Heather Jones, left, buys akutaq from Jolene Nanouk at the Unalakleet Saturday Market on March 12, 2022.
“We haven’t really had a Saturday Market, especially to this size, in quite some time,” Eckenweiler said. “Being together as a community is who we are. … It’s nice to see everybody coming back together again, slowly but surely.” “It’s a lot of fun to see what people have made and baked,” she said. “Especially the baked stuff, and they go really, really fast.”Portraits of elders hang in the Unalakleet Community Hall. A handwritten sign at the front of the village’s grocery store announced the event. The “Iditarod Saturday Market” would be held from noon to 3 p.m. “Open tables to anyone,” it read.
Thirteen-year-old Aliana Towarak sold her origami projects for $2 each. Purchasers could choose from various forms including cranes, butterflies and “Iditarod huskies,” which she said symbolized happiness and perseverance.