Chloe Pleznac

A new Sealaska Heritage Institute program beginning in March hopes to help train more Indigenous actors and performing artists in the Lingít language.

Ed Littlefield is a teacher in the Naakahidi Academy and sat down with KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac to talk about what participants can expect, and his hopes for the program. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Chloe Pleznac: Hello, Ed! Gunalchéesh for joining me today to talk about the new Naakahidi Academy program that will be kicking off in March. First off, why don’t you just tell me about the name? What does it mean and how does it illustrate your hopes as an instructor for this program?

Ed Littlefield: Gunalchéesh! Thanks for allowing me to be here … This academy is to help prepare future performing arts people, and Indigenous people, in the different ways of the performing arts. So we’re inviting I think there are 20 seats, 20 spots available. And we are trying to fill those spots up with performing artists that are currently already performing and doing performing arts. And we’re going to be doing some dancing, some movement, movement and dancing, some singing some language work. Great teachers and cultural leaders Lance Twitchell, Xeetli.éesh Lyle James, myself, Vera Starbard and it’s gonna be great. We’re trying to work on you know, how, what is, what are the old ways of telling stories? And how can we take that into the future for many years to come? And different ways of doing that?

Chloe Pleznac: What can potential participants expect from the program overall?

Ed Littlefield: Well, the first meeting that we’re going to have will be it just sounds like a lot, but it’s actually three hours from 9 a.m. to 12 on March 11 and 12. So two different days. And, yeah, we’re going to start with some language work with X̱ʼunei, trying to figure out how to, you know, pronounce some words that we have, you know, just to get language work in there. It’s always great to have some work with language. And then the second hour roughly is movement and dance, and so we’re going to Xeetli.éesh and Dax̱kil.átch Kolene James, are going to, hopefully, help us with some contemporary movements, like how to tell stories with our bodies. So it’s not necessarily just dancing, like we do in our ceremonies. But it’s more for the fact of moving with intention. So how does, how does this movement share our stories? And then, the last hour or so is with me doing some vocal technique, you know, how to sing loud and proud without losing your voice. So I’ve written a couple Lingít vocal warmups, which could be cool, you know, working on the Lingít vowels they have, there’s lots of different, you know, saying in lots of choirs growing up, and there’s lots of vowels, a, e, i, o, u. But there, there’s not really some Lingít vowels … And then also tying that in with the language that we do with X̱ʼunei. So making sure that when we sing, we’re also doing the language. And so yeah, really cool just a mix of everything. And we’ve got two days with that on March 11 and 12.

Chloe Pleznac: Is this program exclusively for those with acting or performing experience already under their belts? Who should apply?

Ed Littlefield: Well, no, not necessarily. I think if you have an interest in getting out there and doing some performing arts, there’s no, that I know of, I don’t think there is a, you know, like a prerequisite or anything, we’re trying to get people in the seats. And I think people that have an interest in performing arts should definitely put their name in the hat there because we only have limited space and for 20 people, so and it’s open now the signup process is open now.

But no, I think anyone with a want to learn language, movement and singing. I mean, that’s who we’re looking for, you know, and in addition to like, the warm-ups and how to sing, and maybe we’ll do some new songs that I built that I’ll share with the participants. But we’re also going to work on, this is the different part, maybe how to sing in harmony, which is cool. So you don’t have to, you know, you know, there’s definitely melody line. But for some people that are willing to take a chance we’re going to start introducing some harmony and how that works in Lingít music because that’s, I know, there was a talk about Yakutat harmonies a month or two ago at Sealaska Heritage and, you know, they definitely had harmony, you know, a long time ago. And so we’re trying to utilize that knowledge and yeah, see where we can go with it for the future. 

Chloe Pleznac: So currently, this program is only being offered in the Lingít language. Is this something you’d like to expand to other Alaska Native languages?

Ed Littlefield: Yeah, I mean … I think this program if we get the right instructors we need, you know, I don’t speak Sm’algya̱x or Xaat Kíl. So yeah if we get the instructors we can definitely do a very similar thing with each language and it is primarily Lingít right now at this point but you know, sky’s the limit.

