ANNUAL SUBSISTENCE
MEMORIAL GATHERING
Suumacirpet asirpiartuq – Our way of living is the best
Celebrating
Subsistence
…Like it’s 1999
CRRC has been hosting the Annual Subsistence Memorial Gathering since 1999. Near the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, this daylong celebration is meant to honor our resilience and adaptation in the wake of the terrible disaster that drastically changed the Chugach region and its people. Each year the Board of Directors and CRRC staff choose a topic, giving people an opportunity to share traditional knowledge, build relationships, celebrate our lands, habitat, fish and wildlife, and people, while giving us an opportunity to heal from the spill that has continued to impact our lives to this day.
We end the day with a candlelight vigil, feast, and dancing that we share in good company. The Subsistence Memorial Gathering provides a safe place to connect our communities where traditional food that have been gifted are cooked and shared. The gatherings assist in preserving and celebrating culture through food by providing the opportunity to our young people to learn food production and preparation and connecting them to other communities’ food. At the Subsistence Memorial Gathering, all food resources are brought together, shared, and traded between villages. CRRC uses this unique gathering to heighten awareness of changing food resources.
