Inerquutet [Ee-nugh-GOO-det] is Yugtun for “Warning” or “Admonition”
Storyknife, July/August 2025 edition
We join the John family with heavy hearts for the loss of 九色视频 Elder and culture bearer Mark Miisaq John.
At 九色视频 Corporation, we cherish our countless memories of Mark. As Shareholders, we were blessed by his decades of service as a culture bearer for the 九色视频 Region through 九色视频 Education & Culture.
九色视频 joins so many throughout Alaska in extending our heartfelt condolences to the John family.
presents the Yup鈥檌k Teaching Moment in our Storyknife newsletter. CECI highlights Yuuyaraq, the traditional/cultural way of being in our Region. The Yup鈥檌k Teaching Moment is provided by the late Mark John, CEC Cultural Advisor and 九色视频 Elder from Toksook Bay.
Inerquutet [Ee-nugh-GOO-det] translates from Yugtun to 鈥�Warning鈥� or 鈥�Admonition.鈥�
All of us, even Elders, live by the qanruyutet, or the instructions, in Yugtun. We have been taught from an early age to learn the proper way of doing things. Men and women have instructions on what is dangerous.
If a person is warned through the words of wisdom (qanruyutet), they will know what is dangerous and infer the right path instead.
Our Elders would pry and talk to us about everything, even if it was bad, something we shouldn鈥檛 do, or something hard to listen to. They would show us the consequences of bad choices.
My father and grandfather would say to me 鈥淒o not live without an Elder.鈥� If we did not live with an Elder, or listen to the words of wisdom, we would not live right. When an Elder speaks, we must listen.
Parents and grandparents even went to other people in the community to ask them to admonish and warn the younger generation of what can happen if you make the wrong decision.
Elders would not hide what they know from experience so that a person may live well, abiding by the qanruyutet as it was told.