Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** tribal students in the bering…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** tribal students in the bering strait region are faced with many unique challenges. The region is not connected with a traditional road system, so residents must rely on commercial airlines and charter services to their destinations. In addition, each village community relies on their village members to provide for one another making subsistence practices an integral part of everyday life. The impacts of climate change have made subsistence living increasingly difficult throughout the arctic, and the communities throughout the bering strait region are directly impacted with changes to reindeer herding practices, a staple to the region.tied into these challenges is the threat faced by indigenous languages, which are vital to preserving cultural practices and knowledge of past generations. The indigenous language of the bering strait region is inupiaq, which has its own oral traditions that, if forgotten, would lead to a loss of key aspects of the inupiaq culture. For instance, inupiaq has at least 120 words to describe ICE that offer key information that is important to the practice of local activities throughout the winter season. The project will provide prospective and current tribal students educational opportunities they would otherwise be unable to receive, as they are responsible to their families and tribal communities throughout the school year. Students will have the opportunity to receive tuition and scholarship assistance, offsetting costs of attending when they could be working or hunting to provide for their families and communities. Through this opportunity, students will learn invaluable life skills throughthe high latitude range mangement (HLRM) and indigenous language studies courses.students will learn modern-day reindeer husbandry techniques and business practices to support them and their families.they will also learn important historical and cultural teachings about their ancestry and indigenous ways of life through knowledge of indigenous languages through the indigenous language studies (ILS) program.a part of the project will also be dedicated to the preservation of indigenous languages and culture. Video recordings of indigenous elderqagugruq of sivuqaq teaching a course on akuzipik, the yupik language of ST. Lawrence island, will be professionally edited and made available, through the alaska native language archive at the university of alaska fairbanks, to both students and communities who wish to learn their local language and dialect. Having these videos as a resource is imperative to the preservation of indigenous languages.