About Us
Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition Founders
“I am my River and my River is me. The Kuskokwim River, running through and nourishing the land and all life, is as vital to me as my blood, the blood of my ancestors pulsing through my body. The People of the river are in my blood, from the headwaters to the mouth.”
—Gloria Simeon, Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition Co-Founder
“The risk of an open pit mine the size of the Canadian owned Donlin Mine to our Salmon and other foods we depend on is too great. The health of our river is more important to our way of life and our ecosystem than all the gold they want to dig up. We can’t eat gold and if our fish are gone so are we.”
—Beverley Hoffman, Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition Co-Founder
Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition Staff
Photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
“Through my working background I’ve developed a great passion for the preservation of our lands and the culture that relies on them. Seeing we aspire to be the healthiest people in the world, we need our traditional foods and natural nutrients to attain that goal.”
—Anaan’arar Sophie Irene Swope, Executive DirectorMother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition
Community Partners
Photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
“I am a hunter gatherer living in the Kuskokwim Bay and I am aware of all living cycles of the food that the Yup'ik people of Caninermiut gather for sustenance. I want these foodways to continue for my family and my people without fear of contamination from mining upstream.”
—Gavin Phillip of Kuigilnguq, also known as Kwigillingok, son of Fred and Janice Phillip.
Photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
“My people thrive off of the land and drink the fresh water from the Mother Kuskokwim River, but we have to go out of our way to get the water because the Tuluksak River is contaminated from mining activity and the water is not fit for drinking.”
—Anastasia Jones of Tuluksak
Photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
“I want to make sure that my daughter gets to eat fish and I am frustrated that since 2010 I have had to worry about the threat of the mine and feel that Calista Corporation could have created something positive around food systems and food security during the time that they have chosen to invest in something that is destructive.”
—Gabriel Nanok
“My youth was spent traveling The Kuskokwim between Aniak and Bethel; the experiences and education I received from my time on the river are the foundations of who I am now. The river helped me become a real human being.”
—Quentin (Ciissiar) Simeon
Photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
“I remember spending time with family at fish camp, waking up to the smell of the wood stove and tea. Sneaking out in the morning to go fishing with A'pa, smelling the river and excitedly watching for bobbers in the net. My first time cutting strips was so powerful, feeling the trust placed in me to prepare food for our family to last us the next year.”
—Ashlynn Simeon
In Memory
"We are the Cup'ik people from Qissunaq. We have lived off the land and the sea, and have been raised to respect that which has provided for us for generations. Our life is to survive in an environment that has always shown us mercy if we work hard and live according to the ways of our forefathers. We are of the coast and they ask what does this have to do with you? This has everything to do with the people of the Qissunaq! Our very lives depend on the clean river; our subsistence resources depend on clean waters; the people of the Kuskokwim have shown their river respect; we the Qissunarmiut stand with these people against Donlin Mine.”
—Richard B. Slats of Chevak
In Loving Memory
Memory Eternal