Educator dedicated to teaching Alaska culture

Anecia Breiby is a soft-spoken Yupik woman who has spent the majority of her adult life ensuring that the next generation of Alaska Natives and American Indians not only receives a great education, but also learns about its culture and why it is worth embracing.

Breiby, 57, works as the cultural specialist for the Indian Education Program and the Dzuggi Preschool Program at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District; both programs help local Alaska Native and American Indian students succeed in school.

"We wanted to have a program that would have parent involvement," said Breiby, emphasizing that without the community backing the programs, these programs would not be as successful as they have been. "It takes a community, people who are committed to success for our children and their education."

Breiby, named after her mother, Anecia Breiby a Yupik/Eskimo, was born in Southwest Alaska in the community of Ekuk. She spent her early childhood three miles from Ekuk; in a small fishing community called Clarks Point. Her father, Richard Breiby, had traveled to Alaska from the Philippines in order to commercial fish. In a family of 10 children, Breiby's childhood was filled with learning -- both on an academic and cultural level.

"I learned how to split fish and to do all of the subsistence activities," said Breiby, who to this day enjoys splitting fish -- the process used to create smoked fish. "You began by just tying or gutting the fish; my mother was always very positive, even if we didn't master it right away."

Once she reached high school age, Breiby was sent off to boarding school to finish her education -- first at a Catholic Mission School in Dilligham and then to Mt. Edgecombe High School in Sitka.

"Like all the students, we were homesick at first, being homesick was the hard part," said Breiby. "But eventually I got used to it and made friends from all parts of Alaska."

After graduating in 1965, Breiby married her husband, John Breiby, and later gave birth to her son, Eric, who is now a computer graphic designer. Breiby received an associate's degree from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in the late 1960's, then went to work for the Anchorage Community College in the Adult Learning Lab, writing cultural curriculum about Alaska Natives. She later worked at the Cook Inlet Tribal Council in the cultural resource program and then, in 1984, came to work at the Mat-Su School District as a media aid for the cultural media center, and has never looked back.

Working to help youth succeed seems to be Breiby's calling.

"Parent involvement is so important, all parents want to see their child succeed," Breiby said. "We are concerned that when these students enter middle school and high school, the dropout rate increases."

The Dzuggi Preschool Program is designed to get children excited about school and their culture while creating an environment where parents can really get involved with their child's education; the Indian Education Program, mandated by federal law in 1972, provides tutoring services to Alaska Native and American Indian students in many of the middle and high schools in the district.

"They provide a cultural resource for our schools," said Breiby.

Thus far, Breiby says that her favorite part of her life has ties not only to her family, but to her culture as well. After taking a few minutes to reflect, Breiby decided that her favorite part of her life has been commercial set-net fishing with her husband during their summers at Clarks Point. Though they no longer commercial fish, Breiby says that she once she retires, she would like to spend her time traveling with her husband, whom she calls her best friend.

"Travel is education, it exposes you to all kinds of different people and cultures," said Breiby.

It appears Breiby will always be a cultural educator at heart.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.