Ed 680 Interview Questions and Response

Kat Lien

10/19/2021

Sarah Miller, maiden name Nelson

Where did you grow up?

“Born and raised in Bethel, I think it was the summer after I was born… My parents had to go work at a
cannery. They left us with our grandparents at fish camp. When they came back, I didn’t recognize them.
So, I stayed with my grandparents and was raised by my them until I was 12 years old..”

Do you have a favorite place in that town/city? From your growing up days?

“Mainly the road we were raised up on, which was called Mission Road. Being able to connect with
neighbors, girlfriends I got to hang around with. To this day, it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been
apart, we pick right back up with each other. And we cherish those memories.”

What type of school did you attend? (Follow-up questions about how students were treated, speaking
native language, if she went to boarding school.)

“Bethel elementary school, when I was getting into middle school, grandma talked to my dad and said,
‘she needs to get to know the rest of the family.’ My dad was a Pastor of Moravian churches, a breakoff
from the Lutheran church.”

“Part of my middle school years was in village of Akikchuk (sp?), up the Kuskokwim. If you need to
google for the correct spelling, I was just guessing! I was there for 2 years… I was being bullied by a
couple of gals, so my parents decided to send me to the Moravian children’s home, for two years. Then I
went to Unalakleet Covenant boarding school, graduated in three years. Sophomore-senior years I went
there.”

“From there I attended Seattle Pacific College, general studies in hopes of getting an accounting degree.
Then, my grandma had…. We lost our grandpa that year, and I moved to Anchorage to help my aunt
take care of grandma. Then I came up and attended Arctic Bible Institute. A couple years later, I moved
back into Anchorage, and I met my husband. And that changed things. I never went back to college.
After I met my husband…. He served in churches as a youth pastor in churches near Nenana. Going on
our 3rd year of youth ministries, he was asked to pastor the Friends Church in Anchorage (associated
with Nana people).”

“We spent 21 years in Kotzebue doing ministry together. Our last couple of years, we both decided we
needed to finish our college degrees in Business Management. And since then, we’ve made our home in
Palmer. I looked for jobs to use my degree, but God had other plans and brought me to Sherrod
Elementary.”

Would you tell a bit about your family history? – I didn’t ask this question.

Will you share a favorite childhood memory?

“Favorite times of the years was in the summer and fall. Summertime would be living at fish camp with
my grandparents, and my parents, and the rest of my siblings and we would just help with the
subsistence fishing. Cut fish, wash fish, hang fish, in the smokehouse. My parents would take us camping
at a berry camp that my father had. And collect salmonberries, blueberries.. mainly that’s collecting the
fruit for the winter, is just through berries. Because we never got fresh fruit.”

What are your strengths? -I didn’t ask this question.

Is there a cultural tradition that is meaningful to you?

“Well, I’m married to a white man, but he’s basically accepted most of the way of life that I was raised.
Even though we can’t do it since we’re living in a more urbanized area. In Kotzebue, he would hunt
caribou and mostly moose to supply meat for winter. Every season from Spring to Fall, you’re out
gathering and filling your freezer. And he’s adopted that way of life. He would rather live off the land
than with the processed stuff.”

“Culture is important, yeah. But with so many changes going on, most of that is being lost with the
younger generation. My area seems to keep some of the tradition and pass on to the younger kids so
they can learn to live. Having lived with parents and grandparents, going to high school, from Anchorage
to the Nana region, just that most of the people are going more urbanized and not teaching… and I
know I’ve failed some on that. My girls live out, one on an island off the Caribbean…”

“I guess the main tradition would just be the sharing culture that we were brought up in. that’s still
being carried on, because my nieces and nephews come into town and say, “what do you need?” and
bringing stuff they caught. So, the sharing part would be more of a value, and that’s been taught. The
importance of it is being able to share, and that feels good. Part of that is getting lost. But what I value is
being able to share part of their catch with us, or berries.”

Have you ever been interested in beading? - I didn’t get to ask this question, but I’d like to later.