Chloe Pleznac: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today. 

Ed Littlefield: Gunalchéesh!

This post has been updated with the correct spelling of Sm’algya̱x. 

The Arctic Winter Games were held earlier this month in Northern Alberta for the first time since 2018. Team Alaska placed second overall in terms of both wins and gold medals, or “ulus.”

Four Alaska athletes traveled from Juneau and sat down with KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac upon their return to discuss their experience competing in the 2023 games.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Chloe Pleznac: Joining me today to talk about team Alaska’s recent involvement — and victories — at the Arctic Winter Games are Matthew Quinto, Ezra Ellisoff, Kyle Worl and Lyric Ashenfelter. So, Kyle, I’m going to start with you. You scored gold for Team Alaska in the Airplane Open Male. I was really impressed to learn exactly what the airplane event is because it’s even more incredible that you did it for that long. So, could you explain to me how you compete in the airplane event?

Kyle Worl: The Airplane is one of 10 games in the Arctic sports division. It’s a traditional Inuit game. You start by laying on the floor in an iron cross position, your arms are out, your legs are straight. And you’re lifted up by the wrists and your ankles and you’re lifted about a couple of feet off the ground, and you have to hold that iron cross position as long as possible.

Chloe Pleznac: Wow. And you held it for, was it a minute and three seconds?

Kyle Worl: Yep. A minute and three seconds. Matthew here was the one counting it off for me.

Chloe Pleznac: Ezra, you placed gold for Team Alaska in the Alaskan High Kick Open Male. Could you tell me a little bit about the traditional history surrounding that event?

Ezra Elisoff: Okay, yeah. It’s more for staying in physical shape for long, harsh winters. So I learned this from Matthew actually, where they would grab ash and they rubbed it on their moccasins or mukluks. And they try to kick as high as they can to the ceiling and whoever could get their footprint on the same ceiling would basically win. And so that game was just more or less played for like, you know, say it was like -60 or something like that. You wouldn’t go hunting in that, you would just stay inside and wait out the winter.

Chloe Pleznac: Matthew, you placed bronze for the Alaskan High Kick Open Male. This was your first year attending. It was a lot of your guys’ first year attending. What was the experience like?

Matthew Quinto: It was a lot of fun. I think my favorite part was probably just meeting all the people from the different countries and making friends there. And the camaraderie that happened through all of us staying on the same floor and different, you know, different rooms, but we were all on the same floor every night, same place a lot of bonding to happen there.

Chloe Pleznac: Lyric you placed bronze for the Arm Pull 2005 or later. What was it like when you were up there in that moment competing?

Lyric Ashenfelter: Oh, I was really nervous at first. But I also had a lot of confidence in myself, because I knew that I could get somewhere far if I really was determined to. It was really cool, though. All the other girls from the other teams were really nice, very supportive. So overall, it makes for a very fun experience. And when you’re all cheering each other on it. It’s really great. And so that got me to where I was, and it was, it was awesome.

Chloe Pleznac: How do you guys prepare for these events? Some of them, like with the airplane, require multiple people holding you up, right? What did the process look like for you guys preparing?

Kyle Worl: Well, I would say they’ve been preparing for a long time. Well, at least Matthew and Ezra here, were on the 2020 team. And they were training for that. And that ended up being canceled about a week out. And so three years later, they finally get their chance to go again. So at least three years, but really their training started for Ezra, his freshman year of high school. He’s now one year out of high school and then Matthew junior year. So yeah, they go back quite a few years of training in these games. Training really just involves doing the games. All around fitness is important. A bit of cardio and weight training and plyometrics are always helpful, but nothing’s gonna get you high in the games like actually practicing the events themselves. So it just takes time and practice.

Chloe Pleznac: So Kyle, you started Juneau’s Native Youth Olympics team up again in 2018 after a long hiatus. Tell us about the relationship between Native Youth Olympics and the Arctic Winter Games.

