The Matfay scholarship of $1,000.00 is awarded annually to one student majoring in anthropology, history, Alaska Native/American Indian Studies, or other disciplines with a course of study of Alutiiq culture. The student who qualifies will be identified by KEF and notified individually if they are eligible. No additional application is necessary.
The Larry Matfay Cultural Heritage Scholarship is named in honor of Larry Matfay, an Alutiiq elder and the last chief of Akhiok. He freely shared his extensive knowledge of the Alutiiq culture to revitalize and renew our heritage and pride.
About Larry:
Larry Sava Matfay was born in 1907 in Akhiok, which was also the home of his parents, Pelagia Kejuk and Sava Matfay. Known as the last chief of Akhiok, he passed away in 1998. Mr. Matfay was a distinguished language and culture bearer, storyteller, trapper, reindeer herder, commercial fisherman, and community leader. He contributed to the revival of Alutiiq dance and to the exhibition project Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People. [Last updated in 2006]