Before I go any further with my posts about my chaperoning trip, I want to give a quick overview as to what the Elders and Youth Conference (EY) is about. Hosted by the First Alaskans Institute, it is a pre-conference to the Alaska Federations of Natives Conference (AFN). Once a year, people from all over the state come in for AFN week and it is a huge gathering of many different native cultures. This year marks the 30th for the conference.The EY pre-conference is meant to bring together the younger and older generations of the different native cultures. The youth and elders come together to discuss the important cultural traditions that should be passed down and why it is important to do so. Native dances and songs are celebrated and shared with the audience as well. It is two and a half days packed with story and information sharing between the generations!
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