Stories

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe has again expanded its footprint in Old Town Kenai

In November, Na’ini Family and Social Services moved from the tribe’s administration building on Willow Street to a two-story property located just steps from three major tribal facilities in Old Town – the Dena’ina Wellness Center, Tyotkas Elder Center, and the Tribal Courthouse.
The new building, which the tribe acquired in May 2015, will house the Education and Employment Department as well. Read More

In the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through his Oklahoma home, destroying all but the closet in which he and his family hid, Darryl Tonemah began to wonder.
“I was curious how it was going to affect my family,” said Tonemah, a psychologist and musician.
In December, Tonemah attended the tribe’s quarterly membership meeting at the Dena’ina Wellness Center to discuss trauma and the affect it has on a person’s life. Read More

Harvard University – yes, that Harvard – has taken notice of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe

The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development recently named the tribe a winner of the 2015 Honoring Nations Award. One of six awardees nationwide, the tribe was recognized for its Tribal Court and Court Appointed Special Advocates Program – CASA.
In October, CASA program coordinator Thia Peters, Chief Judge Kim Sweet and former CASA program coordinator Joy Petrie attended the National Congress of American Indian’s 72nd Annual Convention in San Diego, Read More

There was no cellphone service, it was below freezing and the boys were covered in snow.
The hunt had yet to yield an animal. And each time the fire flared up, the fire flickered out.
No, the conditions were not perfect on this Saturday afternoon in November out the Swanson River Road, miles from town.
But that did not matter to the fathers and sons. They had not come for perfect conditions. Read More

When the lights adorning the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree came on during a lighting ceremony at the Capitol in December, a 74-foot Lutz spruce stood in the glow – not far from members of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe.
For the tree, taken from Alaska’s Chugach National Forest, it was the end of a cross-country journey over land and sea.
For the tribe, it was the culmination of months of involvement around the first Capitol Christmas Tree to come from Alaska. Read More

The Early Childhood Center and Tyotkas Elder Center are using food to help connect the wisest members of the tribe with some of the youngest.
For the past few months, Early Childhood Center students have been visiting Tyotkas to eat lunch with Elders, sharing tables, food and conversation.
“It’s important to us to bridge that gap between the younger kids and the Elders,” said Diane Bernard, education and disability coordinator at the Early Childhood Center. Read More

Bill Overstreet walked into the grocery store, strolled to the salad bar and grabbed a plastic to-go box. Tongs in hand, he scanned the colorful spread – carrots, lettuce, peppers – and began assembling his lunch.
Then, nearby, something caught his eye: a neatly packaged pecan pie.
“It was pretty tempting,” Overstreet said. “But I passed it up.”
As he told the story before a morning workout at the Dena’ina Wellness Center in December, Read More

With his sleeves rolled up, Joshua Grosvold clasped the carcass and scraped a spoon across the edge of its spine.
Dabs of meat, still cool from the saltwater a few hundred feet away, began rolling off the toothpick-thin bones.
“You can definitely tell how good someone is at cleaning fish by how much meat is on the backbone,” said Grosvold, 14. “If there’s not a lot of meat left, you can tell they are good.”
In July 2015, Read More

Dena’ina Wellness Center Offers Tobacco Cessation Services

To those who use tobacco but would like to quit, Deb Nyquist has a simple message.
“When you’re ready, we’re here,” Nyquist said.
The Dena’ina Wellness Center offers many services to people wishing to eliminate tobacco from their life. Assistance is available to customers who use any form of tobacco as well as those exposed to secondhand smoke or who simply want information about tobacco use and how to quit. Read More

Talk to a group of adults about going to the dentist, and there’s a good chance at least one in the bunch will admit it gives them anxiety.
But for young children unfamiliar with dentists and the importance of oral health, a trip to have their teeth cleaned can be especially frightening.
Dr. Michael Morton, Dental Director at the Dena’ina Wellness Center, says there are step parents can take to help alleviate their child’s fears. Read More