{"id":1815,"date":"2014-06-12T21:50:08","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T05:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ayatlin.wordpress.com\/?p=1815"},"modified":"2015-08-31T22:18:23","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T06:18:23","slug":"pj-simon-a-koyukuk-river-hunter-and-fisherman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/?p=1815","title":{"rendered":"PJ Simon \u2013 A Koyukuk River Hunter and Fisherman"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"PJ<\/a>
PJ Simon and Doug Bergman of Allakaket made their national television debut on Animal Planet’s American River Renegades on May 26.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PJ Simon of Allakaket is starring in one of Animal Planet\u2019s newest reality TV shows, American River Renegades<\/a>. At least six episodes will air this summer. They\u2019ll decide whether or not they want to continue after they see how this initial run goes. PJ is the only Alaskan \u2018Renegade\u2019 on the show. There are three other \u2018Renegades\u2019 from the Lower 48. PJ and I are cousins.
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The premiere episode will air on June 15 on Animal Planet<\/a>. Check your local listings.<\/span><\/p>\n

PJ hopes the show puts a positive aspect on Alaska Native people and their way of life. He says, \u201cWe don\u2019t live in igloos. We might not drive in cars, but we get in boats, snogos and airplanes.\u201d PJ goes on to say, \u201cWe\u2019re trying to find food. We have to work hard for what we have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The cost of fuel is expensive in rural Alaska. According to PJ, they have to prioritize their time and efforts to go seining, moose hunting and caribou hunting. He wants to clarify they are not starving. <\/span><\/p>\n

PJ has many accomplishments in his life, and has been keeping himself busy lately. PJ is the second Chief of Allakaket, and serves on the Tanana Chiefs Conference executive board<\/a>, and Doyon, Limited board<\/a>. He also participates on a focus group on sanitation and running water for the Department of Environmental Conservation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"PJ<\/a>
PJ Simon in interior Alaska. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PJ is a former plumber. He went from a generous salary of a plumber to making a lot less to return home to be a political advocate for this community. He is a recreational gold miner among other things. PJ is often called upon to broadcast sporting events.
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PJ is passionate about giving back to his people. He grew up on the Koyukuk River and he says, \u201cThe village raised me up.\u201d PJ serves in those leadership capacities so he can fight for a positive environment for tribal members, better education, running water and sewer, prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, safety in the villages and for controlling alcohol and drugs. It\u2019s a tall order, but he wants to stand up for villagers and won\u2019t give up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to tell kids that I\u2019m there for them. Be proud of where you grow up. Never give up.\u201d<\/em> \u2013 PJ Simon, Koyukuk Athabascan<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

PJ asserts a lot of people are affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse. He stresses the importance of openly talking about these issues and finding way to prevent them. PJ also says, \u201cIt\u2019s our job as leaders to provide employment and some kind of security so they can take care of themselves.\u201d PJ encourages young people by telling them that it is never too late to better themselves and to find gainful employment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Todd<\/a>
Todd Bergman and PJ Simon on a caribou hunt. PJ says, “Our lifestyle in Allakaket is very traditional, we love our traditional foods. ” Courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Villagers are connected to the land and resources. According to PJ, Alaska\u2019s fish and game resources are exploited. He says, \u201cOur resources are running low. Game is getting scarce, including moose, caribou and fish.\u201d PJ is an avid hunter and fisherman and provides for his extended family in Allakaket. He advocates for conservation of fish and game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"PJ<\/a>
PJ caught a huge shee fish on the Alatna River last year. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

PJ wants people to remember, \u201cWe\u2019re strong Native people.\u201d He\u2019s a village advocate with a mission to lessen the disparity between the villages and urban areas. The communities do come together to survive though. PJ says, \u201cOur bonding mechanism is working together and providing food for the villages\u2019 health and welfare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In upcoming episodes of American River Renegades<\/a>, you\u2019ll see him dipnetting at Chitina and getting there by four-wheeler. \ud83d\ude42 You\u2019ll see him using a traditional fish trap to catch white fish on the Koyukuk River. You\u2019ll also see him building a log firewood raft. They also went half way to Henshaw by boat last fall during the fall hunting season. You may also see his adventure of going out water fowl hunting by dog team. PJ is known for his great sense of humor and I’m sure that will come through on the show.
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I\u2019m looking forward to watching the episodes and seeing people of the Koyukuk River and their lifestyle featured in the show. Who knows what the future holds, but I\u2019m glad to see PJ and others from the interior show a part of how I grew up. I’m glad young people have a positive role model like PJ to look up to. Thank you PJ for sharing the lifestyle of Koyukuk River people and for fighting to protect that way of life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"PJ<\/a>
PJ Simon got some white fish for elders of Allakaket. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PJ Simon of Allakaket is starring in one of Animal Planet\u2019s newest reality TV shows, American River Renegades. At least six episodes will air this summer. They\u2019ll decide whether or not they want to continue after they see how this initial run goes. PJ is the only Alaskan \u2018Renegade\u2019 on the show. There are three… Continue reading PJ Simon \u2013 A Koyukuk River Hunter and Fisherman<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[27,50,59,172,227],"class_list":["post-1815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alaska-nativeindigenous-people","tag-alaska-native","tag-allakaket","tag-athabascan","tag-koyukuk-river","tag-pj-simon","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1815"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3026,"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions\/3026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athabascanwoman.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}