Unangan (Aleut) | Alaska
Ilarion was raised on St. Paul Island in the middle of the Bering sea. At the age of 4, he was given his traditional Unangan (Aleut) name: “Kuuyux.” Kuuyux means a messenger, carrier of ancient knowledge into modern times — the name is given to one person in each lifetime.
Today, Ilarion is president of GCILL — Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways and co-founder and ongoing key speaker for the WWW.
Ilarion has more than 50 years of experience serving his people and many others around the world in a number of leadership capacities. At age 18, he started his career in modern western society as an advocate for his tribe, while also representing Native-American students at the University of Washington. Next, he went on to being co-chair and head of 17 boards and councils as Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development for the State of Alaska. Then he jumped, more than 4 decades ago. Ever since then he has been living the legacy of his traditional name: Kuuyux.
Kuuyux recently released his first-ever online course, here.