Kyle Worl: Native Youth Olympics specifically refers to the sport in the K-12 level. And there’s many overlapping games. Native Youth Olympics are all based on Indigenous northern games and so is Arctic sports, but there’s a variety of different games you’re gonna find at different events and` Arctic Winter Games is the kind of the highlight event for this sport. I think of it similar to in basketball you have the NBA like that’s the highest achievement of the sport. For Native Youth Olympics, it’s Arctic Winter Games to be able to represent your state or really we’re representing our country. Arctic Winter Games is a huge honor and it’s a huge event that takes an amazing amount of coordination between many different nations. So it’s an amazing honor and experience for us to all have been there.

Chloe Pleznac: Ezra, you participated in the Native Youth Olympics and placed first in the Alaskan high kick statewide in 2020. What was it like to finally get to compete internationally,

Ezra Elisoff: It was pretty cool. Trying to converse with some of the athletes who don’t necessarily speak English very well was a bit difficult, but we generally got the same message across it was pretty cool. It was like state NYO, but basically bigger, because we were in the open division. So everyone was older and experienced. And at first, it was intimidating. But then as time went on, we all started warming up to each other and joking around, and it was actually pretty great.

Chloe Pleznac: Who were some of the other countries that were involved?

Ezra Elisoff: So there was Greenland, Northern Alberta, most of the provinces in Canada. There’s one team that was, I guess, banned from this year.

Kyle Worl: Normally, Russia is a participant in the Arctic Winter Games, but because of the war in Ukraine, they were not invited this year.

Chloe Pleznac: Competitors in traditional gaming events, like the Native Youth Olympics, and the Arctic Winter Games come from all kinds of backgrounds. Do you think that helps raise the profile of these sports among a wider audience?

Kyle Worl: I think a big misconception about traditional games or Native Youth Olympics is that it’s only for Native people. But the majority of the events are open to anybody to participate in. All backgrounds are welcome. And I think it’s a great cross-cultural learning opportunity for anybody, even if you’re not from an Alaska Native culture to learn about our northern indigenous people through the games is really powerful. I would like to see the continued growth of traditional games beyond just the Arctic. And I think Juneau is an example of that. We’re pretty far from the Arctic here in Southeast Alaska. But the games have spread down to this region from Yakutat to Metlakatla. And we have an upcoming event — April 1 and 2, the Juneau Traditional Games — and we’re going to be seeing a team from Santa Fe. So there really is no limit to where the games can go, in my mind. I think the ultimate dream is to see it at the world Olympics, this sport from here in the Arctic, being on the world stage.

You can find a complete list of Team Alaska’s medal winnings here. 

Ella Piatt was recently named Firefighter of the Year by Capital City Fire Rescue. She sat down with KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac to talk about how she initially became involved in this often dangerous, always meaningful work and even gave some words of wisdom for future firefighters.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Chloe Pleznac: So Ella, first of all, congratulations on your recent recognition as the capital city’s firefighter of the year. Could you tell me a little bit about how you got involved in firefighting?

Ella Piatt: I started around when COVID hit I was doing a lot of working from home and just everything was shut down. And I started a second job working at the airport during the COVID effort and at the time CCFR was in charge of that effort. So I got to know a lot of firefighters there. And then Chief Mead actually came up to me and asked if I wanted to join their upcoming Firefighter 1 class that was happening that February and I was like, why not? I didn’t have much else going on. So I figured I might as well take on the challenge. 

Chloe Pleznac: What’s the hardest thing about being a volunteer firefighter?

Ella Piatt: I would say, like, comically, trying to reach everything off of the tall engines, but that’s why we help each other out. I’m height challenged, as most people would say. But other than that, it’s just the usual physical exertion. 

Chloe Pleznac: So what’s one of the better things, something that you find joy in?

Ella Piatt: I kind of like just being on my toes, and just helping out the community and the career staff is great. And, you know, we’re just a great team. So I really like that camaraderie. And yeah, supporting each other. And just, yeah, all of our support.

Chloe Pleznac: So what was your reaction when you heard about winning this award?

Ella Piatt: I was very surprised. I was in the middle of eating food. So I was at the banquet, so I was very taken aback. I wasn’t, yeah, I wasn’t expecting.

