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In Toksook Bay, it's akutaq, elder blessings and throw parties for graduating class

Alaska Public Media | By Valerie Lake
Published May 22, 2023 at 11:20 AM AKDT
High school graduates hug friends and family after graduation.
Gloria Yucaq Sipary hugs an elder after receiving her high school diploma on graduation day, May 12, 2023. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)

Nelson Island School is the only school in Toksook Bay, a Yup'ik village of roughly 650 people, about 115 miles northwest of Bethel.

About 170 students attend the school. Kindergarteners walk the halls alongside 12th graders.

But on Friday, May 12, all the attention was on the 11 graduating seniors. In some ways, the event felt like a typical American high school graduation with caps, gowns and confetti. But it also included Yup'ik customs like akutaq, mukluks, throw parties and blessings from elders. The event was a powerful moment of joy after the village grieved a string of deaths from cancer, suicide and COVID-19.

Here are some of our favorite photos from the day:

A father applauds while holding his young son in his arms.
A proud parent holds his young son in his arms while cheering for Rosemary Qusauq Henry as she gets her high school diploma from Nelson Island School. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
A gymnasium full of people applaud graduating high school seniors.
A full gymnasium of people applauds the 2023 high school graduates. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
A pair of mukluks that one student wears with her graduation outfit.
Rosemary Qusauq Henry wears handmade mukluks with her graduation regalia. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media).
A young Yup'ik man smiles in his graduation cap and gown.
Jacob Minegtuli Nicholai smiles after doing a magic trick before receiving his high school diploma. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
Two mothers hold their teething infants during a high school graduation.
Two Toksook Bay mothers hold their teething infants during graduation. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media).
A crowd of people pop confetti canisters in a school gymnasium.
Toksook Bay residents pop confetti and applaud the graduates. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media).
A baby stands on a gym floor surrounded by confetti.
A mother holds her child as confetti rains down around them during the celebration of the 2023 graduating class. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
High school graduates hug friends and family after graduation.
Gloria Yucaq Sipary hugs an elder after receiving her high school diploma. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
A man eats akutaq from a styrofoam bowl.
Toksook Bay residents celebrate the 2023 high school graduates with akutaq and cake. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
A man feeds his toddler daughter.
A toddler takes a bite of akutaq from her dad while celebrating the 2023 high school graduates. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
High school graduates smile for photos.
Gloria Yucaq Sipary smiles for photos with her friends and family after receiving her high school diploma. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media).
A high school graduate gets a kiss from a Yup'ik elder.
Village elders hug and kiss all the 2023 high school graduates. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
Women throw gifts to each other from the front porch of a home.
Toksook Bay women throw clothes pins to each other at a "throw party" to celebrate the 2023 high school graduation. "Throw parties" are a modern version of a Yup'ik seal party, where instead of throwing pieces of freshly cut seal meat to the other women in the village, they throw household goods, treats and other gifts to celebrate important events and milestones in each others' lives. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
A woman reaches her hand into the air to grab a gift being thrown to her.
A woman reaches for a gift being thrown into the crowd during a Toksook Bay Throw Party. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media).
A Yup'ik woman throws gifts to a crowd of women around her front porch.
Women laugh and scramble for flying gifts at a Throw Party being held for the mothers, grandmothers, aunties and other female family members of the 2023 high school graduating class. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
Yup'ik women reach for gifts being thrown to them.
Toksook Bay women take part in a modern version of a traditional throw party in honor of the 2023 high school graduates. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media)
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Valerie Lake
Valerie Lake worked at Alaska Public Media from 2017 to 2025. She was the managing producer for Indie Alaska, director for Alaska Insight, and led the video production team. Valerie Lake has previously gone by the names, Valerie Lloyd and Valerie Kern.
See stories by Valerie Lake