Athabascan Woman Blog – Athabascan Culture & Alaska Native Life

Graphic for the 2026 Alaska Native Pulse featuring hands in the background, the title “Alaska Native Pulse” in red at the top, a large white arrow pointing to “2026,” and “Athabascan Woman Blog” in red at the bottom.

There are many upcoming events of interest to Alaska Native people and Alaskans in the next few months. I publish this list each year before Native New Year, usually marked by the week when the First Alaskans Institute’s Elders & Youth Conference and the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention are held.

What’s happening in the communities? I enjoy attending these events to learn more about Alaska Native culture and to visit with friends and relatives. If you know of any events happening around the state or virtually that you would like me to add, please let me know.

Upcoming Events

Third Thursday at the Ch’k’iqadi Gallery • October 15, 2026 • Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage

2026 Alaska Food Festival and Conference • October 16 – 18, 2026 • Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center, Fairbanks, AK • Registration required

First Alaskans Institute’s Elders & Youth Conference • October 18-21, 2026 • Dena’ina Center, Anchorage • Theme: K’ets’e k’ʉdaa neehʉghleł (Denaakk’e, Koyukon Athabascan) — “We are approaching change”

Rasmuson Foundation Honoring 2026 Distinguished Artist, Rebecca Lyon • October 21, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. • Anchorage Museum, Theater • RSVP requested (free)

The Bird Blind — Special Staged Reading • October 22-23, 2026 • Alaska Center for the Performing Arts — Elvera Voth Hall, Anchorage • New Native Theatre • Written by Iñupiaq playwright Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler and set in her home village of Unalakleet, Alaska • Free admission; seating is limited and advance reservations are strongly recommended • Performances: Oct. 22 at 1 pm & 7:15 pm; Oct. 23 at 1 pm & 5:30 pm

Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Annual Convention • October 22-24, 2026 • Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage • Theme: Rooted in Land and Tradition, Rising in Our Voices

Alaska Native Customary Art Fair • October 22-24, 2026 • Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage
Quyana Alaska I-II • Alaska Federation of Natives • October 22-23, 2026 • Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage
AFN Banquet & Silent Auction + Featuring musical guest, Kuya • Alaska Federation of Natives • October 24, 2026, 7 pm ● Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage
Passport Fair in Association with Alaska Federation of Natives • October 22-24, 2026 • Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage • Appointment recommended

2026 Alaska Native Heritage Center Benefit Concert featuring Ying Yang Twins, Notorious Cree and Ink Fire Dancers • October 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM • 609 F St., Anchorage, AK • Tickets required

Rockin’ It Village Style Dance • October 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM • 601 West 36th Avenue, Space 16, Anchorage, AK

Alaska General Election • November 3, 2026 • Get Out the Vote!

44th Annual Athabascan Music Festival • November 5-7, 2026 • Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall, Fairbanks

44th Annual Athabascan Music Festival. Visit krff891.com to learn how you can get involved.

Alaska Humanities Forum’s Day of Storytelling • November 7, 2026 • Anchorage Senior Center, Anchorage • Registration required

Indigenous Full Spectrum Birth Helper Training • November 9-13, 2026 • Anchorage • Apply by October 4, 2026

Athabascan Fiddlers Dances • November 13, & December 4 • The Nave Spenard, Anchorage

Howard Rock & Ted Stevens Smokehouse Gala • November 21, 2026 • Marriott Anchorage Downtown, Anchorage, AK • Tickets required

Alaska Native Business Summit & Inaugural ANCSA Hall of Fame • December 18, 2026 • Anchorage

Please note that this is not meant to be a complete list, and event dates are subject to change. I recommend checking the provided links for the most up-to-date information and reaching out to the event organizers with any questions or concerns. I am not personally affiliated with any of these events.

Feel free to email me with any events you would like me to consider adding, or comment below.

Screenshot of the CLARA senior companion app showing a live speech caption that explains CLARA as a daily companion created in honor of Clara Holmberg Clark of Old Louden, Alaska. The text describes features including family check-ins, medication tracking, old-time fiddle music and simple ways to stay connected.

Athabascan in the Spotlight

Koyukon Athabascan App Developer Builds Technology With Purpose

August 29, 2026August 30, 2026 Angela Gonzalez

My cousin, Tillila “Til” Beetus, is an Alaska Native youth advocate and app developer. She created several apps that serve specific purposes and honor her friends, family and loved ones. I would be impressed by just one app, but to create so many is a feat. Til is Koyukon Athabascan from Interior Alaska.

“These are more than just apps. They are tools designed to help people travel, heal, build, lead, protect communities, support survivors, care for elders, protect our waters, find funding, and create opportunities,” says Til.

Here is Til’s recent post where she describes each app.

