Anchorage Magazine to Teach Alaska Native Culture, Launches Nov. 14 at Loussac

Anchorage parents will soon have a new monthly magazine aimed at helping Alaska Native children learn traditions, games and language. Yaaruin Kids, founded by Lexi Trainer, holds its launch party Saturday, Nov. 14, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Loussac Library. The event will include activities and a traditional storyteller.

Trainer grew up in Chevak, a Western Alaska village, where she said she picked berries, spent summers at fish camp and wore handsewn parkas. Her son Max was born in Anchorage in 2025, and she wanted him to carry those customs forward. "Even though we live in the city now, I want my son to have that same experience," Trainer said. She added that she wants her son to hear Cu'pik in the house and to view traditional foods as part of everyday meals.

Trainer said she realized other Alaska Native youth share that need. "I was like, there are so many other Alaska Native Youth that also need this experience and I have the skillset, so why not go for it?" she said.

The first edition contains games, puzzles and activities. Trainer said each issue will cover one of Alaska's five main regions with region-specific activities. Every issue includes a recipe of the month; the first features her grandmother's Akutaq recipe. Each issue also carries a word or phrase of the month. "One of the things I'm really excited about is having a word of the month, so I try to teach this in as many languages as I can," Trainer said.

The magazine targets youth but Trainer said adults also use it to begin learning. "The idea is that anybody can learn from it," she said. "There are so many people that I've talked to who are adults and they're like, 'I have been wanting to learn but I don't know where to start.'"

Subscriptions are open now at $149.99 for a full year, with delivery starting in January.