2023 - Qaluyaarmiut Yurartait Day 2

Qaluyaarmiut Yurartait performs live on the UAF Davis Concert Hall stage as part of the 2023 Festival of Native Arts.

Group Bio: Qaluyaarmiut Yurartait is comprised of Yup'ik families that originated from Nelson Island (Qaluyaat) and currently reside in the Anchorage area. The yuraq group was formed in 2021 as a means to regroup the dancing families in the midst of the pandemic, in an effort to carry on the age-old tradition of celebrating the thriving lives and to honor our Ancestors through the ceremonial traditions. Yuraryaraq is healing to the soul, as it allows us to share songs once composed by the Elders that carry such deep meaning and dance the motions whose stories are meant to be retold. Members of the Qaluyaarmiut Yurartait have bloodlines tracing back to Toksook Bay, Newtok, Nightmute, Tununak, Umkumiut and Chefornak, but in reality the familial lineage branches out much farther than the Nelson Island area.

These videos are for educational and preservation purposes. DO NOT USE FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. You may also contact FNA to identify dance group members. If at any time a community wishes to have their own video removed from this website, please submit a written request to Festival of Native Arts, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 756500, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6500. To contribute a video, please contact FNA at the information provided above. Thanks to all the dance groups and volunteers throughout the years.

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