Asiqluq Sean Topkok will be defending his Master’s Project on June 29 at 2pm in room 160 at Old U-Park. All are welcome to attend.
Iñiqpaġmiut Iñupiat Quliaqtuaŋit Iñupiat Urban Legends: An Analysis of Contemporary Iñupiat Living in an Urban Environment
Abstract: I feel that the urban Iñupiat have a story to share with other Iñupiat. It is not blood quantum that defines the Alaska Native. All contemporary Iñupiat have adapted to contemporary times, whether they live in a rural community or in an urban setting. Western influence has affected all of our lives.
The analysis of contemporary Iñupiat living in an urban environment will contribute to the understanding of all Iñupiat today. The adaptations are relevant wherever the Iñupiat live. This is a fairly new research concept, since the situation of urban Iñupiat occupation is occurring more frequently nowadays. This may directly relate to other Alaska Native groups living in an urban environment.
Each Alaska Native group has their own set of Native values. The Native values help define their Native cultural heritage. How the Alaska Native people define who they are is interconnected with the Alaska Native values that the Elders have established to pass on to the future cultural bearers.