Ilarion ‘Kuuyux’ Merculieff
“I had a traditional relationship with an Aachaa, a mentor type role of an older person with a younger person. My Aachaa picked me out when I was 5 years old and he taught me much of what I know about being Unangan (Aleut), about hunting, about relationship to people, about being a man, and relationship and understanding of nature. Yet literally from age 5 to age 13 he may have said no more than 200 words to me because words are considered in a traditional way not only to be superfluous but to diminish one’s own understanding of things that are based on one’s own inherent intelligence, of what we call the real human being.”
— ILARION ‘KUUYUX’ MERCULIEFF
As a traditional messenger, Kuuyux has worked with indigenous peoples from around the world and participated in numerous sacred ceremonies, including with the Mapuche in southern Argentina, the Tarahumara people in northwestern Mexico in the Sierra Madres, with the Haudenasaunee in eastern Canada, with the Hawaiians, Yupik Eskimos, Mayans, Inca, Athabascans, Tlingits and many more. He also works with the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and the WILD Foundation.
At age 23, after graduating from that University, upon returning to Alaska, I became the Director of Lands for the Aleut Corporation. I went to all 12 Unangan villages in the Bering Sea region to train local people on how to select lands under the Alaska Native Land Claims Act. The 12 Alaska Native regions of Alaska and its villages received 40 million acres of land and money.
After that, I was hired by the Tanadgusix Corporation (TDX) that's owned by the St. Paul Unangan people, to be its business manager. TDX received 120,000 acres of land from the government. Given that the federal government had total control over the lands and people of St. Paul for over a century, there was no local experience in creating businesses. I led the effort to create relevant culturally sensitive businesses. At the time, in 1976, we received $300,000 to invest in private enterprises. When I left in 1985, the organization was worth $12 million dollars. Today it's worth over $100 million dollars and is financially strong.
In the first half of my career, I served as City Manager of St. Paul Island, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development, President and CEO of TDX, Chairman of the Board of The Aleut Corporation, Co-chair of the Rural Sanitation Taskforce (installing running water and flush toilets in 50 rural communities), Co-chair of the Japan-Alaska Fishery Cooperative, Deputy Director of the Alaska Native Science Commission, and served on the National Research Council Committee on the Bering Sea Ecosystem, as one of two Native people alongside acclaimed marine scientists. I was chairman and co-founder of the Alaska Indigenous Council on Marine Mammals; chairman of the Nature Conservancy, Alaska chapter; co-director of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Alaska chapter; co-founder of the International Bering Sea Forum, the Alaska Forum on the Environment, and the Alaska Oceans Network. I left all this to do my real work in the world over 30 years ago. I didn't know what I was to do or where I was to live. I just "jumped". Then, through inexplicable circumstances, my first work as "Kuuyux" was to carry messages of the Hopi and Maori they felt the world needed to hear. Then I was invited by Indigenous spiritual leaders from traditional lands such as the Tarahumaras of NW Mexico, the Mapuche in Patagonia, the Morley Reserve in Alberta, the Ohlone lands in California, and on and on.
Today, I am living the legacy of my name, Kuuyux, and continue to speak about the Elders’ messages when invited.
My Elders told me: "Only go where you're invited. Trust your heart, and it will never guide you wrong."
“I was in the last Unangan (Aleut) generation that had a fully intact traditional upbringing, where the entire village participated in raising me. In my adolescence I was moved by the government to boarding schools to get "proper" western modern education. There, in high-school, University and on, I climbed up the modern-world ladder, while learning its ways and harnessing them to help my tribe, the fish, wildlife and land, other Native peoples around me, and people in general.
As an adult, I have worked almost exclusively as an advocate, leader, advisor, organizer, and facilitator for my people in Alaska and a messenger for Indigenous Elders across the world for the past 50 years, beginning as my tribe’s first lobbyist in Washington, D.C. in 1968, at age 18. Having achieved political freedom in 1966 from a legally proven state of servitude to the U.S. government (lasting over a century), the tribe hired me to seek federal funds to establish a city. The effort was successful, and the City of St. Paul was created in 1971.
At age 18, I was hired by the University of Washington to establish the Indian Education Program. The program has expanded and still exists today. While at the University, I became the youngest person on the National Indian Education Advisory Board and a member of the Convocation of American Indian Scholars, to help Indigenous Peoples across the Americas to achieve freedom from tyranny and injustices imposed by governments.
