Kuskokwim Corporation will teach beaver mitten sewing over Zoom in December

The Kuskokwim Corporation will teach a three-day Zoom class Dec. 18-20 on sewing beaver mittens lined with rabbit fur, and participants keep the mittens they make.

Applications are due Nov. 16, and space is limited.

The class is part of TKC ROOTS, short for Raising Our Own Traditional Stewards, the corporation's program for preserving and promoting Middle Kuskokwim culture and traditions. TKC was formed by 10 Middle Kuskokwim villages and marks its 50th anniversary this year.

Anyone can apply, but signing up doesn't guarantee a seat. TKC's Cultural Learning Committee picks participants based on the class criteria and the strength of their applications, no later than 30 days before the class. As space allows, preference goes first to TKC shareholders, then TKC elders 60 and older and TKC youth, then shareholders' immediate family and then other interested participants.

The $200 fee covers materials and a pattern. It's a full weekend: participants must attend all three sessions, Friday evening from 6 to 10 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.

Shareholders 14 and older can apply for the Kuskokwim Educational Foundation's Non-Traditional Scholarship, worth up to $1,000 a year, to help cover the fee. Applications are due at least two weeks before the class and need proof of enrollment, registration or acceptance. The foundation doesn't reimburse costs already paid.

TKC ROOTS scheduled a similar class with Calista last November and held a Zoom craft night in October.