merrill Field […]

by Peter A. Twitchell I was brought up from a baby in the 1950s. Already, our Yupiaq people like my Grandma Hannah Pitka, my Mom Sarah, her sister Annie Nansen, Mary Kohl, and Mollia Woods […]

by Peter Twitchell I would like to talk about growing up in Bethel, Alaska and one man in particular. That was our tribal chief Edward Hoffman who never neglected us boys. The moment we ran […]

by Peter Twitchell I believe single mothers and fathers deserve recognition because they are so strong for whatever reason. There are men and women both who have children in their custody and they choose to […]

by Peter Twitchell So long to Alaska’s Representative and friend, Don Young. I’ve always felt he was our representative and friend in Congress for fighting for the best interests of Alaskans and his State. I […]

by Peter Twitchell Mom, Dad, and Grandma Hannah had a favorite salmonberry picking spot back in the 1950s when I was growing up. The area sits below Tuntutuliak on the Kuskokwim right side of the […]

by Peter Twitchell I had my post-op for my hernia surgery today February 24, 2022 at the Alaska Native Medical Center hospital. I ran into an old friend who asked me how I’ve been. I […]

by Peter Twitchell I remember the days of the Fur Rondy Festival weekend sled dog races in Anchorage back in the 50s when there were many local mushers and names of familiar people from rural […]

by Peter Twitchell The “Outhouse” is a thing of the past but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a boy growing up 3 miles on the other side of the Kuskokwim River […]

by Peter Twitchell Webster’s dictionary defines a hernia as a protrusion of an organ or part (such as the intestine) through connective tissue or through a wall of the cavity (as of the abdomen) in […]

by Peter Twitchell The year 2020 to 2022 has been like an eye-opener to me. It made me look at our behaviors as Humanity a lot closer and gave me more focus on us as […]

by Peter Twitchell What I experienced back in 1983 is a Miracle. There is no other way I can explain it. Early in 1983 mysteriously the palms of my hands and the soles of my […]

by Peter Twitchell I was a boy of 7 to 8 years old when I was visiting with my cousin Joe Woods Jr. at Grandma Hannah’s fish camp up the “Straight Slough” upriver from Bethel […]

by Peter Twitchell I am eternally grateful to the Native organizations who provided us with Alaska COVID relief aid the past two years. First, the Orutsararmiut Tribal organization in Bethel, and the Bethel Native Corporation, […]

by Peter Twitchell Medical professionals and science say those unvaccinated people face being hospitalized in 2022. Today they reported 277,000 Omicron Covid cases per day across the United States alone. Whatever happened to our precautions […]

by Peter Twitchell Always be prepared for cold weather. After talking to my friend Charlie Kilangak of Emmonak about survival strategies it really got me to thinking about what I used to hear our Elders […]

by Peter Twitchell I believe that a man or a woman is much like a tree in one respect. As humanity we need water to grow and nutritious food to make us big and strong […]

by Peter Twitchell When I first started working for KYUK public radio station in 1971 a year after I started working I began attending radio conferences in the lower 48. One year in the West […]

by Peter Twitchell As we prepare for the Christmas holiday my memories go back to when I was a child of eight, nine, and ten. I went to Sunday school at the Bethel Moravian church […]

by Peter Twitchell Back in 2013 my daughter Suzi celebrated her 15th birthday. I remember back when I was 15. I told Suzi after my 15th birthday four months later I lost my Dad and […]

by Peter Twitchell In the 24 years I worked at the KYUK radio station there were two notable radio engineers who came to KYUK. There were a few of them throughout the years, but Bob […]

by Peter Twitchell At the end of August 1970 when I returned home from firefighting and working at the Bristol Bay at the Alaska Pacific cannery I had the strong desire to go to the […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was a boy growing up in the 1950s in Bethel, Alaska whenever a loved one passed on a family member of the deceased burned the clothes of their loved ones. […]

by Peter Twitchell Back in Bethel, during the 1960’s, us kids went house to house down Mission Road, including our friends and relatives’ homes on Main Street. The people of Bethel were always without fail […]

by Peter Twitchell We must never forget our Ancients who nurtured us by feeding us a steady diet of healthy food to help our minds, our hearts, our bodies, and our spirit to develop into […]

by Peter Twitchell This is Peter Adams Twitchell. I don’t mind saying I was a substance abuse counselor for 17 years, mainly for inmates in the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center and Phillips treatment facility named […]

by Peter Twitchell I’ve liked and I’ve loved music all my life. I believe music, singing, dancing all have some benefit to giving me longevity, freedom to express my feelings and my emotions in a […]

by Peter Twitchell In my retirement and then my hour of need I no longer go to a store or a hardware store. Just yesterday I needed a hammer so I went to Fred Meyer’s […]

by Peter Twitchell Today we are inundated with with extreme weather conditions. When I went to Southern Lake Tahoe in July, fires were raging in California and the smell of fire was in the air. […]

by Peter Twitchell At the age of 71 years I urge young men and women to save your money. Invest it. If you’re in school that is a good place to start. Take an economics […]

by Peter Twitchell Our Indigenous people in Alaska never wasted any part of an animal they hunted. There was no such thing as “trophy hunters.” They caught a fish in their subsistence nets, and cooked […]

