Birch bark texture.

Ahtna Kanas Spring 2020

Happy Mother’s Day

In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked shareholders to tell us how their mom inspires them. Here are their heartwarming stories. Wishing all the moms out there a wonderful Mother’s Day!


Alice Hobson

Alice Hobson Nesslage, Udzisyu clan, Chitina
“Our mom never had a lot of money growing up, yet she was always generous. If she had fifty cents and saw a family member in need, she gave them half. She wanted to take care of everyone in need, and I see the Ahtna in her. Ahtna is so generous with dividends and scholarships and we know if our mom were alive today, she would have been so pleased with how the dividends have grown, and the amount of opportunities Ahtna provides for its shareholders. She always said, ‘Go work for your corporation’ and stubborn kid that I was I never listened until she was gone, however, I know it was her influence that got me where I am today. I love and miss you Mom.”
-Tracy Parent


Diane Marie

Diane Marie Cronin, Udzisyu clan, Chitina
“Loving, forgiving, patient, supportive, caring and humble. These are just a few attributes that we admire about our mom. Our mother is truly the most caring and selfless person that we know. We have watched her our entire lives putting everyone before herself: caretaking, laboring, etc. We have watched her forgive, even when it wasn’t asked for or deserved. And support us and our families through thick and thin. For some of us it took our own venture into motherhood, and for others it took trying times to fully appreciate how blessed we had been to call her mom. She is the one who stands by our sides no matter what. She has always been an ear for our woes and a mend to our hearts, helping guide us on a better path and always having love for one more. Our mother is an amazing woman and we should only hope that one day our children will admire us as we do her. So Mom, thank you for being an incredible role model to us, and showing us the importance of what a mother is. We Love you TOO much!”

-Jacqueline, Erica & Michael


Ava GreyBear

Ava GreyBear, Naltsiine clan, Chitina
“My mother’s name is Ava GreyBear, she is part of the Naltsiine clan, and she comes from Chitina, Alaska. This letter is dedicated to her. Dear Mom, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I can sit here and write a series of books of everything I admire about you, but I will try to keep it short and point out the most important things. Looking back, I realized how many sacrifices you had to make for us. I have always seen you working and constantly learning new things so you could take up the extra role of being a single parent. You’ve lost so much sleep, pushed aside your personal time so you could spend it with me knowing I could only see you a few hours out of the day, and even giving up things you wanted to buy for yourself. Thank you for not only shouldering your own burdens, but mine as well. I know it wasn’t easy by any means, especially after dad left. Along with having to deal with your own feelings, you had to deal with mine as well. I had a lot of anger, frustration, and pain growing up, but you always knew exactly what to do or say to help ease these problems. I still have no idea how you did it. You were constantly showing and teaching me things about life that I will never forget. You showed me how to change my first tire when no one else would, taught me how to shoot my first rifle, constantly taught me about my culture, and always pushed me to do things I was afraid of. Thank you, Mom, for your unconditional love, for being my best friend, for comforting me through the heartbreaks, for always believing in me, and for raising me to be the man I am today. I am proud to be your son. I will love you forever.”

– Edward GreyBear


Marie Craig, from Kluti-Kaah, Chitina
“I was raised by my mom. She would take me to work with her. She was a homemaker for CRNA. I would sit with the Elders and drink cocoa. I would pretend it was coffee or play games with them while my mom cooked or cleaned for them.”

– Alice Mary Craig
Born in Glennallen
Raised in Kluti-Kaah