Qutekcak Native Tribe
“Changing with the tides, in harmony with our people, land and heritage.”
Honoring Stewardship: Qutekcak Native Tribe Recognized with Planet Blue Partner Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Qutekcak Native Tribe Receives Planet Blue Partner Award from the Alaska SeaLife Center
Seward, Alaska — The Qutekcak Native Tribe is proud and deeply honored to be named the recipient of the Planet Blue Partner Award by the Alaska SeaLife Center. This distinguished recognition highlights not only the Tribe’s dedication to cultural preservation and environmental stewardship, but also the power of collaboration built through strong partnerships and shared values.
Honoring Shared Stewardship
The Planet Blue Partner Award is more than a symbol of achievement—it represents the respect, trust, and shared responsibility that have developed between the Qutekcak Native Tribe and the Alaska SeaLife Center. Together, the Tribe and the Center have worked to advance a common vision: protecting Alaska’s waters and wildlife, supporting education and research, and honoring the traditional knowledge that has sustained Alaska Native people and the environment for generations.
Recognizing Carol and Garry Hull
The Qutekcak Native Tribe extends its deepest gratitude to Carol Pickett Hull and Garry Hull, whose vision, leadership, and tireless dedication made this recognition possible. Their guidance and efforts have been instrumental in strengthening the connection between the Qutekcak Native Tribe and the Alaska SeaLife Center. This honor stands as a testament to their commitment to community, education, and environmental care.
Commitment to Alaska’s Future
The Qutekcak Native Tribe accepts the Planet Blue Partner Award on behalf of its members, its partners, and all who share in the responsibility of protecting Alaska’s unique ecosystems. This recognition reinforces the Tribe’s shared belief that collaboration, respect, and stewardship are the foundation for a healthier future—for both people and the planet.
Your Community Resource
QNT…
is the tribal organization of the Native Community of Seward, Alaska. It is created to promote the unity, self-determination, and empowerment of our members and other Native people residing in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula. Qutekcak provides services that strengthen the people by increasing opportunities, and enhancing their mental, physical, and spiritual well being, in harmony with our land, and heritage.
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The aboriginal Qutekcak (pronounced K’toochek) Native Tribe was located in and around Seward, Alaska, on the sheltered northern tip of Resurrection Bay, which opens up to the Gulf of Alaska. Qutekcak translates from the Alutiiq language as “Big Beach” (Quta meaning beach). Qutekcak was a prehistoric Alaska Native mixing area, serving as a crossroads for the various Alutiiq and Sugpiaq groups residing in the rich marine geographical region of South Central Alaska, extending from Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula in the west, across Lower Cook Inlet/Kachemak Bay and the Gulf of Alaska, to the islands of Prince William Sound and the northern Alaska Panhandle in the east.
Other Alaska Natives joined the aboriginal community through forced labor and voluntary work when the Russian traders established a ship building settlement at the present day Seward location in the early part of 19th century. U. S. commercial interests, beginning in 1867 with the U. S. purchase of Alaska from Russia, provided further population influx and mixing. Gold miners arrived in the 1890’s, setting up an encampment as the trail head for the overland route to Hope and Sunrise. Then in 1903 the Alaska Railroad officially established the town of Seward as its southern terminus by purchasing land from Mary Lowell, of mixed Russian and Alaska Native ancestry, and building over an old Native village site.
Jesse Lee Cemetery Memorial: They Mattered Then, They Matter Now
The Jesse Lee Cemetery stands as a sacred place of remembrance for the children who were taken to the Jesse Lee Home in Seward—some who never returned home. It is a place where we honor their lives, acknowledge the truth of our shared history, and commit to healing through truth, remembrance, and unity.
Qutalleq Land Acknowledgement:
Let us acknowledge that we are on the homeland of the Sugpiaq / Alutiiq People, who have lived and thrived on this land for thousands of years.
We ask that you respect and acknowledge the culture, Sugt’stun language and their history.
Let us honor the Native way of life in modern times as they continue their subsistence practices, cultural traditions and speak their language.