DREAM APP COLLECTION — TECHNOLOGY WITH PURPOSE
Feel free to share. I will need testers soon!

I have been busy building apps designed to solve real problems, help people, strengthen communities, and make everyday life a little easier. The process of Google reviewing each app takes a while, but they should all be up in the next few weeks.

✈️ AL — Wright Air Service Passenger App
Real-time flight information, arrival and departure boards, freight tracking, and bush weather updates for Alaska communities.
$0.99/month

🎨CHARLOTTE — Indigenous Marketplace
A marketplace for authentic Alaska Native and Native American art. Named after a beloved elder who always had a tent at the fair filled with beautiful crafts and good visits. Artists are verified under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. You can even put dancing boots on layaway! $4.99/year

💛CLARA — Senior Companion Assistant
A friendly daily companion for seniors with reminders, connection, and support. $9.99 one-time

🧡CORWIN — Youth Crisis Support
A private, 24/7 support app for youth with safe housing information, coping tools, resources, and trusted mentors. FREE

🎗️DONNIE — Cancer Care Companion
Helps cancer patients in rural Alaska coordinate rides to treatment, connect with caregivers, and track appointments. $9.99 one-time

💰FUND — Federal Grant Aggregator
Helps tribes, nonprofits, schools, and cities find federal funding opportunities and receive AI-powered help with grant applications. $4.99/month

🌿LEONA
A supportive, judgment-free space for neurodivergent and highly sensitive people to reflect, process, and feel understood. $0.99/month

🔥LESLIE — Wildland Fire Management
Helps wildland firefighters manage certifications, crew deployment, equipment, and gear. $4.99/year for firefighters | Crew and company subscriptions available

🦋LISA — Domestic Violence Support
A private, safe app with safety-planning tools, resources, and nearby help for survivors. FREE

🌊LUK-CHO — Anti-Trawler App
Helps protect coastal waters, fish, and marine life by tracking and reporting suspected illegal trawling activity. FREE

👩‍💼MARIE — Leadership & Management Toolkit
A management toolkit for tribal leaders, executives, administrators, nonprofits, and businesses. Named after a tireless tribal administrator who gives everything she has for her tribe. $4.99/month

👗MADI — AI Virtual Closet
A fun virtual closet for young girls to plan outfits and discover new style ideas. $4.99/year

👕MARRIK — What Should I Wear?
Helps guys decide what to wear based on the weather and their schedule. No fashion knowledge needed! $9.99 one-time

♻️REUSE
Helps neighbors give away and find free furniture, tools, and other useful items nearby. $4.99/year

🏡TEEPEE — Native Home Ownership Platform
Helps Alaska Native and Native American families navigate home loans, housing programs, and grants. $9.99/year

❄️THAW — A Space to Heal
A private, trauma-informed space to release stress, reflect, and feel grounded and safe. $1.99/month

💉TUZDAY — GLP-1 Companion
Tracks shot days, protein, water, and refill reminders in one calm, encouraging place. $2.99/month

🔎WILLIS — MMIP Search & Rescue App
A 24/7 volunteer search-and-rescue coordination app with an MMIP alert network, offline mapping, and secure radio communication. FREE

📣NEE’ETSEK — Outreach Made Easier
Turn your logo and your cause into ready-to-use social media, radio, and TV outreach materials in minutes. $4.99/month

📚TIL — Today I Learned
Learn how to take your idea and start building your own business in just 7 days. $4.99 one-time for each business

Tillila closes by saying, “Technology should help people. That is what I am building. And this is only the beginning.”

About Til Beetus

Tillila “Til” Beetus is a Koyukon Athabascan entrepreneur and app developer based in Arizona, and founder of DREAM LLC, a Native-owned consulting business providing grant writing and business support to tribal governments and Alaska Native organizations. With an IT background and nearly 30 years of experience across tribal, nonprofit, and Alaska Native corporate settings, she is building a growing portfolio of apps rooted in real community needs — including REUSE (a free-item exchange app), Fund (a grant package builder for tribal orgs), TIL (an Indigenous entrepreneurship platform), and EETAA’/EENAA’ (support apps for Native parents), with more in the works.

She was named by her late grandmother Celia (Koyukuk) Beetus because she was born to help others.

Learn more about Dream LLC here.

Enaa basee’, Til for sharing your coding and app developing skills to create apps with a purpose.

Know someone whose story, work or community impact should be highlighted? If you’d like to suggest a future topic, nominate someone to be featured, or explore collaboration opportunities, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me.

Alaska Native/Indigenous People

Ellen Paneok’s Legacy Continues with New Alaska Nonprofit

August 28, 2026August 29, 2026 Angela Gonzalez

Six young Alaskans stand in front of a Redbird flight simulator at the Paneok launch in Anchorage. — Young rural Alaska Natives pursuing careers in aviation gather in front of a flight simulator at the Paneok launch in Anchorage. The new nonprofit is helping create pathways to aviation training, mentorship, scholarships and career opportunities for rural Alaska youth.