by Peter Twitchell Bobby Gregory told me today September 03, 2021 that the KVNA building was torn down. It’s always good to hear a bit of news from back home however disappointing, we know nothing […]

by Peter Twitchell As far as I can gauge alcohol, it’s general abuse by people who drink alcohol like fish drink water, the poison which it is, in high amounts kills physically, emotionally, mentally and […]

by Peter Twitchell I have gained knowledge of the old ways, Traditions of our People, the Culture of our People of Southwest Alaska. First and foremost from my parents David and Sarah Twitchell, my maternal […]

by Peter Twitchell We were all limited in our income – those of us with big families. I had a family of five and I worked three jobs for 50 years. My regular job, custodial […]

by Peter Twitchell I am grateful for my friend James from Napakiak, Alaska for calling me in 2020 during the Covid epidemic. He always had words of encouragement and I found comfort in his concern […]

by Peter Twitchell Being an extra mile person is not the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s getting easier. We always expect something in return. If you do something for me then I’ll do […]

by Peter Twitchell It’s good that indigenous people are getting their covid vaccinations, not just to extend our lives but to preserve our native culture through our culture bearers, our Elders, and our children. To […]

by Peter Twitchell As a boy in the Early Years of my childhood the sky was clear and the sun shown brightly in the 1950s. Our skies were not polluted like they are today with […]

by Peter Twitchell Many of our native people have been cautious about getting a covid immunization, which is an individual choice, I won’t judge anyone. I chose to get a covid shot because I have […]

by Peter Twitchell When I was a boy in Bethel, Alaska back in the 50s right about now excitement was growing with the July 4th Celebration a few days away. I thought about the Men’s […]

by Peter Twitchell Today I was getting ready to go on my usual mile walk, when I noticed booths getting set up on the compound where I live in Wasilla. An Elder told me that […]

by Peter Twitchell I have to reflect back when I was a youngster growing up… our Elders loved to steam together and tell stories of the day’s successful hunts and laugh. They lived to be […]

by Peter Twitchell Year by Year our body is aging. I’m 71, thinking I am aging “gracefully”. I can still walk. I can walk full steam ahead for ½ mile and not feel winded and […]

by Peter Twitchell I noticed an old man back in the Fifties, he had my undivided attention! Every spring he took his kayak out from under the building and put it on a homemade sled […]

by Peter Twitchell My grandson “Agyaq” (Rising Star) loves cottonwood smoked strips and dried fish, first try! I guess all us Yup’iks love our subsistence foods. Its in our DNA and in our body. Our […]

by Peter Twitchell A bit of sad happening at Watson’s Corner. Over the winter my Mom Sarah Twitchell’s home at Watson’s Corner was used by the homeless of Bethel and trashed. I was informed by […]

by Peter Twitchell Mr. Jack Hopstad was not only a lifelong friend but a lifeline for me. When I was a boy, Dad visited Olaf, Jack’s dad, and I was introduced to Jack. Dad immediately […]

by Peter Twitchell Last weekend was an amazing weekend at Camp Verdes, Arizona. We enjoyed ourselves. For students and parents alike it was good to be back in the gym. The crowd, the momentum and […]

by Peter Twitchell I heard someone say, “I didn’t have much of a childhood.” When I reflect on this, and really think about what the man said, I can begin to understand what he meant. […]

by Peter Twitchell There are just too many guns in the world that are being abused, because they are in the hands of the wrong people. Here, let me qualify this statement a bit. First […]

by Peter Twitchell COVID-19 did a lot of damage in lost revenue to everyone, loss of life, loss of work and small businesses, reduced funding to schools, lost revenue to colleges due to reduced classes […]

by Peter Twitchell David Johnson said, “Like death and taxes there is no escaping color. It is ubiquitous yet what does it all mean?” People are more relaxed in green rooms. In the 1950s, Northern […]

by Peter Twitchell I have happy memories of growing up on the other side of Bethel a quarter of a mile upriver. From the old Civil Aeronautics Administration (C.A.A.), as it was called, and the […]

by Peter Twitchell Native Pueblos for over a thousand years built their homes in the sides of hills and protected cliffs. Yucca plants grew on mesas and the Pueblo women built mud adobe stoves and […]

by Peter Twitchell I thought I retired from working a job, but today I miss working with people and I really have this desire in my heart to go back to the work force! I […]

by Peter Twitchell This morning’s news announced American wanted to bring students back to school to continue their education and I thought, 16 year olds are getting their COVID vaccinations now and our kids are […]

by Peter Twitchell As a Counselor I had to look at relationships with people. There is more to being a couple than meets the eye. When two individuals become (1) one with each other it […]

by Peter Twitchell It was a very interesting trip to the State of Arizona. I was surprised that the terrain was not flat but mountainous and rough with steep rocky mountain ranges and deep valleys, […]

by Peter Twitchell People in my village of Bethel Alaska say that we have a total of 15 miles of road in Bethel. I have been on a road that ever ends! Route 66 from […]

by Peter Twitchell If we don’t keep up with today’s technology we sadly get left behind. Life has become easier because of satellites, microchips, fiber optics, cell phones, and the internet. Telemedicine is wonderful and […]