Rita Pitka Blumenstein

Yupik mother, grandmother, great grandmother, wife, aunt, sister, friend, tribal elder. Born on a fishing boat and raised in Tununak, Alaska, Rita attended a Montessori school in Seattle for four years. She raised two children and worked at many hospitals delivering babies as a doctor's aide in Bethel and Nome. She has traveled and taught basket weaving, song, dance and cultural issue classes world-wide, earning money for Native American Colleges. Rita has participated in many healing conferences where her teachings of the Talking Circle were recorded and published. Rita is currently employed with South Central Foundation as a tribal doctor using plant and energy medicine.