On Friday, June 21st, Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) gathered with communities from around the region in a day of prayer for our animals, lands, and waterways. The gathering, adopted as a resolution by TCC’s full board of directors, acts as a response to the salmon crisis and calls for us to lift up our collective voices in prayer and affirmations for the survival of our way of life.
In Fairbanks, the Day of Prayer gathering took place on the banks of the Chena River. Attendees brought gifts of salmon skin, stinkweed, flowers, and beads as offerings to the river. Amber Vaska, TCC’s Executive Director of Tribal Government and Client Services, opened the gathering by introducing TCC’s new Tribal Resource Stewardship Division Director, Diloola Erickson. Diloola and a Traditional Healer led a prayer, after which several attendees led prayers of their own. Drumming and singing followed.
The gathering then became a pilgrimage to the river, where people left their offerings and gave gratitude for the provisions the rivers have supplied for generations.
TCC would like to thank everyone who shows up and joins us in all of our efforts to preserve our culture and subsistence way of life. If you are interested in taking action on behalf of our lands, animals, and way of life, reach out to TCC’s Tribal Resource Stewardship Division at
trsp@tananachiefs.org.
