“I sang the songs that belong to my tribe. Some of these songs are the relics of the last century... Unfortunately I’m probably the last one to sing the songs of the tribe.”

Jan 8

Larisa Ryskyntonaw (lah-ris-sah riss-kahn-tow-nah)

Chukchi journalist and teacher

IMAGE SOURCE: “Meet Larisa Vykvyragtyrgyrgyna.” Meetthenorth.org. | QUOTE SOURCE: “Meet Larisa Vykvyragtyrgyrgyna.” Audiograph. Meetthenorth.org.

QUOTE CONTEXT: ”Larisa was born and raised on the tundra, and she has been a singer her whole life.”

QUOTE QUESTION: What songs help to define your People?

IMAGE CONTEXT: “This comes from an audiograph. Think of it as an audio documentary with a visual element or as a photograph illustrated by sound.”

IMAGE QUESTION: Where do your People’s songs reside in you?

MEDIA LITERACY CONTEXT: The quote and photo are from a National Geographic sponsored website.

MEDIA LITERACY QUESTION: What are the pluses and minuses of working with international media organizations to publicize your people’s lives?

“I sang the songs that belong to my tribe. Some of these songs are the relics of the last century... Unfortunately I’m probably the last one to sing the songs of the tribe.”

Larisa Ryskyntonaw (lah-ris-sah riss-kahn-tow-nah)

“I wouldn’t want to live in the village. I’m there for three days and I want to go home. Life is too fast and I soon get fed up.”

“It was not a romantic choice for us to return to the old ways... We want to feed ourselves. Hunting whales is what gives us pride. It is what reminds us of who we are.”