Akulmiut Neqait: Fish and Food of the Akulmiut by Ann Fienup-Riordan, Marie Meade, and Alice Rearden (review)

Fish, whitefish in particular, are a central aspect of life and traditional knowledge for the Akulmiut people, a Yup'ik group. The Akulmiut villages of Kasigluk, Nunapitchuk, and Atmautluak, just west of Bethel, Alaska, are located based on where fish fences were built in the past and these communities continue to rely on fish today. Akakiiget (broad whitefish) and cingikegglit (humpback whitefish) are described as the most common and available types of whitefish in the region. Notably, the Akulmiut people speak only of whitefish in English and describe the different types of whitefish in Yup'ik, highlighting the significance of language as it relates to knowledge sharing and connection. For this reason, it is very suitable that this scholarship is written in both English and the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language.

Fienup-Riordan, Meade, and Rearden include book sections that assist the reader to understand the history of the Akulmiut People, fish in the Akula region, hunting and harvesting practices in the past and present, family dynamics and values, how fish and food are situated today day, and the words and stories of the Akulmiut people themselves. The initial book sections read as one might expect in ethnographic studies with the author perspectives woven together with community accounts; however, the authors also incorporate qalarutkelput (things we talked about), where community members share in both English and Yup'ik the stories that informed the initial book sections. Qalarutkelput (things we talked about) pulls this work together, providing the reader with a "real" experience resembling in-person conversations with community members. This is an important part of Akulmiut Neqait as it leaves Akulmiut and her peoples at the center of the work, highlighting the continuity of Akulmiut traditions in a world marked by appropriation. Akulmiut Neqait, therefore, is an excellent source of knowledge and reflection for all, community members, academics, and general readers alike.

Throughout the authors' descriptions and participants' quotes it is clear that this accumulation of knowledge was guided by Akulmiut community members. There is a sense that this book is co-constructed as a means to share stories that adequately represent the community experiences, and the bilingualism contributes to this as a way of sharing knowledge in the traditional language. This may lead the reader to also consider how traditional, land-based knowledge was shared in the past among the Akulmiut, and perhaps highlight a need for the authors to make mention of the possible nuances that align or misalign between this book and traditional knowledge sharing. The authors address this through a specific section on Yugtun Igautellrit Kass'atun-llu Mumigtellrit (Yup'ik Transcription and Translation) and highlighting Elders' perspectives on means of knowledge sharing in the conclusion. The authors also situate this work in the Akulmiut villages as introduced in the dedication, acknowledgements, and introduction, and provide the appropriate background of how and why this work was completed.

This work is part of a four-year study by Calista Education and Culture, Inc. funded by the Office of Subsistence Management of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The focus of this scholarship is specific to sharing the traditional knowledge of harvesting and using different types of fish in the region. The stories shared of fish and food and the interconnectedness that these have with all aspects of life is a central theme within this bilingual book. Fish are not only food but illustrate core values of the Akulmiut people. The interactions that individuals have with each other, the land, and the fish have a direct influence on their sustenance and survival, both of the Akulmiut people and the fish that feed them. The authors appropriately incorporated a book section on community members' abstinence from fish harvesting and related activities to further describe the interconnectedness and awareness of all things. The experiences shared demonstrate how the Akulmiut people's relationship with fish fosters mindfulness...