elders

nenana elders as well as elders in every village are treasured.  as a council of elders,  they have their own senior center and transportation. the Seniors as it's called is a modest building with a bus garage, dining room, kitchen, and office.  each day many people from around the community gather to have lunch with these respected community members.  you don't have to be an elder to have lunch.  just $5.00 and an appetite.  elders don't pay, and those who cannot make it have a lunch delivered to their home.

following lunch there are announcements on local happenings.  maybe a tourist or other visitor from out of town gives a short speech.  occasionally political candidates are some of the regulars.  after all, one can have a better chance at success if grandma and grandpa approve.  and they will say so or NOT.

from time to time, elders from the fairbanks senior center travel down to nenana for lunch.  much happiness and visiting goes on.

at a village potlatch the elders are given a place of honor, usually close to the wood stove where they will be warm and the first to be served. often their speeches will be in our native language, always reinforcing support to carry tradition forward as the key to happiness and  unity in our little village.  reiterating how a person must show respect to this food and each other to keep your luck.

at 59 i am beginning to feel like an apprentice elder.  today I'm given much respect by our young people wherever i go.  the choice parts of game and our native food is always given to the elders by the young.

irrespective of what the social security says about age and eligibility. i was just another guy in town until a young man came to me at a potlatch and brought half a fish head,  a very choice part of the salmon. regardless of uncles sam's rules and regs, that boy told me everything i needed to know about my standing in the community.  i may not feel old, and the boy may not know my age.  he saw an opportunity to show respect.  a chance to be proactive and keep his own luck, to be a good, honorable, member of the village.  i went through the same experience as a young man serving elders over the years.  now it's my turn to receive and pass on these traditions.  and somehow in my own way to help our community hold it's luck. to be whole with the universe, the past, and the present.

when i was a young man just starting out i went to an elders meeting in nulato.  introducing myself around the hall, i shook hands and announced my name.  then unexpectedly, an elder asked me who are you?  repeating my name wasn't the answer.  she asked again, who are you?  so i told her my dad is claude sr., mom is martha, uncle is....  finally she says, Oh! i know who you are!  my name was not important.  where i came from was the key.  she knew my parents and knew without doubt that i was member of the village even tho' i did not live there at the time.  that i came from good hard working stock.  implied in her question was the expectation that i would act and behave accordingly. to make my parents and village proud.

nenana is the home of interior regional housing authority's  meda lord senior center.  an independent living facility named after a local elder and long time respected family.  no one here puts their parents in a "home".  most elders live out their final years in the home they've enjoy for years. or live independantly in the meda lord center.  cared by family and watched over by all,  it's clear to me that the golden years are a time to be treasured.  anyone disrepecting an elder in any manner is shunned.  growing old in nenana means you're not alone, and your family is accepted.  the more elders we have, the "richer" we are. evidenced by the many elders at the meda lord center from other villages and cities alike. all living independantly and integral to our community.

respect and caring are the key elements to our community.  a small village we may be, but it is the world to us. where everyone has their place and purpose.  guided by our elders, we hope to pass on this way of living so that our young can feel the same love when their time comes to pass it on.