It’s October 18th and I’m in a boat headed for Newtok, the village where I spent most of my life but have rarely returned to since we moved to Mertarvik five years ago. We reach the Ningliq River and get off the boat, but the tide is coming in fast! We race up to the land as the water rises to our knees. We hold each other’s hands and stick together. We laugh, scream, and laugh again as we climb the bank and look out at our first home. It feels so good to be back, but something feels off—it’s like I’m missing a piece of me.
It’s heartbreaking to see the gloomy weather; nobody is outside because nearly everyone has moved to Mertarvik. It’s different now—Newtok isn’t the place I used to know. Our childhood homes are gray, old, and crooked. Our play area feels unfamiliar, like I can’t recognize it anymore. I remember fishing for needlefish next to Jojean’s house. We would spend our evening catching many fish until it was our curfew. Now the pond is drained out and covered with moss. It’s like longing for something you miss, even if it's there.
I look over at my classmates. There are six of us total along with photographer Katie Basile and KYUK Multimedia Director Gabby Salgado. We see some stray dogs wandering around. One resident of Newtok who hasn’t moved yet has a litter of puppies. We hold and play with the puppies, then ask the owner if we can send them to the animal shelter in Bethel. He gives the puppies to Gabby, then she puts them in a box. Later in the day she flies them out to Bethel Friends of Canines. We also spot a cute, white weasel living there. All eight of us are gathered around the weasel, admiring it and taking pictures.
Newtok is a small village located in Southwest Alaska on the Ningliq River. Mertarvik is located 9 miles from Newtok, and they share the same Ningliq River where we have traveled back and forth for the past five years. The old village is not livable anymore. It is getting scarier every year as the erosion eats up our land and makes the river wider and wider, taking away our childhood home.
Our warming climate is not only causing erosion. According to our Yuraq teacher, Harry Nevak, our subsistence foods are moving to different locations. “Yuarnariluteng neqet,” said Mr. Nevak.
In 2019, some of the residents, including me, moved to Mertarvik. We were separated from our families. It was hard. Almost everyday I would hear, “I want to go home. I want to go back to Newtok.”
Almost everyone moved over to Mertarvik this fall due to erosion; the generator and water plant were shut down on December 1. According to our Tribal Administrator, Calvin Tom, a few families still remain at the old site as of November 22, 2024. We are still facing challenges as we transition to a new village.
On the positive side, former Newtok resident Gabriel Patrick said that he is happy to have moved here to Mertarvik. He loves his new temporary home. “I can visit my relatives now,” said Mr. Patrick. He also added that Niugtaq is too old, “Mertarvik is nice, new, and clean.”
Andruska Carl reflects on the changes of moving from his lifelong home in Niugtaq to the new village of Mertarvik. "It was hard because I grew up in Niugtaq," he shared, remembering the memories and favorite hunting spots he left behind. The move was required. As Carl explained, "Niugtaq is sinking, and the erosion is getting closer—the houses are starting to sink."
In Mertarvik, he likes living here because there are gravel roads, higher elevation, more humidity, as well as the temporary home, which he describes as "twice the size" of his house in Niugtaq. However, the temporary home's closeness to others brings challenges. "It’s not fun looking out the window and seeing another house’s window," Carl said, considering how neighboring houses block sunlight and views. Given changes, he is adapting to life in Mertarvik, finding hope in the opportunities of his new home.
"Lessons From Newtok" is led by photographers Katie Baldwin Basile and Emily Schiffer and supported by the Newtok Village Council, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Fox Air, International Teaching Artist Collective, New York Foundation for the Arts, Provincetown School District, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and KYUK.
