The World Stage

by Peter Twitchell

All of us have prepared ourselves, if not consciously, by our teachers, cohorts, parents, and the efforts of those closest to us for the world stage. My Grandma Hannah shared her values and wisdom with me, to prepare me to choose the good and avoid the bad.

The values she practiced everyday of her life, she explained to me by sitting across from me at the table, in Yugcetun.

In my youth, I did not fully comprehend how valuable her teachings actually were. But, she never, ever gave up explaining right from wrong and the application of our Yup’ik Values in our communities and relationships to others.

Our tools to live in harmony with one another are stored in our toolbox, and it’s time we take them out and begin to use them.

I’ve observed my wife since our daughter Suzi enrolled to the University of Alaska Anchorage. No matter how tired she is, she is constantly tutoring our daughter in areas of her studies not clear to her just yet. And, as she is learning, she is making progress grasping the difficult curriculum before her.

I can see her confidence rising to the challenge of a college education. She has developed the good habit of completing her homework assignments after supper. This is positive practice for preparing herself for the world stage.

It is so true, our Elders are brilliant scholars in their own right. They are scientists. They possess the knowledge of meteorologists, Dr.’s of Physics, Historians, philosophers, human anatomy, and physiology.

Psychology – understanding the mind, body and spirit and how each work together to be wholistically healthy. We can go on, but the one aspect of our Elders wisdom, always has been genealogy. Who we are basically.

My Mom always told me there is no other person on earth, we are all related and inter-related. I’ve heard the Yup’ik language spoken all across the arctic regions and with lower 48 Indians – may be just a single solitary word but it’s there on the world stage.