Tununak, AK

Tununak is a traditional Yup'ik coastal village of around 400 people, situated on the northwest shore of Nelson Island along the Bering Sea. Because the community is off the road system, Bethel serves as the main regional hub, located about 113 miles to the northeast and reached by a 45-to-60-minute bush plane flight. For families, the local Paul T. Albert Memorial School serves kindergarten through 12th grade with a bilingual program taught in both English and Yugtun.

ATTRAndrea Pokrzywinski from Cheqamegon National Forest, USA / CC BY 2.0

Daily life in the village follows the seasons and a close-knit community rhythm. Residents get around town on boardwalks and trails using ATVs, snowmachines, and small boats. Small planes deliver mail, groceries, and freight year-round, while summer barges bring in heavier bulk goods and fuel. Subsistence hunting, fishing, and foraging remain central to everyday living, ranging from winter ice fishing and musk ox hunts to seasonal harvests of salmon, seal, and tundra berries. The school often serves as the town's social center, hosting regular open-gym nights and basketball games, while cultural traditions flourish through Yuraq drumming and dancing leading into the winter Yurarrpak festivals.