Top: Bernadette Demientieff’s 7-year-old
Above: The Chandalar River is the boundary
daughter, Lexine, looks out over the refuge.
between Arctic Village and the Arctic
Bernadette wants her children to understand
National Wildlife Refuge. The banks of
the connections between the Gwich’in peo-
the river serve as both hunting ground and
ple, the land and the caribou. Kahlil Hudson
playground for the Gwich’in. Kahlil Hudson
Left: Donald Tritt gets his face painted before
Right: Bernadette Demientieff, Gwich’in
a traditional dance at the 2016 Gwich’in
Steering Committee executive director,
Gathering. Kahlil Hudson
and Princess Daazhraii Johnson, former executive director, at the 2016 Gwich’in Gathering. Kahlil Hudson