"Young Alaska Natives often find themselves "walking in two worlds" -- one world consisting of grandparents, ancient languages and subsistence-dependent communities -- and the other composed of college degrees, Internet technology and an evolving world economy.

All of us are faced with disorienting change in the modern age; but the sheer distance between the old and the new is nowhere greater than among young Natives, who must bridge millennia of change. Anyone faced with that task needs a place to stand -- a sense of identity and self-worth that can combine past and present in a healthy balance.

The 2000 census showed us that 44.2 percent of all Native Americans in Alaska had not yet reached their 20th birthdays! A large demographic bubble of Native children and youths is now coming up through the schools and beginning to enter the work force. What they will do with their adult lives and careers depends on good public education, sound personal choices and the availability of economic opportunity. But the ability to take advantage of such things, when they appear, often depends on an inner sense of oneself and of the people from whom one comes."

Get the Story:
Byron Mallott: Young Natives must walk in two worlds (The Anchorage Daily News 4/9)
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Relevant Links:
First Alaskans Institute - http://www.firstalaskans.org

Alaska Natives use data to guide future (01/14)