While Sports is a major focus of the Arctic Winter Games, sharing culture from across the circumpolar north is another key aspect of the Games.  While the indigenous Dene Games and Inuit Games, combine sharing Arctic culture and intense athletic competition, the Cultural Program of Arctic Winter Games is non-competitive and is purely about sharing cultures.

Alaska's Cultural Team includes six performers plus Manager Katie Cueva and Chaperone Dustin Madden of Anchorage.  Cueva is the advisor of a Native Dance group that includes three of Arctic Winter Games performers at Anchorage's East High School.

Gordon Iya, who is one of the performers also in Cueva's dance group at East High, was the darling of all who met him.  Born in Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island in the Berring Sea (where you literally can see Russia), Iya is a speaker of his native language Siberian Yupik.  Iya sports a traditional Siberian Yupik hairstyle which a closely shaved head with a band of longer (but still quite short) hair just above his ears.  Iya was sellected by Team Alaska as the flag bearer during the Opening Ceremonies.

Alaska's Cultural contingent gave lunch time drum and dance performances around Grande Prairie and along with cultural delegations from other nations, performed in sold out Cultural Galas Thursday and Friday nights.

Alaska's Cultural Dancers give an impromtu performance in the Team
Alaska Mission Office.  Here they perform a dance called Ice Fishing
given to Gordon Iya on his trip to Siberia last summer (Iya is drumming
behind the dancers).

 Here the Alaska dancers perform a Yupik dance called Cauyatnamken
that was taught to them by David Chaner.

While Gordon Iya drums, two of Alaska's dancers perform a dance called
"Let It Sway" from St. Lawrence Island