The blended mediums of qiiĝam aĝadaa from the land and the sea reflect an Unangax̂ relationality to place that informs our survival and thriving in Unangam Tanangin, the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Unangax̂ Peoples in and of Unangam Tanangin are at the maritime gateway to the Arctic via the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Our livelihoods are characterized by a relationship to the ocean, which connects Unangax̂ kin north to the Arctic and south to the North Pacific through shared language families and shared histories of enslavement via the decimation of our fur-bearing mammals under Russian colonial rule (1741-1867). Qiiĝam aĝadaa weaves together our responsibility as Unangax̂ in deep reciprocity with all life. Our values and Protocols for how to be a good Ancestor and relative to our relations beyond humans remain a key solution to the ongoing climate crisis that disproportionately affects Arctic Indigenous Peoples.