In this video, Mary Lou Bottorff, an Elder with the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, talks about how gathering, preparing and sharing traditional Alaska Native food helps promote health and wellness. She volunteers her time to the tribe’s youth, elders and wellness programs and helps organize a monthly traditional foods potluck.

Tribal Elder Alexandra “Sasha” Lindgren explains how the tribe is working with researchers to better understand how the tribe’s traditional diet of salmon helps to connect Dena’ina people from the past, present and future.

The video was created for the National Institute of Health’s “Storytelling about Health and Wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities” challenge.