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Usugilix Awakun
- 2024
- USA
- Duration:
- 12 mins
Overview
In the waters off the remote island of Iluulux̂ or so-called Unalaska, Alaska, toxic algal blooms are increasingly infecting filter-feeding shellfish. After a community member dies from eating blue mussels, a staple cultural food, Unangax̂ scientist Shayla begins working with her tribe to research and understand the harmful blooms and what can be done about them. Illuminating the profound connection between the Unangax̂ people and their environment, Usugilix Awakun showcases the resilience and resourcefulness of a culture in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Festival Screenings
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Camp Qungaayux
We hope you enjoyed the film Usugilix Awakun: We Are Working Together, featuring the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and Unangax̂ scientist, Shayla Shaishnikoff. The film showcases one of the many ways the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska is preserving ancestral traditions and the culture and the health of their community. Here, you can donate to support the tribe’s youth camp, Camp Qungaayux, which was created to uphold Unangax lifeways for future generations. All funds raised through this page will go directly to the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska, as a community partner of First Nations’ Stewarding Native Lands program.