Movie Monday: A Legacy on the Water 

Each week, we share short films created through See Stories programs. These films highlight stories of place, culture, and community from across Alaska.

This week, we’re continuing our Currents of Connection series. Currents of Connection is a youth salmon storytelling and filmmaking program in Naknek Alaska. This project spawned from a desire to share the multitude of connections humans have with wild salmon.The people of Bristol Bay care for salmon, and have related to salmon across time continuums for generations, forming varied worldviews and relationships. This project was built on a simple belief: the people who live closest to wild salmon are best positioned to tell their stories. It is the hope of this project that it can be replicated across salmon communities in Bristol Bay, other areas of Alaska, and the broader Arctic to foster a reverence and understanding for the multitudes of varied connection they hold across peoples, lands, and waters. This project was made possible with partnership and support from Native Movement (Jeff Chen & Courtney Rose Tatellgaq Griechen), Bristol Bay Media (Nels Ure), the Naknek Native Village Council, and the Bristol Bay Museum.

For the Phelps family, fishing is deeply connected to family, culture, and generations of life on the water. In A Legacy on the Water, Naknek student Meadow Phelps shares her family’s history fishing in Bristol Bay and their hopes for the generations to come. From learning to fish at a young age to carrying on family traditions, the Phelps family reflects on what fishing means to them and why protecting the future of Bristol Bay matters.

As Logan Phelps puts it, “Fishing is a direct correlation to our culture, and without it, we really lose kind of the last thing that we hold on to from our past generations.”

The film also explores the challenges facing the fishery, including concerns about the proposed Pebble Mine development and its potential impacts on salmon habitat. For the Phelps family, the future of fishing is closely tied to family. They hope their children, grandchildren, and future generations will have the opportunity to continue fishing, spend time together, and carry the family’s traditions forward.

“I want my kids and grandkids to fish,” says Russell Phelps. “I hope that they can keep this legacy going and earn income from it. But more importantly, spend time with family.”

About the Film

A Legacy on the Water was made by Naknek student Meadow Phelps during the 2026 Currents of Connection youth media workshop in Naknek.

The workshop was made possible with generous support from the World Wildlife Fund and the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, with partnership from Native Movement, Bristol Bay Media, the Naknek Native Village Council, and the Bristol Bay Museum.

🎥 Watch A Legacy on the Water on the See Stories website. and stay tuned for more films from Currents of Connection.

 

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View the full series here on Storymap. This story map is a living record of that week. It holds their films, their voices, and the place that shaped them, offered here for community members, partners, and anyone who wants to understand why Bristol Bay salmon matter so much, and to whom. Or find the full series on our website here or see what films we have featured so far here. We’ll feature a new film here at seestories.org/movie-monday and our Instagram and Facebook. Follow us for more updates!

Plus, check out our growing library of lesson plans on our Teacher Tools online community! Register today to access for educators who want to bring cultural storytelling into the classroom! If you’re an educator interested in integrating storytelling and cultural preservation into your classroom, check out Teacher Tools—our online community where educators can access free lesson plans, digital storytelling resources, and more.

Find our TeacherTools online community here: See Stories Teacher Tools Community