2025 Young Provider and Youth Culture Bearer Awardees

BSNC is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 Young Provider and Youth Culture Bearer Awards. BSNC shareholder Tyrone Southall of Brevig Mission will receive the Young Provider Award in honor of the late Ralph "Pirciq" Ivanoff. BSNC descendant Cain Seetook of Wales will receive the Youth Culture Bearer Award in honor of the late Cecilia "Punisiaq" Nunooruk Amarok Smith. These awards annually recognize young people who contribute daily to the health and well-being of their families, communities, and culture. Southall and Seetook will be recognized during the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska.

Tyrone Southall was raised with a traditional lifestyle. He fully embraces traditional values and embodies the Young Provider ideal through his actions every day. Tyrone started hunting from a young age. He happily shares his catch with Elders, family, friends, and his teachers. His passion for hunting and helping others has no end. He helps with processing whatever is caught and preparing food for storage. He can skin squirrels, foxes, beavers, wolverines, and wolves on his own. He mentors youth in his community by passing on traditional skills such as fox skinning and gathering friends to do healthy activities like basketball, biking, and swimming. His enthusiasm for including others in these activities reflects his strong leadership and commitment to his community's well-being. Tyrone values spending time with his family, learning from Elders in the community and sharing the joy of traditional living.

Southall will be recognized in honor of the late Ralph "Pirciq" Ivanoff, an experienced fisherman dedicated to a subsistence way of life. Ivanoff was born June 12, 1923, in Shaktoolik to Paul and May Ivanoff. The eldest of 10 children. He grew up in communities across Alaska. A skilled hunter, fisher, trapper, and gatherer, he spent his days on the water and the tundra, teaching his children and grandchildren to harvest ugruk, walrus, caribou, moose, small game, and fish with respect and care. Ivanoff was a commercial salmon fisherman in Norton Sound for 58 years, beginning before the fishery was formally recognized by the state in 1961. His final season was in 2019, at the age of 96. He could understand and speak most Alaska Native languages and dialects from Bristol Bay to Barrow. Known for his humor, warmth, and endless storytelling, Ivanoff built friendships across Alaska and preserved cultural traditions through his words and his way of life.

This year, Cain Seetook began leading traditional dancing and singing every Friday during school hours, engaging all students at Kingikmiut School in cultural practice. The activity is entirely student-led and often rests on him. He can be found fixing drums, bringing them wherever he goes, and drumming or singing alone if needed. Beyond school, Seetook hunts and fishes, helps care for his younger siblings, hauls water and fuel for his family, and shares harvests with Elders and others in the community. Seetook also volunteers his time as a student coach for the Little Dribblers basketball team, inspiring younger students through sportsmanship and mentorship. Seetook is well on his way to becoming a community leader who carries forward the traditions and values of his ancestors while helping build a strong, modern community.

Seetook will be recognized in honor of the late Cecilia "Punisiaq" Nunooruk Amarok Smith, a respected culture bearer whose life was dedicated to teaching, preserving, and sharing traditional knowledge. Born on January 8, 1930, in Wales to Mary and Philip Nunooruk, Smith carried a lifelong love for Alaska Native food, dancing, and her culture. Married to Joseph Amarok in 1953, she raised eight children in Nome before later making her home in Anchorage, Kasilof, and Wasilla. Smith was a proud member of the Kingikmiut Singers and Dancers of Anchorage and found joy in performing and passing on her traditional culture. She danced until nearly her last days, a reflection of her unwavering spirit and devotion to tradition. She loved preparing and eating traditional foods, and her deep cultural knowledge, generosity, and passion for community made her a beloved Elder. Her heart was open to all-family, friends, and community members alike. She was known for her warmth and laughter and was always on the go. She left an enduring legacy that continues to inspire her family and community.