Live at AFN

Posted by thevillage

Posted: October 22, 2009 - 9:23 am

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3:55 p.m. The state's new rural education director -- the state's first rural education director, actually -- is Juneau school board member Phyllis Carlson.

Carlson most recently worked as director of the Vocational Training and Resource Center of the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the state says.

3:35 p.m. Stopped by the health fair on the convention's second floor where a dozen people waited for their seasonal flu shot.

The room's dominated by a giant, inflatable colon. I took a picture from inside of it, but I just can't bring myself to post it on the blog. Disturbing.

The Southcentral Foundation says it recently received a five-year, $4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control to increase colorectal cancer screenings. Alaska Natives die from the cancer at nearly twice the rate of other Americans, according to the Foundation.

1:27 p.m. A few quotes from Elizabeth Hensley’s half of the keynote speech:

On hunting and fishing rights: “Neither the state nor the federal government is doing enough to protect these rights and ensure that Alaska Natives have access to the food we need …”

On lingering prejudices:
“Today the aren’t ‘no dogs, no Natives’ signs in stores, but the sentiment is still alive.”

On leaving the village:
“I heard reports (at the Elders & Youth conference) from a number of youth who moved from their villages to another town, and they said they totally feel disconnected. They feel like they don’t have a Native identity.”

On tribal sovereignty:
“In the long term, my vision is that law and order will stem from within our community, and in a way that makes sense to us. The question I pose to you today is what would happen if each of our tribes created a well-thought out, well-planned system for enforcing law and order? … Could any outside force really stop us, 231 tribes, from maintaining peace and harmony within our villages?

She also talked about the battle against social ills -- rape, child molestation, substance abuse, suicide. I'll try and add a quote or two later, but things are getting started again here at the Dena'ina.

12:55 p.m. Sitting at a table in the convention center, next to Sen. Al Kookesh, who is hurrying to finish a concession-stand burger before he has to go up and speak.

If you watched or listened to that Lu Young tribute, you heard a girl singing in Yup'ik. That's 12-year-old Alyson McCarty, of Anchorage. The song: "God Be With You."

It was Lu's favorite, said McCarty, who was carrying copies of her Yup'ik hymn CDs through the lobby.

12:20 p.m. The federal Housing Department will give $450,000 to the village of Quinhagak to stabilize 55 homes that are falling apart and potentially unsafe to live in according to a recent study.

The money is meant to make the homes safe for the upcoming winter, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The money is the maximum amount the village could receive under the Indian Community Development Block Grant Imminent Threat Program, the department says.

Here's the story we ran on the rotting homes in earlier this month.

The grant will be announced tomorrow here at the AFN convention.

Noon The buzz this morning is about Elizabeth Hensley's powerhouse speech. Gonna see if I can find her to ask about it ...

11:15 a.m. Rep. Don Young's cheeks are wet as he talks about his late wife, Lu. "I love her and I always will."

The crowd stands during a tribute to Lu Young

11:06 a.m. “With all due respect. I want to thank Al for getting busted.”
-- Jimmy Stotts, Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska

Sen. Al Kookesh's ticket for over-fishing brought subsistence back to mind at AFN, he said.

I don't know if it comes across online or on the radio, but the crowd response to Gov. Sean Parnell was polite but unimpassioned. (Note: To be fair, Young got nearly the same reaction ... guess I was thrown by how powerfully the convention responded to the Hensleys.) Parnell didn't talk in detail about subsistence rules, but covered recently announced plans for more VPSOs and scholarships for Alaska high school students. He apologized for the historic treatment of Alaska Natives.

UPDATE: 10:37 a.m. Giant crowd response for the Hensleys ...

Gov. Sean Parnell, who just started his speech, admitted it'll be tough to follow Elizabeth Hensley. (I'll link to the speeches later.)

A girl in the aisle is writing "AFN" in bright colors on her iPhone.

UPDATE: 10:07 a.m. Standing ovation for Willie Hensley. When he asked how many people in the crowd were here for the first AFN convention in 1966, I'd say fewer than two dozen people stood.

"Based on what I have seen in my lifetime, Alaskans throughout the state have constructed a massive series of infrastructure and institutions that may be, in the end, unaffordable. That is the scary part," Hensley said.

UPDATE: 9:32 a.m. AFN President Julie Kitka just mentioned the federation being excited about announcements coming up during the convention this week. I've heard that again and again over the past week -- AFN leaders are expecting or at least hoping for big news from the feds. We'll know soon. Interior Department officials are scheduled to speak tomorrow.

Delegates are getting settled in their seats and vendors are hugging each other hello here at the Dena'ina Center ... not long until the keynote speech.

Kids are trying to catch some sleep under the chairs, which are covered with Ethan Berkowitz for Governor campaign cards and tip sheets for staying safe in Anchorage: "Stay in a group."

Mayor Dan Sullivan's on the stage, talking about his new "rural affairs liason."

By the way: A few people e-mailed this morning to help identify the dancer in the Elvis mask on our main page. That's Mae Ahgeak of Barrow. Thanks!

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