Ellam Yua In Yup'ik Culture

In my Yup’ik culture in Alaska, we called our creator Ellam Yua — the Person of the Universe. Our original elders, who lived in the natural way before outside influences arrived, often reminded us before they passed that the teachings of the Bible carried the same essence as the wisdom handed down by our ancestors. They did not realize it was Christ all along. In the end, all true wisdom flows from Ellam Yua — all‑knowing, all‑seeing, and holding all things in balance.

Ellam Yua gave life so that we might live. Our ancestors walked in balance with nature. Every fish and animal honored the purpose Ellam Yua entrusted them. Their way of life was shaped as gifts from Ellam Yua, to serve man.

If you strip away all the events of the Bible and look at its core purpose, it is centered on Love and Ellam Yua. Our ancestors did not know His true name until the missionaries arrived. “The missionaries brought Qaneryaraq, the written word — the Bible,” shared by our late Deacon Mike Angaiak, Sr. of Tununak. The elders I heard growing up said that Native people were already living in accordance with the Creator’s teachings long before the Qaneryaraq – The Word reached them in written form.

A Shaman’s Story

While a missionary was traveling by dog team toward Qaluyarmit (Nelson Island), a shaman decided to investigate through astral travel. In his flight he saw a sled team glowing brightly in the distance. As he drew closer, he saw a white man dressed in Native clothing — but the light was not coming from the man. It shone from beneath the coverings of the sled.

Inside was a bundle of flattened wooden white leaves bound in leather — a book. The light coming from this book spoke a powerful Qaneryaraq, words he had heard from elders and ancestors, now written down. These words were full of light, love, guidance, wisdom — teachings of how to be a Yup’ik human being: Yuyaraq, Ellangcartutet, Qaneryaraq and all the goodness that lived with creation.

He felt a powerful presence of light within the book, the Qaneryaraq — The Word. He could not see the One who spoke those words into being, because He was everywhere. The shaman felt spiritually exposed in the light. Suddenly he fell back in fear. He realized Ellam Yua’s presence, and that no harm was coming from the sled. The man on the sled was still just a man, with all his shortcomings, yet he carried something more powerful than anything the shaman had ever witnessed. Fearfully, the shaman returned to his body and told no one for a time.

Agayuliyararput – Our Way of Making Prayer

For thousands of years, countless generations believed in Ellam Yua. They honored the Creator through Agayuliyararput — Our Way of Making Prayer, the great festival of dance celebrating the life‑giving gifts bestowed by Ellam Yua. It was understood that animals offered themselves as gifts to be shared. Some ceremonial masks had holes in their hands to symbolize Ellam Yua’s authority over these gifts — holes that would begin to close if people became greedy or fought over resources.

During the celebration, several neighboring villages also participated. They had sinew strings from the four corners of the Qasgiq – Communal Sod House, joined together in the center of the Qasgiq. On it were carvings and figurines representing all the animals, birds and fish hanging from it. The whole string was pulled up and down with the rhythm of the drum. In the center was an Inugua, a doll, representing Ellam Yua who controlled all the representations of creation. The whole string ensemble represented the thanksgiving of all the fish and wildlife to honor of Ellam Yua's gifts. The ensemble also represented the surrounding earth and heavens.

Animals Gave Themselves

It was believed that all fish and wildlife gave themselves to deserving hunters and gatherers — to those who lived rightly and followed the teachings of Qaneryaraq, The Word. The animals watched how their bodies were treated after they were taken. Fish bones were dried so every bit of meat and fat could be eaten. They saw food shared with those in need, and their skins used to clothe the poor and the elderly.

A Living Web

Ellam Yua, pleased by the love, humility, respect, and generosity shown by everyone, allowed all creatures to celebrate alongside humans during great gatherings, naming ceremonies, and festivals. Every living creature and every growing thing — animals, birds, fish, plants, trees, insects — carried a part of Ellam Yua’s breath, fully aware of its purpose.

A living web, a circle that regenerates itself, each being serving one another and all creation. Life giving life.

The early elders recognized that the Bible was not harmful; instead, they understood that Ellam Yua was Jesus all along.

We are all part of one interconnected web. All of nature existed to serve humans in the way Ellam Yua intended. The selfless giving of these creatures was a quiet, powerful expression of love from the Creator — life offering itself so that life could continue.

Ellam Yua Was Christ All This Time

The late elders who heard The Word — the Bible — believed that Ellam Yua was Christ Jesus all along. He was not part of the man‑made religion we see today, but present in all expressions of creation, in the goodness and love we share with one another.

The teachings of the old ways offered wisdom and guidance on how to be Yup’ik — a true human being — carrying all the goodness Ellam Yua taught and required in His wisdom. Elders would say, “Qaneryaraq cimirngaituq — The Word will never change.” The Word remains the same today in its written form — the Bible.

Fish, wildlife, and all living creatures gave themselves as an expression of love so that we may live — just as Ellam Yua, Christ the Creator, sacrificed Himself so that we may live in His light.

“We will pass quickly from this world, but the Qaneryaraq — The Word — will remain true, unchanged, just as it was from the beginning, the way it has always been, even when time itself runs out,” the elders repeated this phrase.

For our spirit and soul are not of this world, but of a kingdom vastly different — a place where nothing decays, where there is no pain, no sorrow, no worry, no ill thought. A place shaped only by His light, His goodness, and His everlasting Word.

Quyana Ellam Yua Agayun