Working together for the success of our company
Cama’i (hello)!
For Alaska Native cultures, the winter season has traditionally been a time of rest as we prepare ourselves for the warmer months ahead.
I grew up in Port Lions, a village on Kodiak Island. Just as our Alutiiq ancestors had done for millennia, my family spent our winters hauling firewood, beading, sewing, repairing our hunting and fishing tools, and visiting with friends and family over a cup of tea. We lived in harmony with nature, the seasons and one another—each person playing his or her part in the subsistence lifestyle that sustained us.
In the winter, our family could be found on our boat, duck hunting. Each of us had a role in hunting and preparing the ducks. I remember spending hours in the freezing cold hunting ducks, and then sitting on an overturned five-gallon bucket plucking ducks with my father, sister and cousin. The house would smell like duck soup for days as we shared our large pot of soup and fresh ducks with extended family and friends.
Just as subsistence relies on the work of many, so does the continued success of our company. Each year, CIRI sets corporate goals that consist of specific targets and clear direction. These goals set the standard for our company, identify priorities and help us formulate strategies to ensure success. Individual staff performance goals all tie into the corporate goals, which fosters an atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation. At the end of the day, we are all working together to provide for the CIRI family.
While several of our goals focus on increasing profits to provide economic benefits to CIRI Shareholders and their families, the goals are holistic in nature. In 2024, we will continue our efforts to deepen and strengthen our relationship with CIRI villages, Tribes and designated Tribal organizations. We have made it a high priority to find opportunities that fall within our collective best interests and to work cooperatively toward common objectives— protecting Alaska Native people’s rights to self-determination, managing subsistence resources for future generations, and revitalizing Indigenous culture and identity.
As we move through the seasons, we will continue to focus on engaging and communicating with our Shareholders and Descendants through in-person and virtual gatherings, robust program offerings and regular, targeted communications.
Our unity is our strength, and Swami and I are committed to working alongside one another, our staff and other stakeholders to achieve our goals and ensure CIRI remains a best-in-class, financially strong and culturally relevant force in the lives of our Shareholders, Descendants and their families.
Thank you for your support. I am excited for the year ahead!
Quyanaa (thank you),
Sarah Lukin
CIRI President
