"We went home and had a bowl full of fish eggs and seal oil, a traditional meal for us, and my son goes, ‘These trees have been standing longer than we have been alive and this ocean protects us and brings us salmon. It’s no wonder why our salmon are so strong and healthy, they have to live in this crazy environment we’ve been playing in!
‘I am so glad to have these fish eggs and seal oil because I’ve been using all my energy in the ocean right where they were created it’s such a great balance to have this to replenish my body and get me ready for the next day,’ And I was just sitting there shocked at my son’s insights.
What an amazing concept for our youth. It’s all naturally connected for them and it’s really incredible that they can see the world through new eye on a surfboard and feel the power in a different way,†Gloria Wolfe, X’aal Eex’ Tláa
As he slides down the face of a little wave, his braces catch the sunlight and his smile becomes a beacon of hope during this endlessly dark season. Ryan, the fluffy haired Puerto Rican zippy surfer from Juneau who dreamed up surf camp is Eddie’s favorite coach. We all go commercial fishing with Eddie and his family the next day and see these same boys who were taking baby steps on foam boards today, run their family fishing operation with poise, grace, maturity and independence.
Yakutat is both a modest community, and one of the most radical places to grow up on earth.
This resourcefulness and grit is fueled by isolation and nurtured by the caretaking of a complex Indigenous culture. Archaeological evidence indicates a 10K year relationship between the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people and this coastal rainforest.
They have shouldered pandemics, fought wars between clans, battled Russian invaders, survived forced assimilation and the colonization by the United States. They have fought for civil rights, continue to fight for sovereignty over stolen ‘public’ lands, face over a century of oppressive policies and continue to thrive on these shores.
COVID-19 is a slender chapter in a resilient, expansive history and Yakutat’s youth inherit a deep heritage of strength.
“It’s been incredibly hard with COVID, for everybody. Our kids needed this, we needed this and the surfing opportunity has been so healing. We finally have something to celebrate together, and its not just around opportunities to go to the hair salon or the store-- it’s about furthering ourselves mentally and physically and connecting us more with the earth and there’s nothing more we could ask for as far as our first gathering,†Gloria Wolfe, X’aal Eex’ Tláa