Katie Basile

After two years of COVID-related cancellations, the much-celebrated Cama-i Dance Festival is back.

The Epiphany is a holiday celebrated by Orthodox Christians all over the world, commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. In Napaskiak, people celebrated on the frozen Kuskokwim River.

Elders who have live through past pandemics shared stories about the dangers of not listening to health guidelines during pandemics.

The town of Red Devil was built by mining almost 100 years ago, and now carries a toxic legacy of mine pollution. But to its residents, the Donlin Gold mine represents hope. Like so many communities in Alaska, resource extraction is at once a lifeline and a risk.

Scammon Bay "Dance Diva" Maryann Sundown and her sister, Agnes Aguchak, left behind a unique comedic legacy in Yup’ik dance. This year, the Scammon Bay dancers returned to the Cama-i Dance Festivalstage for the first time since their Elder, Maryann Sundown, passed away in 2011.