Happy New Year!

On this New Year’s Day, after all the questioning and prayer about what to make the first post, everything kept circling back to one final truth: the reason I am alive and my relationship to Ellam Yua — and so begins this simple story.

One of the classrooms at Atmautluak. LKSD, Joann A. Alexie Memorial School

Ellam Yua In Yup’ik Culture

In my Yup’ik culture, we called our creator Ellam Yua, the “Person of the Universe.” Our elders who have passed on often said that the teachings of the Bible carried the same essence as the wisdom handed down by our ancestors. After all, all true wisdom comes from Ellam Yua – all knowing, all seeing, with all control.

Ellam Yua—the Person of the Universe—gave life so that we might live. Our ancestors walked in balance with the land, the sky, and the waters. Every fish and animal honored the purpose Ellam Yua entrusted to them.

Their way of life was shaped by the gifts of Ellam Yua, the one who ruled over the sky, the heavens, and the universe.  If you remove all the events of the Bible and get to the core of its purpose, it was centered on Love and Ellam Yua. They 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 said the Native people were already living in accordance with the creator’s teachings long before the word reached them in written form.

This was also a story I heard. While one of the missionaries was on his way to Qaluyarmit (Nelson Island) traveling by a dogsled team, a shaman decided to investigate by celestial means. He saw something very bright in the distance at night during his flight. He inspected what was so bright in the sled. He saw that it was a book, with Qaneryarat – Words, in written form that he heard from his ancestors, and decided not to cause harm to the carrier.

Remember the festivals? For thousands of years of countless generations, they believed in Ellam Yua. They honored the creator, through Agayuliyararput—Our Way of Making Prayer. This great festival of dance was sharing 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 fighting over resources.

Animals watched how their bodies were treated after they were taken. Fish bones were dried so that every bit of meat and fat could be eaten. They saw their bodies shared with those in need, and their skins used to clothe the poor.

Early elders recognized that the Bible was not harmful; instead, it reaffirmed their belief that Ellam Yua was Jesus after all. Ellam Yua, pleased by the love, humility, respect, and generosity shown, allowed all creatures to celebrate alongside humans once more. Every being carries a single spirit, fully aware of its purpose. We are all part of one interconnected web. Every gift from the land, the air, and the water exists to serve others. The selfless giving of these creatures is a quiet, powerful expression of love from our creator, Ellam Yua Jesus.

These creatures’ sacrifice was rooted in love so that we may live—just as Christ sacrificed himself so that we may live in his light and abundance. Not of this world, but of a kingdom vastly different from the world we know today.

Quyana Agayun