Mission Moment
Empowering Indigenous Youth
The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is proud to share our selection as a 2025 Nike N7 Fund grantee. This honor recognizes ANHC's dedication to supporting and empowering Indigenous communities and the future of youth sport. Nike N7 celebrates Indigenous identity through the lens of Indigenous peoples; created with the intention to uplift community, youth, sport, and culture. Nike N7 features incredible athletes who represent their Indigenous heritage while competing at professional levels.
This also reflects the strength of ANHC's ongoing partnership with Nike N7. ANHC has had the privilege of collaborating with Nike N7 to promote Indigenous athleticism, expanding our work beyond Alaska. This summer, two of ANHC’s own impressive athletes, Peter Pilak Griggs (Yup'ik, Sugpiaq) and Donald Asukłuk Heflin (Iñupiaq), were invited by Nike N7 to share their Arctic Games skills and knowledge at two youth summits, one at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana and another at Nike's World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
“The Alaska Native Heritage Center's partnership with Nike N7 is building an important connection focused on empowering Indigenous athletes nationwide. Sharing Alaska Native culture through sport ties directly to ANHC’s mission, which is very important to all our cultures, Alaska Native and Native American alike. ANHC would like to inspire Indigenous Youth to learn about their northern relatives, through sport, dance, and research. These trips are important to establish a connection to our family from all over the world,” said Peter Griggs, Athlete and ANHC’s Communications & Development Coordinator.
This partnership is rooted in ANHC's mission to preserve and strengthen the traditions, languages, and arts of Alaska’s Native Peoples through statewide collaboration, celebration, and education. Tsin’aen sigu (Thank you very much, Ahtna) to Nike N7 for this empowering collaboration and for your ongoing support as we work together to uplift Indigenous athletes and inspire the next generation.