Chloe Pleznac: They didn’t let you know ahead of time that you’d won?

Ella Piatt: No, I know, they sent out email nominations. So I knew they were having awards, but I didn’t think I was, especially with all the amazing firefighters that are, you know, in the career staff and other volunteers, I just didn’t think I was, it was a surprise. I was taken aback a little bit, I actually had to, like think, think again, be like, was that my name? Or was it someone else’s name?

Chloe Pleznac: So this is just a question I have, and it’s really just for any little girls or boys that might be listening to KTOO, and maybe they want to grow up and become a volunteer firefighter, what would your word of advice or wisdom be to them?

Ella Piatt: Yeah, I would say go for it. And just stay open-minded, because you’re going to learn things that you are maybe not so good at, and things that you are really good at, but it’s going to help kind of define who you are. And that’s definitely what I found out was, you know, I never knew I’d be breaking windows during a fire or anything. I just didn’t think that was ever anything I would be doing. And then I’ve also found out where I’m, some of my weaknesses are and, you know, just made me learn to think about like, oh, maybe I should work on that, or, yeah, that also made me realize that I have a lot of strength. I definitely, highly encourage it, definitely have them do it. 

Chloe Pleznac: Were there any challenges you faced as a woman in this male-dominated field?

Ella Piatt: I think it’s definitely progressed more so, not so much anymore. I do, I’ve had incidences where it’s just like, I think some guys think I can’t be doing this stuff on my own, like, I have to have my partner who’s actually with me, now, my partner be there and like, no. I just say, ‘you know, I’m my own person, like, I don’t need to, I’m not defined by the person I’m with, by a man.’ So I definitely those are some challenges. But again, that’s not everybody. The world is changing and is becoming a lot more recognized. I mean, we have a young captain who’s exceeded everything and I think she’s an incredible captain. So it’s definitely progressing. And I think it’s definitely opened up more opportunities for women.

Chloe Pleznac: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And congratulations. It sounds like it was much deserved. And yeah, thank you for your community volunteering. That’s fantastic.

Ella Piatt: Thank you so much.

Juneau’s representative at this year’s statewide Miss Alaska USA pageant placed third overall and received the coveted Miss Congeniality award. Honour Miller-Austin sat down with KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac to discuss her experience and future in pageantry. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Chloe Pleznac: I want to start with just asking you to tell us a little bit about your background. Were you raised in Juneau?

Honour Miller-Austin: Yes, I was born and raised in Juneau and haven’t left ever. I just go on little vacations here and there. But mostly a Juneau girl.

Chloe Pleznac: There can sometimes be a little bit of a mixed perception, I think, in media about what pageantry is. Is there something that you wish people understood better about it?

Honour Miller-Austin: Yeah. I think that it was also one of those things where I felt it was very surface level. And I was very nervous to be the “pageant girl”, but going there and experiencing that is way different than actually what you see on social media. Any sort of, like, stigma surrounding pageantry is very false. A lot of the women really do want to help and change the world and make differences in their community, and then kind of reach out to a bigger problem. So it’s really fun and interesting and a deeper meaning than just being a pageant girl.

Chloe Pleznac: What does the title of Miss Congeniality mean to you?

Honour Miller-Austin: I think that it really helped me realize that I was actually a really big positive energy towards the girls in the pageant. Really experiencing the event for the first time made me, I don’t know, I think it’s a good title for just like positivity all around. And I think that that’s what I try to aspire to be in real life as well as in other women’s lives, because it’s really important to encourage others to do their best and be who they are. And so for me to win that was really big.

Chloe Pleznac: It’s my potentially outdated perception that most pageant contestants have some kind of special skill or, you know, a cause that they advocate for. Do you have a special skill or a cause that you showcased?

Honour Miller-Austin: Yeah, so we had a – I think it was called a platform. And my platform was “Better than yesterday.” It’s a mental health platform that surrounded, like, trying to bring light to making sure others are aware that we are trying to advocate for mental health, and how to get everyone better health care access, and able to make sure that they I suppose can be less ashamed of how they handle their mental health and how we get access to those resources and stuff like that. But I think that that was a lot of women’s platform this year is just bringing more awareness to mental health.

