Mga Kuwento

In its heyday, the Alitaptap Folkloric Dance group was a spectacle of Filipino culture both in Juneau and across Alaska. Filipinos, from elementary schoolers to elders, learned and shared the story of Filipino history through dance. But it's been more than a decade since those dancers took the stage.  Anna Canny brings us the story of those who once danced under the careful instruction of their elders and their search for spaces to connect and pass down Filipino culture once again.  

Intermarriage between Juneau's Lingít and Filipino communities has nurtured generations of individuals who sometimes call themselves Mestizos. But cultural divides and exclusion has left some of them with a severed connection to their Filipino ancestry and community. On this episode, Yvonne Krumrey speaks with Mestizos who have worked to understand these divisions and how they impact their identities. 

A lot of Juneau's Filipinos grew up in the Filipino Community Hall. But things have changed over the years. The building is getting older, along with many of the people who made it their home away from home. And now, their children and grandchildren have different priorities.  In this episode, Adelyn Baxter takes us through the history of FilCom Hall and its place in the community today.  

Work is one of the biggest reasons Filipinos migrate to Alaska, where they make up the state's largest immigrant group. The desire to provide for themselves and their loved ones has driven Filipino migrants to make a lasting impact on many of Juneau's industries today.  On episode two of Mga Kuwento, Katie Anastas explores how colonization, the Philippines' remittance system and strong family bonds have shaped the Filipino workforce in Juneau from canneries to the ferry system.

A century ago, Juneau, Alaska began growing into a destination for migrants from all over the Philippines. Now there are thousands of Filipinos living in the state capital. So how did so many Filipinos end up building a home in this corner of Alaska? On this episode, Mga Kuwento host Tasha Elizarde explores two central questions of the series: how did Filipinos get to Juneau, and just as importantly, why do they stay?   

Mga Kuwento – "the stories" in Tagalog – is a podcast from KTOO that explores the lives of Filipino immigrants to Juneau as well as subsequent generations.