From 2000–2003, I served as the Director of the Department of Public Policy and Advocacy in the Rural Alaska Community Action Program. I led the largest subsistence rights march and rally in Alaska’s history. This was instrumental in protecting Alaska Native subsistence rights, to fish.
I have chaired or facilitated many conferences, such as the 2009 North American Conference on the Healing of Mother Earth in Merida, Mexico; the 2010 Global Conference of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change, where I chaired the Indigenous Knowledge sessions attended by representatives from 80 countries; facilitated the 2010 gathering of the International Council of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers; conducted ceremonies in Israel in 2018, in 2019 emceed Marie Mead's First peoples Foundation Laureateship ceremony, and gave workshops in Israel and Sweden, and many more throughout the years throughout the USA.
In 2017 the Sacred Fire Foundation gave me the Wisdom Fellowship Award for wisdom carriers and tradition bearers. That same year, I gathered 13 Elders from around the world to discuss the state of Mother Earth, and what humans should do now. The Elders agreed for everything to be filmed; even ceremonies, which is unprecedented. A message was co-created. The Wisdom Weavers of the World page explains somewhat what we're attempting to do, and shows a 14-minute video, translated by volunteers into 15 different languages, and was shared globally by Reuters News agency for Earth-days 50th anniversary in April 22, 2020.”
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Ilarion (Larry) ‘Kuuyux’ Merculieff has decades of experience serving his people, the Unangan (Aleuts) of the Pribilof Islands and other indigenous peoples in a number of capacities—locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. For his entire career, Merculieff has been a passionate advocate for indigenous rights/wisdom, and harmonious relationship with the Earth Mother. His reach has been broad and varied. He has given keynote addresses at such forums as the National Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Pan-Pacific University President’s Association, the national convention of American Indian Students in Science and Engineering, White House Conference on the Oceans, and the World Congress of Ethnobiology.
He also has lectured on traditional ways of knowing and Indigenous Elder wisdom at such places as Colombia University, University of Montana, Missoula, University of Colorado, Boulder, Seattle University, University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and Oregon State University. Merculieff has been featured in interviews and talks on media such as Al Jazeera, BBC, Native America Call-In and National Public Radio (NPR). Merculieff’s first opportunity to share what he learned came from an invitation to help facilitate a healing conference in Cordova in the late 1980s. And his work has expanded since this time. He has planned and facilitated conferences locally, nationally, and internationally and given hundreds of talks in numerous forums. Close to Merculieff’s heart are issues related to cultural and community wellness, traditional ways of living, Elder wisdom, climate change and the environment.
Having had a traditional upbringing, Merculieff has been, and continues to be, a strong voice and activist calling for the meaningful application of traditional knowledge and wisdom obtained from Elders in Alaska and throughout the world in dealing with modern day challenges. He founded and currently heads the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways, and is a chief consultant and member in several other board councils. His present work revolves much around the council of Elders he co-founded, called the Wisdom Weavers of the World, to bring the messages of Elders from throughout the world to global attention. With a solid background as a community, business and environmental leader, Ilarion’s later years reflect both this lifelong career path as well as the fulfillment of his cultural role as Kuuyux, or traditional messenger, for the Weavers of the World.
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City Manager of St. Paul Island
Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development
President and CEO of Tanadgusix Corporation
Chairman of the Board of The Aleut Corporation
Co-chair of the Japan-Alaska Fishery Cooperative
Chair of the Alaska State Bond Committee
Vice-chair of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Committee
Deputy Director of the Alaska Native Science Commission
General Manager of the Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association (one of the six Community Development Quota groups created by Congress to receive fish allocations in Alaska)
Community leader on St. Paul Island, his place of origin, for almost 35 years
Co-founder and former chairman of the Alaska Indigenous Council on Marine Mammals
Former chairman of the Nature Conservancy, Alaska chapter
Former co-director of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Alaska chapter
Co-founder of the International Bering Sea Forum
Co-founder of the Alaska Forum on the Environment
Co-founder of the Alaska Oceans Network
Served on the National Research Council Committee on the Bering Sea Ecosystem
presented at numerous scientific conferences
Chairperson for the Alaska Sanitation Taskforce
Co-chair of the Federal/State Taskforce on Rural Sanitation to bring support for running water and flush toilets to over one hundred Alaska Native communities
Served on the National Research Council Committee on the Bering Sea Ecosystem
Chaired the indigenous knowledge sessions—with representatives from 80 nations—at the Global Summit of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change in early 2009
Chaired the scientific working group for Snowchange, with representatives from eight Arctic nations focused on climate change
Co-chaired the North American Gathering of Indigenous Peoples for the Healing of Mother Earth and facilitated the indigenous knowledge sessions at the Global Summit of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change
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One of four Native Americans to present at the White House Conference on the Oceans during the Clinton administration
Selected by Unangan (Aleut) leaders to be part of a one-hour Discovery Channel documentary about the history and spiritual aspects of Unangan, which aired in 2001 and was viewed by an estimated 60 million people worldwide
While serving as the Director of the Department of Public Policy and Advocacy in the Rural Alaska Community Action Program (2000-2003) Merculieff led the largest subsistence rights march in Alaska’s history and emceed the subsistence rally after the march. The march was instrumental in protecting Alaska Native subsistence rights—which were legally contested by the State of Alaska in Katie John vs. State of Alaska—to fish for salmon along Alaska’s rivers.
