Dancing with the Spirit – Nulato
“Get up, move, do something”, this is the meaning of Daaga’ and the spirit of the Doyon Daaga’ award. Through the Daaga’ Fund, Native leaders unite to promote healthy, drug-and-alcohol-free communities with grants of up to $3,000 per annual funding cycle. Since 1990, Doyon has awarded more than $220,000 to interior Native individuals and organizations.
The Daaga’ Award reflects our belief that communities are healthier when Native values are alive and traditional skills are prized-such as beadwork, artwork, hunting, and trapping. Programs that integrate the spiritual, social, and economic needs of our people make us all stronger. The proposed projects should support the values of the Daaga’ Awards, which include contributing to the healing that lies within the local people, utilizing the strength of traditional values, and encouraging programs that integrate spiritual, social and economic needs of the communities.
Proposals may be granted up to $3,000 per funding period. The awarded amount is dependent on the number of proposals received and the need of the program as described in the application and supporting materials. Applicants may not always receive the full $3,000. For this reason, Daaga’ should be considered supplemental funding and not be the only support sought when funding a program.
The deadline for the 2020 Daaga’ Awards is Thursday, January 9, 2020, at 5 p.m. AKST.
View/download the application here.
In 2019, Doyon, Limited awarded $49,500 in Daaga’ Award grants to 16 organizations. The shareholder relations committee, comprised of Doyon board members, approved the grants at a February meeting.
Congratulations to the following 2019 recipients:
• Birch Creek Tribal Council – During this fish camp there will be discussions on various topics such as drugs and alcohol, wellness and prevention, survival skills, environmental issues and healthy families. This project teaches tribal members how to set up a fish camp and preserve their own food and become more sustainable.
• Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments – This project will enable Elder mentors and youth to come together to revitalize the Fort Yukon traditional dance group. The three goals of this project are to create regalia for the dance group, support instructors to teach songs and dances, and to host a traditional dance demonstrating the group’s efforts.
• Chalkyitsik Village Council – Chalkyitsik will host their annual summer youth camp in July 2019. The camp will involve Elders and teach traditional values including moose tanning, Native arts and language, moose-hunting skills, and promote a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle.
• City of Fort Yukon – Traditional bread-making class will teach residents how to make yeast bread, grease bread, biscuits, fry bread, bannock, and any other known breads and methods. Elders are the only people in the community who can make these breads, which is why there is a need to teach others.
• Dancing with the Spirit – The program hires staff to write the songs used to teach music and dance, then updates the curriculum on their webpage, including both guitar and fiddle music. They bring in community members to tell stories about the history of their community, talk about music, and how they promote wellness.
• Dot Lake School – This project is designed for the students of Dot Lake School to learn more about their culture through the practice of singing and dancing to traditional songs in their Athabascan language. The youth will also participate in creating traditional dance regalia and learn about the history behind their traditional songs as well as how to sing them.
• Fairbanks Native Association (FNA) Spring Fling – The event reflects FNA’s strength-based youth programs with a focus on family and Athabascan values, and will include art activities and music. FNA promotes traditional values through using traditional material and methods.
• Fort Yukon School District – Fort Yukon School’s film class will create a permanent record of Elders’ stories along with their photos in albums that can be passed down for years to come.
• Galena City Schools – The Galena City School has formed an Academic Pentathlon team for middle school and an Academic Decathlon team for high school. These two teams anticipate competing in the national competition this spring in Nashville, Tennessee, and Bloomington, Minnesota, respectively. This promotes hard work and self-reliance by requiring youth to complete an ambitious curriculum.
• Grayling IRA Tribal Council – The council will work with local volunteers and Elders to pass down the traditional knowledge of trapping and skinning. This will include all the safety basics of handling traps, traveling to the trap line by snow machine and skinning the catch.
• Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government – To promote a sewing contest and provide beadwork and other materials for all age groups. During this time, traditional musicians and dance can be performed by local musicians and dancers.
• Koyukuk Tribal Council – The project will use local resources to help organize and teach the people of Koyukuk Native song and dance so that they may become more familiar with traditional cultural practices.
• Native Village of Tetlin – Tetlin volunteers and Tribal Council staff will organize a series of snowmachine trips to Tetlin Lake to teach the youth about burbot fishing. Burbot fishing is a traditional subsistence activity that provides food for residents.
• White Eye Traditional Knowledge Education Program – Participating Elders and others will pass on knowledge about fishing, net maintenance, fish wheel building, sled building, processing and preservation of fish, oral traditions including local history, world views, spirituality, hide tanning, traditional medicine/plants, and the threats to wellbeing, community and culture caused by drug and alcohol abuse.
• Young Native Fiddlers – Young Native Fiddlers (YNF) teaches students from first grade through high school how to play the fiddle and guitar. YNF helps to develop leadership skills, confidence, love of music, and helps in academic success.
• Saakkaay Association – They teach residents how to gather/preserve Native foods and to live traditionally off the land. The proposed funds will be directed to members and residents of Kaltag to enhance wellness and support towards building unity, pride and self-reliance.
To Learn more about the Daaga’ Fund or for questions regarding the application, please contact:
Doyon, Limited
Shareholder Outreach Department
Tel: (907) 459-2085 (Fairbanks)
Tel: (888) 478-4755 (toll-free)
Email: outreach@doyon.com