In this one, Cody talks to Kaitlin Armstrong. She’s the host of The Alaska Myth, a podcast that deconstructs the stories created during the Russian settlement and European colonization of Alaska that began in the mid-1700s. Utopian settler stories, stories of the rugged outdoors, ones of monetary opportunity and ones of lawlessness. These stories — often embellished or completely fabricated — have informed the Alaskan identity and sense of place for generations. Meanwhile, overlooking or ignoring the history and the lifeways of the many Alaska Native cultures. Kaitlin says that she’s been thinking about all of this for years, about how the idea of The Last Frontier is subtle and insidious because of what it hides. On the surface, these stories are ones of can-do spirit and gritty individualism, stories that reinforce our idea of Alaskan pride. But underneath all of that, there’s violence, resource extraction and the erasure of Native peoples and their cultures.
Kaitlin grew up in Homer, Alaska. There, she says she had an idyllic upbringing in the small, tight-knit community. But her understanding of what goes into creating this idyllic place changed over the years. That the land had to be conquered first and then it could be made into the place she grew up in. That knowledge and curiosity extended to her own Honduran heritage, of which she knew little about as a kid. Because, for so long, it was just too difficult for her mom to talk about. But every summer, Kaitlin’s grandma would visit and she would connect with her heritage through her. But, Kaitlin says, she always felt more Alaskan than anything else.
Chatter Marks EP 45 Revolutionizing how people see and understand Alaskan cuisine with Rob Kinneen
EP 112 The Boarderline Days with Matt Eastman
EP 111 Johnny’s Girl, a neon Anchorage and a life of her own with Kim Rich
Chatter Marks EP 043 Digging for Alaskana with Jimmy Riordan
EP 110 Breaking out the Theraflu with Andre Spinelli
Chatter Marks EP 042 Navigating two different cultures with Nyabony Gat
Chatter Marks EP 041 The things beyond our sensorial understanding with LaMont Hamilton
Chatter Marks EP 40 Infusing life and art with Charles J. Tice
EP 109 A journey of pain and forgiveness with Elishaba Doerksen
Chatter Marks EP 039 Searching for community with Young Kim
EP 108 Overcoming the traps in my mind with Sydney Eubanks
Chatter Marks EP 038 Living Traditional Values and Innovating Indigenous Design with Rico Worl
EP 107 Doing dangerous things as safely as possible with Dane Ferguson
Chatter Marks EP 037 A life of activism with Cal Williams
Chatter Marks EP 036 Atomic Landscapes with Photographer Ben Huff
EP 0105 When a story gives itself to you with James Dommek, Jr.
Chatter Marks EP 034 Building an Alaska-grown business with Jennifer Loofbourrow
EP 104 A career of reporting on Alaska hockey with Doyle Woody
Chatter Marks EP 033 How a lifetime in philanthropy led to archiving the Black experience in Alaska with Julie Varee
EP 103 Music saved my life with Bishop Slice
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