Successfully led a four-year effort to gain federal and state recognition of Alaska Native subsistence rights
Merculieff gave a keynote address on indigenous perspectives on climate change at the 2009 World Wilderness Congress gathering in Merida, Mexico, and is a Senior Advisor to the Congress
In the Alaska Tribal Leaders Summit held May 6, 2011, Merculieff facilitated the use of traditional ways of dialogue, discourse, decision-making and consensus building throughout the conference. For the first time in memory, tribal leaders talked without conflict and reached unanimous decisions on courses of action dealing with the human rights challenges to Alaska Native traditional hunting, fishing and gathering. It was so successful that Merculieff was invited back to subsequent Tribal Leaders Summits to facilitate discussions at the meeting held on August 24 through 26 in 2011, the 2012 and 2013 gatherings.
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2020
Recipient, University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley Indigenous Scholar Award2017
Recipient, Sacred Fire Foundation, the Wisdom Fellowship Award for wisdom carriers and tradition bearers2007
Recipient, Alaska Forum on the Environment, Environmental Excellence Award for lifetime achievement2006
Recipient, Rasmuson Foundation Award for Creative Non-fiction
Award Finalist, Buffet Award for Indigenous Leadership
2005
Recipient, Award for Creative Non-fiction, Rasmuson Foundation2004
Recipient, Alaska Native Writers on the Environment Award, Awarded by the Alaska Conservation Foundation1985
Recipient, NOAA, Recognition for Outstanding Service for the Residents of St. Paul Island -
Books:
2018 - Perspectives on Indigenous Issues by Ilarion (Larry) Merculieff and other contributing authors.
2016 - Wisdom Keeper – one man’s journey to honor the untold history of the Unangan People, by Ilarion Merculieff.
2013 - Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education, by Ilarion (Larry) Merculieff and Libby Roderick.
2009 - Le Livre de la Sagesse Aléoute, by Ilarion Merculieff and Annik Chiron [French].[Co-author of a book titled: Aleut Wisdom: Stories from an Aleut Messenger, Les Intouchables Publishing, Montreal. ]
Articles:
2024
Ilarion (Larry) “Kuuyux” Merculieff on Elevating Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being, Inspirators.2021
Tunun Kayutukun: Words Have Power, Langscape Magazine Articles, online2019
The Indigenous Art of Following Wisdom from the Heart, Bioneers.2008
Native American Men of Courage, Second Story Press, a biographical profile.2005
Community Healing Starts with the Individual, First Alaskans Magazine, Fall 2005
Birthplace of the Winds, Red Ink Magazine, Winter 20052004
The Gift from the Four Directions, YES Magazine.
Who Are the Elders? , Kindred Spirit Magazine.2003
Chief writer/editor/emcee: The “Alaska Native Fish, Wildlife, Habitat, and Environment Summit Report”, a Rural Alaska Community Action Program Publication.1998
Heart of the Halibut: Coming of Age in the Bering Sea. A rite of passage story about subsistence fishing, Alaska Geographic.
Listening to the Elders, WisdomKeepers of the North: Vision, Healing, and Stewardship for the Bering Sea – International Summit Final Conference Report (Writer, Editor).1996
Lessons about Conflict from the Pribilof Aleuts. A Personal Account. Winds of Change Magazine.
The Key to Conflict Resolution: Reconnection with the Sacred. Cultural Survival Magazine1993
Pickled Seal Flippers and Western Science, Keynote, Fifth Information Transfer Meeting, Minerals Management Service.1984
Chapters on contemporary Aleut History, Slaves of the Harvest, Tanadgusix Corporation Publication.1983
Islands of the Seals (Chapter on Aleut history), Alaska Geographic