Chloe Pleznac: What kind of impact did this year’s experience have on you personally?

Honour Miller-Austin: I think that it impacted me in a way where I realized the confidence that I was suppressing for so long by like being insecure and like really underappreciated of myself and my own kind of, I don’t know, life, I suppose. Like, I just work and I’m very humble. And then I really exude this confidence after the pageant that I didn’t realize existed until now.

Chloe Pleznac: So definitely an empowering experience. Will you participate in future pageants?

Honour Miller-Austin: Yes, next year, we’re going to try again for Miss Alaska USA. And hopefully, we take home the title. But I mean, no pressure there! Just kind of really excited for the experience in itself. Again, it was just one of those things where I didn’t realize how fun it was until you get there and you’re around these women that are actually really trying to make a difference.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Miller-Austin competed in the Miss Alaska pageant. It was the Miss Alaska USA pageant.

Leticia McRae began cleaning up Juneau more than 10 years ago, when she noticed trash and litter ruining her photography.

Her passion for keeping our land and waters clean has gained a dedicated online following. But with disposal fees rising at Juneau’s dump, she says cost is becoming a barrier to her efforts.

KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac spoke with McRae about the past, present and future of her Juneau Community Clean Up In Progress project. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Leticia McRae: My husband Dave McCray, he died, you know, over 20 years ago. He was a carpenter. And we had plans when our daughter graduated, that we would go across the country with a bunch of tools and buy houses, and flip houses. And this was before flipping houses was a thing. And while we were doing that, we would do things in the community for people that needed it, at no charge. Like fixing stairs, or broken windows — maybe painting a house for an elderly couple — helping people clean up their space in whatever community we were in. 

And then when he died, that dream died with him. And I began to notice through my photography, in my hikes, all the trash in Juneau. So I decided, trash would be where I would start. But picking up trash became a much bigger project than I ever anticipated. 

Chloe Pleznac: What has the response from the community been in that time? Do you receive any outside help from people or volunteers? 

Leticia McRae: You know, I do. We have some really great people in this community. And I am not a nonprofit, I am just a member of the community trying to be a part of my community and benefit my community. And there are some really fine people in this town that trust me, and they follow my page. And I do get donations from people now and again, through PayPal or Venmo. Or sometimes people ask me for my address, and they will send donations. People have bought things off an Amazon wishlist — garbage bags, gloves, things like that — to help with the cost. Picking up litter, or volunteering to picking up litter, everybody thinks, ‘Oh, you just pick up litter. How hard is it?’ Well, it’s expensive to. We have 60 miles of road. And it is dumped on from one end to the other. 

And so it takes the gas, the time, the maintenance on the vehicle, the expense to get rid of the trash — which now is a huge concern for me. I used to be able to go to the dump and get rid of a dump load for about $49. And now it’s going to go up to $120. And I know how that’s going to affect me. So how is it going to affect those in our community that are already struggling? And how is it going to increase the dump piles that we’ve already seen?

Chloe Pleznac: So, mentioning cost. The landfill, which is privately owned, requires residents to pay in order to process their waste. Which was a surprise to me when I moved here in September. Where I come from, you only pay to dispose of hazardous materials. Recently, the landfill announced an increase in pricing. Could you talk a little bit more about that? 

Leticia McRae: How do you pay for that? You know, I’m not a rich person, but I’m a person who wants to make a difference. I want to see Juneau stay clean because we are so lucky. We live in a place of magic. You know, you look up at the skies at night, and we can show — most people pay big money to see. We get wildlife some people never see in their lives. And we’re really, really lucky that way. And we need to keep it that way. And you know, we expect all these tourists to come here and visit. But we don’t keep it clean. And why is that?

Chloe Pleznac: You posted online to your followers that you were worried you won’t be able to continue your community cleanup efforts into the new year. Why is this a concern? 

