Anesia Newyaka was born in Kokhanok in 1941. Through her stories she gives a vivid recollection of how things were when she was young, traveling with her father, step-mother, and great aunt around the Iliamna Lake region. Seasonal traveling was essential for harvesting different types of animals from around the lake such as ground squirrels, salmon and pike fish.

Anesia’s gift to our youth is a message of strength and resilience. She does not look back at her childhood and talk about all the things they were missing, the televisions, phones, stores, ATV’s. As she reflects back at her travels with her family she remembers how hard her family had to work to survive but in that she shares a lesson of how working together with family is a beautiful way to live.