I attended the project launch of Paneok, an educational nonprofit in Anchorage. They connect rural Alaskan youth with aviation training, mentorship, scholarships and career opportunities.

According to their website, “Through Ellen Paneok’s pioneering spirit we support clear pathways for the next generation to learn, lead and take flight.”

My friend, Jamie Klaes, helped start this nonprofit. I met Jamie when I lived in Bettles back in the day. She is passionate about flying and creating opportunities for rural Alaskan youth. I have admired her tenacity, along with that of the whole team who made this possible.

The launch was held at Merrill Field, the same Anchorage airport where Ellen Paneok learned to fly. Hearing airplanes in the background made it a fitting place to celebrate her legacy and the next generation of Alaska aviators. Members of Ellen’s family were also there to be part of the celebration.

We heard from some amazing supporters who shared stories about the late Ellen Paneok, a pioneering Alaska Native pilot. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard about this legendary Alaska Native woman before this event. It was inspiring to hear about her life and the many ways she broke barriers, mentored others and made an impact on Alaska aviation.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski described Ellen as a “Renaissance woman,” whose passion for flying was only one part of a remarkable life defined by courage, mentorship and service. Other speakers reflected on how Paneok will carry that spirit forward by helping young Alaskans see themselves in aviation—and giving them the opportunity to believe, “I might belong here.”

Jamie Klaes speaks into a microphone alongside several young Alaskans at the Paneok launch, with photographs and artwork displayed behind them. — Paneok co-founder Jamie Klaes introduces young Alaskans pursuing aviation and shares some of their accomplishments during the nonprofit’s launch at Merrill Field in Anchorage. Photo by Angela Gonzalez

There is much more to Ellen Paneok’s story than I can capture here, and she is well worth learning more about. What stood out to me at the launch was how clearly her spirit still resonates with the people who knew her—and how intentionally this new nonprofit is working to carry that legacy forward.

Watch the video:

It was especially meaningful to see several young Alaskans there who are already pursuing aviation careers. Jamie introduced them and proudly shared some of their accomplishments at the end of the video.

Congratulations to Jamie, Kate and the entire Paneok team on a successful launch. It was especially meaningful to see Ellen’s family there and to witness how proud they were of what is being built in her name.

Angela Gonzalez with her relative Patricia “Patty” Yaska of Chuathbaluk at the Paneok launch in Anchorage. Patty serves on Paneok’s Advisory Council as a Rural Community Advisor and is passionate about helping the next generation of rural Alaskans find their voice and pursue opportunities in aviation.

Alaska Native/Indigenous People, Athabascan in the Spotlight

Dru-P – Koyukon Athabascan Rapper, Singer & Videographer

December 30, 2025December 31, 2025 Angela Gonzalez

When I think about the artists who carry the heart of home into their work, I think of my relative Andrew “Dru-P” Marks. Dru-P is a Koyukon Athabascan rapper and singer from Tanana, Alaska. He’s also a talented videographer, a contract video producer, and a dad to two boys.

Like a lot of village kids, his story isn’t one straight line. He grew up in several Alaskan villages, and even as he moved, one thing stayed constant: his childhood nickname, “Droopy.” Over time, he reshaped it into his artist name—Dru-P—and it fit.

He started making music the way so many of us start creating: by playing around, listening closely, and having fun with friends. He remembers looping instrumentals wherever he could find space and rapping over them. That curiosity of “parts of instrumentals where people weren’t talking” became a spark, and that spark became a craft.

He had a pause in music around 2011 when video work and life got busy, but he found his way back in 2020 during the pandemic. Not because he was chasing a trend, but because he missed the joy of it.

That joy matters. The Athabascan Woman Blog has always celebrated Native creatives who are building something real, through culture, storytelling, and everyday resilience. Dru-P’s work fits right in with that spirit and the kind of storytelling I love to share here.

Dru-P’s newest project, Chill Protector Vibes, is an album shaped by reflection, healing, and forward movement. He collaborated with producer Ariano on several tracks and connected with the “emotional tone” of the instrumentals. This year, while selling a home and clearing it out, he found old items that brought back memories and stirred up strong feelings.

Dru-P released a new album, Chill Protector Vibes. Courtesy photo.

What stood out to me is how honestly he described that moment: how something that once felt like failure can look different with time, growth, and survival. He used writing as a way to name what he’d been carrying, including past trauma. But he also made sure the album didn’t get stuck in darkness. He added more songs and incorporated features from friends to shift the tone and broaden the story.

