Richard Knownuk Atuk is Inupiaq from the village of Kingigin (Wales), son of Walter Atuk and Ayona Virginia Atuk. Kingikmiutun (Wales Inupiat dialect) was his first language. He grew up hearing it spoken at home and as a teenager, the youngest member of an eight-man hunting crew on a traditional umiaq (skin boat) on the Bering Sea near Nome. He has dedicated time as an elder to teaching what he knows, emphasizing that the language of our ancestors is key to knowing who we are.
Jane Atuk received the name Uġiuq-Tauruq (Winter Bird) from her mother-in-law when she married Richard in 1984. She has lived in Alaska since 1982 and learned about Indigenous languages and cultures of Alaska, inspired by her travels across the state with Head Start and the Infant Learning Program. In recent years she has focused on Kingikmiutun, the first language of her husband and his relatives.
Rebecca Ipiaqruk Young is Inupiaq/Cuban American (Tribal Member of Unalakleet) and a mother of three committed to puyaunau inupiaqtun iuLLusiq (pride in inupiaq culture) which uplifts personal and community wellbeing through pikkaagupsi aitturalui (sharing), kammakLui nunamiituat (reverence toward nature), nagguatun quļiaġļutin (honesty) toward sovereignty and social justice.
Tiffany Siuġak Tusraq Ongtowasruk is Inupiaq from the village of Kingigin (Wales), Alaska, and grew up in Sitnasuaq/Nome. They are the youngest child of Gerri and Ron Ongtowasruk, and a grandchild of Pat Ongtowasruk, Arlene Soxie, Vivien, and James Olin. They are enrolled at Temple University in the Professional Science Master’s program in Bioinformatics and Biological Data Science, set to graduate in May 2027. Though they are just beginning to learn Kingikmiutun, they are excited to learn the language of their ancestors and carry it forward.
Linda Sloan grew up in Unalakleet where her parents Maynard and Loraine Londborg were missionaries; later she spent 5 years in Nome as a doctor for NSHC. At her birth, John Auliye gave her the Inupiaq name Alaġnaq. Growing up, she loved listening to native speakers of Inupiaq but never learned the language beyond a few common expressions. She started studying Inupiaq in 2018 during and after a trip to Greenland. After a year of Inupiaq study at UAA-Anchorage she was introduced to the Inupiaq study group Richard Atuk has been leading and has found it soul satisfying to learn of the deeper meanings behind Inupiaq expressions and to keep hearing and trying to speak this beautiful language.
April Thornton began her language learning journey after the loss of her grandmother. The influence of her grandmother and others in her life became a powerful source of motivation and inspiration, encouraging her to connect with her language and culture. She is also driven by a strong determination to pass this knowledge on to future generations. Her grandmother, Irene Ikana Mosquito, was born at Aukvaunlook, the daughter of Fred Kiktuġaqłuik Mosquito and Mary Ann Sookshak. Being part of learning with this group has been a life-changing experience for her; she feels a deep sense of belonging and appreciation, and she looks forward to the continued work ahead. Iñupiaraaqta, let’s speak Iñupiaq!
Rose Atuk Fosdick was born and raised in Nome. Her parents, Walter and Virginia Atuk of Wales, moved there in the late 1940s. With many close relatives in Nome, the family spent summers at fish and berry camps, harvesting and preserving food for winter. In summer, children learned a subsistence way of life; in winter, they attended school. Inupiaq was the language spoken at home and by visitors, and Rose learned Kingikmiutun by listening. This study group is helping revive the language as a living spoken language—one that Rose and many others first learned from their parents. Rose believes that revitalizing the spoken language is essential to our well-being.
Mona Eben is Inupiaq from the village of Unalakleet, Alaska (Uŋalaqliqmiut), the eldest daughter of Francis P. Eben and Rebecca Oksoktaruk Eben of White Mountain (Iġaluŋmiut). Her paternal grandmother named her Malguii after Malguay, the mother of Ticasuk Emily Ivanoff Brown. Mona is the proud parent of two and adores her three grandchildren. Although colonization forced her community to speak only English, she grew up hearing the Inupiaq language spoken in her home and by Elders in the village. Mona believes that speaking Inupiaq is a crucial part of her People’s self-identity. Mona joined Kissaq Kingikmiuraguqtuat in the effort to reverse the colonization of the Inupiaq culture. She is a proud student of Inupiaqtun and is honored to apply her career-long accounting skills as Treasurer on the Kissaq Kingikmiuraguqtuat Board of Directors.
Katie Bourdon was born and raised in Nome, Alaska. Her parents are Franklin and LaVonne Okleasik of Nome. Her paternal grandparents are Martin and Sarah Okleasik from Mary’s Igloo, Teller, and Nome; her maternal grandparents are Russell and Lucille Sime from Norway and Iowa. Her Inupiaq name is Panii’ak, and she has Inupiaq, Norwegian, and German heritage. Her husband, Wilson Bourdon from Nome, is her connection to Wales through his mother, Esther Bourdon, a fluent Kingikmiutun speaker. Katie first studied Inupiaq in elementary school, learning the Koyuk dialect since the teacher was from Koyuk, while her grandfather Martin spoke Kawerakmiut. In the 1970s, Katie enjoyed the all-Inupiaq Wednesday services at the Lutheran Church. Katie said, “I love learning Inupiaq and how it is connected to the traditional lifestyle and values of Inupiaq people. It’s so beautiful and gives me strength and connection to where I come from.”