Between Narrows and Lagoon

Spruce Island sits just off Kodiak, separated by a slender strait that once gave Ouzinkie its name, “uzen kii,” the narrows. Families there learn the tides like kin, reading currents the way others read the morning news.

In spring, elders taught where the greens come first, in summer, smokehouses carried stories as salmon hung above slow fires. When the earth shook in 1964, and waves turned harbors into hazards, neighbors climbed together and returned together, rebuilding not only docks and stores, but trust, humor, and a stubborn kind of love for home.

In Monk’s Lagoon, memory is a garden, care for children, for land, for one another. Today, the people carry this care forward, through language lessons, health and wellness programs, classrooms, boats, and berries. They keep sharing the catch, sharing the work, and sharing the joy. And they invite everyone, across Kodiak, Ouzinkie, and beyond, to take part, because the story they’re writing is stronger when more hands hold the pen.

Promise: We belong to one another, through place, practice, and care.

Proofs:

• 7,000+ years of Alutiiq/Sugpiaq culture and language are kept vibrant today (Alutiiq Museum). [alutiiqmuseum.org]

• Shared values of stewardship, generosity, and learning by doing (Koniag cultural values). [koniag.com]

• Health and connectivity are supported locally through KANA and community centers. [kodiakhealthcare.org], [sidcoalaska.org]

• Resilience in the face of natural and economic change (1964 earthquake memory; evolving fisheries). [usgs.gov], [northernjournal.com]

Call‑to‑Action: Join us! Buy a ticket, show up, learn, share. When you participate, you’re fueling programs that keep our people connected, well, and proud of who we are.

Cama’i, Kodiak & Ouzinkie! Tomorrow’s the final day for our 4th‑Quarter Split‑the‑Pot. Your ticket keeps our community connected, health, culture, and learning for all ages. Suumacirpet, our way of living, thrives when we show up together.

https://go.rallyup.com/q4-split-the-pot/

(Local details referenced: Ouzinkie’s name and setting, Saint Herman and Monk’s Lagoon, 1964 quake and village resilience, subsistence culture