Leticia McRae: It’s the cost, you know. With the dump at 50 bucks, you know — it’s easy to squeeze out 50 bucks. And when you’re me, I do this on the time that I have. It’s just going to be difficult at $120 a load. 

Chloe Pleznac: So all of these things in consideration, what gives you hope?

Leticia McRae: There are some people that definitely reach out and help out and if it weren’t for them, you know, I wouldn’t be able to make as much of an impact. So that kind of helps feed the drive to keep going is when your community notices and they appreciate it.

Juneau’s rental market is competitive, and some people have taken advantage of the situation to scam people who are desperate for housing. 

Last week, the Juneau Police Department arrested Rebecca Jo Burke for allegedly advertising a property she was not authorized to rent. Police say Burke sent photos of the fake rental to an individual and accepted an $850 deposit after they signed a meaningless lease. 

KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac spoke to Lt. Krag Campbell from the Juneau Police Department to learn how people can identify and avoid rental scams. 

The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Chloe Pleznac: Lieutenant, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. This month an arrest was made surrounding a scheme to collect rental deposits for fraudulent apartment listings. Has Juneau Police Department dealt with other cases related to rental fraud in the past year? How common is this particular crime?

Lt. Krag Campbell: You know, that’s the first one that I’ve heard about. I think it’s a pretty uncommon thing, at least for rental stuff, to the point where someone actually gets scammed out. I mean, I’m sure everybody’s pretty familiar with online scams through social media, advertising something fake. But as far as reports to the police department where somebody’s out money, this was the first one I’m familiar with.

Chloe Pleznac: And we know people are desperate for housing in Juneau. I know firsthand from my experience moving here this summer that finding a place to live before actually moving here, with the price of flights and ferries, it’s a really hard process. So how do potential renters protect themselves from schemes like this one? Are there specific things that they should look out for when responding to ads for rental units?

Lt. Krag Campbell: You know, I think the best bet is, if you can, try to get recommendations from people you know. But if you are answering things from online advertisements or online rentals is talk with the person, get photographs, do some research as far as who’s the owner of the property. You know, if the person is claiming they’re the owner, you can always look up the city’s assessor database to see are they the actual owner of that property. But then also make sure to — one of the biggest ones is make sure yo go there, go to the property, talk to the person who says they’re renting it, do tours inside, even talk to neighbors. Those things are all helpful just to try to make sure that yes, this person does have the right to rent this property. They have keys, they can go inside, they can do all those things. Nothing just seems out of the ordinary.

Like anything, if you just see an online ad and you respond to it or pay money to it, you don’t really know the full picture. And although this is the first rental fraud advertisement I’ve dealt with, we do figure out they get fraudulent schemes, through Facebook and things like that for job employment, people buying or selling vehicles, all those things. Just a big unknown if you’re, you’re not actually physically speaking with a person who’s renting something.

Chloe Pleznac: So what can someone do if they suspect that they might be a victim of a crime like this?

Lt. Krag Campbell: You know, the very first thing is contact the police department. Let us know so we can start looking into it on their behalf, so we can contact the other person and try to get to the other side of the story and really do some research to see if maybe, who knows, maybe it could be a legitimate rental. But we can look on the other side to see if there could be any type of fraud going on and to see if there’s a crime.

Chloe Pleznac: And are there any other known scams that Juneau residents should be cautious of at the moment?

Lt. Krag Campbell: I’ve definitely seen several scams for buying or selling vehicles online. Sometimes you get those deals, too good to be true. Someone’s selling a vehicle and they’re going to ship it from down south to Juneau at a really low price. Sometimes those things are just too good of an option or too good to be true, like I said. Jobs — people advertising some kind of online job for people. Sometimes those are just — you’ve got to do a lot more research to make sure that they are legitimate. Obviously, some of the biggest ones, too, are someone wanting to have you cash checks for them, even if they claim it’s for some specific business reason. I wouldn’t trust those things.

Chloe Pleznac: All right. That’s Lieutenant Campbell from the Juneau Police Department. Thank you so much for your insight and time. 

Lt. Krag Campbell: You’re welcome. Okay. Take care.