Today, he sees the album as inspiring—not because life was easy, but because he kept going.

Dru-P’s song called “Adonis” best represents the project. He shared a story about attending Catholic school for a year and being teased—especially when other kids mocked “the Natives downtown” and used that to target him. He described the song as a mix of love and trauma, and that’s how he views the album as a whole.

But what stays with me is how he flips that pain into pride in the second verse.

“Around here, Ch’eghwtsen’ we’re proud of our skin.” – Dru-P

That one line carries a lot of love, trauma, identity, and a refusal to shrink.

Dru-P’s creative eye doesn’t stop with music. He got into videography by editing his own basketball highlight videos back when he and his friends had big dreams (and he jokes he ended up being “a lot better at running than basketball”).

As his skills grew, he started producing music videos for fun, took graphic design and video classes in college, and eventually built a career in media. He worked at KTVF Channel 11, producing commercials and supporting news, and today, he does contract video work while balancing family life. Anyone who edits at home with kids nearby knows it’s not always quiet, but he says he’s finding a rhythm, staying present for his boys while still creating.

His best advice is to protect the fun. When I asked what he’d tell aspiring musicians or videographers, Dru-P shared a quote from his friend TK Sweetsir that he lives by.

“It ain’t fun if you ain’t having fun.” – TK Sweetsir

That sounds simple, but it’s actually a powerful creative compass, especially when work gets heavy. Dru-P says he keeps video work fun by constantly challenging himself to learn new things, and he keeps music honest by rewriting when he knows he’s just going through the motions.

Dru-P is already looking ahead to next year. He plans to release a remix project from *Chill Protector Vibes* (with Ariano remixing about 10 instrumentals), perform more shows, and work toward a collab project with 2essentialz.

To preserve knowledge for the future, he also has additional Indigenous storytelling projects in the works, including documentaries on Elder craft projects. I commend him for this work. To me, that kind of storytelling helps keep culture moving forward.

Dru-P’s work is rooted in Tanana, but it reaches far beyond it. It’s music made from memory, pride, family, and the decision to keep creating.

Enaa baasee’, Andrew, for sharing your story and congratulations on the new album!

Subscribe to Dru-P on YouTube.

Listen to his new album, Chill Protector Vibes, on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and iTunes. You can also buy physical copies and merch at his performances.

Athabascan in the Spotlight

From Kaltag to the Alaska Air National Guard: Honoring Technical Sergeant Wanda Solomon-Parsons

November 11, 2025 Angela Gonzalez

Technical Sergeant Wanda Solomon-Parsons at her retirement ceremony with her siblings. Photo by Angela Gonzalez

From the Yukon River village of Kaltag to the Alaska Air National Guard, Wanda Solomon-Parsons has lived a life rooted in hard work and service. Her father, First Sergeant William Solomon, Sr., served before her, setting the example she carried throughout her own remarkable career.

I first featured Wanda in 2014 (Wanda Solomon – Alaska Native Guardswoman) when she was actively serving. More than a decade later, she is celebrating retirement as a Technical Sergeant (E6) after 28 years of combined service in the Alaska Air and Army National Guard, including two tours in Afghanistan (2005 and 2012).

Wanda reflected that being both Alaska Native and a woman profoundly shaped her experience.

“It made me try harder due to being a minority and being a woman. I feel that both of these made it harder for me.” – Technical Sergeant Wanda Solomon-Parsons

Despite the obstacles, she stayed determined, building her skills, seeking every opportunity for training, and mentoring others along the way.

Even in retirement, Wanda plans to continue serving by staying connected with veterans, especially women she’s served alongside, and helping others navigate medical and counseling services. Her next steps include working part-time and joining Alaska Native corporation and community boards to continue giving back.

Her advice for young people, especially Alaska Native women, considering military service is simple but powerful:

“Do your soul searching and know for sure your desires, intent, and where you want to be in 20 years. Then go for your goal.”

Wanda says her military career “shaped me to be the person that I am today,” grounding her in family, health, and spiritual strength.

We recently celebrated Wanda’s retirement, a day filled with laughter, stories of courage, and heartfelt gratitude. Friends, relatives, and fellow service members shared messages of pride and love from across Alaska and beyond. That outpouring of community pride speaks volumes about Wanda’s impact.

Her 28 years of service reflect not only personal dedication but also the collective strength of her people, showing what it means to see an Alaska Native, Koyukon Athabascan woman leading and protecting with honor.

Congratulations, Technical Sergeant Wanda Solomon-Parsons, on your retirement and extraordinary legacy. Enaa baasee’ for your service and example.

🎥 Watch Wanda’s story: SSgt Wanda Solomon, U.S. Army – Afghanistan — interview by Larry Cappetto for Voices of History (YouTube, July 9, 2025)