We need these stories.
We need them now.
Let us build them together.
Dream it.
The Yaaruin Collective was born from a dream that refused to stay quiet.
Lexi Qass'uq Trainer is Cup'ik and Yup'ik, and like so many Indigenous parents today, she found herself holding a love for her culture in one hand and a painful gap in the other — not enough language to pass on to her son the way it was meant to be passed on. That feeling didn't stop her. It lit a fire.
Build it.
The Yaaruin Collective is what she built in response — a growing family of publications, media, and resources designed to put Alaska Native and Indigenous language and culture into the hands of the next generation, in ways that are joyful, accessible, and built to last.
Not just for children, but for the adults who love them and are learning right alongside them. Because the truth is, many of us are starting from the same place — hungry to reconnect, determined to do better, and looking for a way in.
Grow it.
Starting in Alaska and growing across all of Turtle Island, the Yaaruin Collective is committed to language preservation, cultural education, community storytelling, and creating real economic opportunity for Indigenous creators. Every magazine, every podcast episode, every book, every activity is a small act of reclamation — and a love letter to every child who deserves to grow up knowing exactly who they are and where they come from..
Photo courtesy of Cook Inlet Region Inc.