ALASKA NATIVES COMMISSION
JOINT FEDERAL-STATE COMMISSION
ON
POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING
ALASKA NATIVES
4000 Old Seward Highway, Suite 100
Anchorage,
Alaska 99503
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Witness List | PDF
Version
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: Let's
see, I think that Gregg Capito has been waiting for a long
time; and I -- Gregg, would you come
forward, and also, let's see, Myra -- or Agnus Moore. Agnus,
would you come forward? I think that you've been waiting; and,
Gregg, would you -- please sit down. Please sit down. Would
you like to give your testimony now?
MS. MOORE: Would I sit up there?
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: Yes, please, please. And, let's see, the third one is Robert Charlie, if he is here.
MR. CHARLIE: Here.
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: Okay.
MR. CHARLIE: Will that be after 1 o'clock,
or. . .
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: Well,
let's see, I think what -- the hearings for education begin
at 2 o’clock; but I think that we can continue on until
-- I hope the other Commissioners don't mind; but we'll continue
on until those people who have -- wish to testify do so.
MS. MOORE: I'm Agnus Moore, born and raised in Tanana. I have been formerly in counseling with alcohol and drugs; and when I got to be 65, nobody wouldn't hire me anymore. And I'm well qualified to be a counselor on alcohol; but they look at my hair and my -- they just -- so I do a lot of it on a volunteer basis on my own. I've gone to villages; lived there; pay my own way. I did that two or three different times. The other two times I went out on a job for Tanana Chiefs as a Culture Specialist; and, on the side, I did volunteer work on alcohol and drug abuse.
And what I'm here for today is -- you've got to excuse me, because I didn't plan to be in here when I got up this morning (laughing). Like I said, they wouldn't hire me anymore. What I would like to see is more training for elders like me, so we can further help our young people. Too many of our elders have already died without teaching our -- the young people. We need to look to our future for our grandchildren. The elders are dying off really fast. I know in my own village, I'm sorry to say it, but then there's hardly any elders, because when I was small, I seen alcohol -- I seen liquor store. And I seen them abuse alcohol, and that's how I grew up; and now none of them is living today. Whereas, other villages I see where there is -- there have been alcohol liquor store, I see older people still living. And, for instance, one place is Minto and Tanacross those places.
Like I say, I was born and raised in Tanana;
and we should teach our children our Native culture, heritage,
language. We should -- my beads is falling off. We should be
encouraged, because too many people at my age been turned away
from any training because there’s no money. And we're really
-- like this young man that just testified, like he said, he's
-- the younger's on the streets. That don't have to be. That
don't have to happen. If they were taught the right way in
a home, it wouldn't have happened. I'm really sad to see it
today, although I'm proud of this young man, Gregg. He's really
working hard to -- on alcohol problem. I do a lot of driving
people around on alco -- on -- my phone is constantly ringing.
I'm not getting one penny for it; but I'm not complaining.
If I can help somebody, I help myself. I taught my kids the
danger of alcohol, because I am an alcoholic. I've been sober
now for 28 years -- it'll be 28 years this December. I abused
alcohol myself until I woke up one day and said:
"This isn't the life I was supposed to be
living."
Anyway, so if anybody have any questions, we strive to make our lives healthier, safer, and happier, and the only way to do it is to encourage the elders to train on those areas. I get stuck for words, because I don't know what to say (laughing). Like I said, I'm not I didn't plan on speaking (laughing).
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: (Laughing) No, Agnus,
that's -- I'm very glad that you came and shared these things
with us. I think it's very important to hear what the elders
have to say; and I appreciate that very much. I'd like to open
it up for questions to the panel. I -- one thing I think I
hear you saying is that a lot of the problems that we're facing
wouldn’t happen if there was more involvement on the part of
the elders in family and in forming young people. And I do
think that's important. I think I hear you saying that.
MS. MOORE: That's so true.
COMMISSIONER ELLIOTT: Agnus, one comment I have heard, and I won't name the village in which I heard it, was that the young people today have no respect for elders. And do you find this true? I know Tanana. Do you find that true in Tanana? Is there a barrier between the elder and the young people? I'm happy that there's an elder at youth conference upstairs -- or was yesterday; but what is your -- what are your views on that as far as Tanana goes, or. . .
MS. MOORE: That's true. That's -- just like, for instance, an example, when the young people were dancing, there's something not right in there; so this lady looked at me and said:
"You should tell that lady."
I said:
"No, I can't, because she'd just tell me to -- they're doing -- she’s
doing the best she can."
Which is true; but that's true. Sometime even our own elders treat us like that, so I don't know. It's -- respect for elders is just deteriorating or what's going on. I don't know. I think it should be addressed that. Instead of youth, youth, youth, ail the time. Sure, we need to help our youth -- young people; but what about people like me? We need to be recognized and we need to teach our young people how to respect your elders. I taught my kids that, so today they do respect their elders. So. . .
COMMISSIONER ELLIOTT: Massi cho (ph.).
COMMISSIONER SEBESTA: Okay, thank you very much...
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