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 set of rules and they told the people generations ago to follow these laws of nature.
Respect the land, don’t trash it, keep it clean, respect it, and all that it provides, respect all animals, birds, insects, greens, berries, and natural medicines it provides.
Our Elders and young men and women who have respected their parents and grandparents have respected our land and have not trashed it nor disrespected it in any way to this day.
Sadly, this is not the case for everyone. Parents and grandparents who never instruct their children and grandchildren discard pop cans, trash bags of diapers and garbage, and plastic containers on both the tundra the land, and in our sloughs, rivers and lakes.
Remember when you trash our land and pristine tundra kids are watching you and that’s what they learn, that it’s OK, when it really isn’t what our Ancients wanted us to carry on since time immemorial.
This important teaching to respect each other and all living things was vital to our ancestors for our existence in a clean environment, and to have it all our lives for generations to come.
As you probably realize by now our Elders, grandparents, and parents still depend on the natural medicines our tundra provides for us even today. When Covid-19 came to our people, our elderly parents and grandparents depended on the natural medicines from the tundra such as Ayuq Tea, enjoyed by our people for generations, and pine needles which is made into a tea, or put on the woodstove.
Covid didn’t harm those who practice maintaining the use of natural medicines found in all plants. Our beloved Elders who still practice and use all natural medicines our land provides because it gives them good health keeps them strong have longevity.
And finally I think about our ancient Elders who predicted that someday winds were going to be fast and furious. I remember this prediction from generations and generations past when I see on television vast and widespread destruction, and death a single hurricane causes in its path across cities.
Another prediction our Ancestors told about was that someday to people were going to sit down and travel, that they weren’t going to walk to get somewhere. I think about this when I get in my truck, or sit in an airplane and go to Stateside. I often smile when I think about this prediction which was very accurate.
