Togiak's esteemed elder, Annie Cungauyer Blue passed away at home on Monday at the age of 97 years. With her passing the community and all of Alaska loses a valuable traditional Yupik leader and storyteller.

Blue was born on February 21, 1916 in the village of Qissagyaaq along the Togiak River. She spent her early life there learning the traditional skills of Yupik life in western Alaska. She learned how to cook, sew, and gather food from her elders as well as traditional storytelling and crafts. She would carry all of these skills with her throughout her life and pass those very same traditions on to younger generations in turn.