Arts & Culture

You may not have heard, but KYUK has added a new service to its Yup'ik News programming. The Bethel public radio station is now airing news from around the world in Yup’ik. Their targeted audience includes elders, and people in the region who have Yup’ik as their primary language.

Yup’ik rap has hit Facebook, and people are loving it. A local rap video posted last week has been viewed more than 59 thousand times and stars Byron Nicholai, the Toksook Bay teenager who’s made himself a household name in the Delta with his Yup’ik singing and dancing videos. Mike McIntyre produced the track and talks with KYUK about exploring a new genre and why Yup’ik raps so well. The song "Tuallu", which translates to "Ready!" in English, is the first single on the pair’s second album. 

Today on Delta Affairs Weekly, we're bringing you something different. We’re airing a show produced by KNOM in Nome. Maddie Winchester of KNOM traveled to Bethel in April for the Cama-i Dance Festival where she met Bethel teenager and dancer Mike Bialy. Mike's story is part of KNOM's monthly series Story49.

Ursula Paniyak, renowned doll maker from Chevak, passed away last month after a battle with lung cancer. She leaves behind a brother, sisters, grandchildren, and hundreds of intricate, handmade dolls. 

Over half the Alaskan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church gathered in Bethel this weekend.  This is the first time Bethel has hosted the region's annual conference. KYUK attended the ceremony and spoke with Bishop David Mahaffey about the church's place in the community, both historically and contemporarily. 

Bethel will celebrate its annual Fourth of July festival Monday. KYUK talked with the festival’s coordinator Roxanne Girdlestone about what’s to come.

Young Alaska Natives are spreading Yup’ik literacy. Six students from across the state competed in the fifth annual Yup’ik Spelling Bee for Beginners in Anchorage over the weekend. The contest is open to third through eighth grade and run by volunteers. It’s a lot of work. And with responsibility concentrated to a few individuals, the future of the event is in question.