Do you think there’s a difference between the way Indigenous people picked berries in the past vs how
people pick berries now?
“Yes! And with more of the... back then, we traveled by boats to the berry camps that we went to and
we would stay until we filled all the containers we brought. Often when we were out there we would
pick enough for my family and my aging grandparents. And we never.. nowadays you have the ability to
drive or taking along a four-wheeler. All we did was basically walk the tundra. It’s different.”

(For example, my husband and his buddy used some kind of “tool” which made picking really easy for
them. They brought me pounds of berries, but also a ton of stems and leaves.)

“Most of my picking, I still use my hands. I don’t use the fancy gadgets they have these days. Nowadays
people want to get it done quickly. For me it’s relaxation, knowing that I’m gathering in the winter to
feed my family.”

What are you most proud of? - I didn’t ask this question.

What do you wish more people knew about the _______ culture?

*I added this question instead of asking the above: You haven’t mentioned words yet, like Aleut,
Inupiaq, Athabascan, “my people”….etc.

She shakes her head, ‘no’ and smiles at me. She says she has worked with people of all different
backgrounds, and she has found love for all of them. “But you hear people says they had a bad taste of
this…. but be willing to step back from all that negativity and treat people the way you want to be
treated. Because we all have different cultures. YOU have a culture; I’m accepting of whatever.”

I’ve been hearing about a rise in Alaska Native cultural pride in some of my classes, especially in
Southeast Alaska. Do you think Alaska Native people around Palmer (and the more urbanized areas)
are sensing an increase as well?

“Mmmmmm, most of that. They may talk about that that way. But more of what I see is being proud in
a negative way. And not being able to accept other cultures and what they think. Whereas, you would
have to. Being proud of our heritage wasn’t taught to us growing up. It was about valuing people. And
that’s what I remember. The word, ‘being prejudice.’ I knew nothing about that growing up. We were
taught to love each other no matter where you came from. The people in my area kind of still carry that
on. They stand back and observe you at first and you show something of ‘hey, I want to get to know
you.’ And you become part of family to them. So being proud of heritage, I see that in kind of a negative
way. Because the values of being proud of heritage, it doesn’t come from… that isn’t how I was taught.”

“So when I see things like that rising, I think back. Why, when it’s been that. It just, opens up a lot of
negativity with me. Yeah, I’m proud that my son is wanting to live that lifestyle. But I would value more
the tradition of caring, sharing, and learning to get along. And not value it as something negative.”

“More than being proud, learning to accept and value people from other cultures and just being able to
share together and not just keep to ourselves.”

Response:
 I had the opportunity to interview a co-worker today. Sarah Miller works as a Tutor Advisor in

our Intensive Resource room at Sherrod Elementary. She has always struck me as a quiet person with a

big and beautiful smile. Today, I learned so much about her upbringing that I never would have had the

opportunity to know without this assignment. I was first struck by what seemed like her parents’

indifference to her. I chose not to ask more about her family history after the first few questions. I am

under the impression that she was very young when her parents went to work at the cannery and

subsequently decided to leave her in the care of her grandparents. Perhaps she was the youngest in the

family... But then again, after living with her own parents for a few years during her teens, they sent her

away to “the Moravian children’s home?” She stated that she was being bullied, so they sent her away?!

I was baffled, but obviously didn’t want to press it. It did not seem that she had the best relationship

with her parents.

I was also very surprised to find that Sarah did not wish to share her affiliation with any Alaska

Native Indigenous people group. She wished only to be known as one who accepts and loves others.

Someone who will accept and love anyone who proves themselves worthy. I have been thinking along

the lines of people like Michaela Goade, who is showcasing the beauty of Alaska Native culture in quality

children’s books with her illustrations. Folks like this are bringing back an inspirational sense of Native

pride without the negative connotation. Sarah wanted no part in speaking about Native pride! It was

clear to me that she didn’t wish to tell me which Alaska Native group she belonged to. She wants to be

known as someone who loves people, and shares what she has with others. Sarah is a warm and kind

person. I am so glad I had this opportunity to get to know her on a deeper level.