In Raising Ourselves Wallis offers a powerful autobiography about her childhood and growing up in Fort Yukon, Alaska. The book depicts the lives of Gwich'in Athabascan Natives in their villages and the changing dynamic in the community. Wallis explores her and her siblings’ difficult childhood as they coped with the dysfunction in the family and community at large. Thus focuses on the coping mechanisms that her community adopted to survive the isolation, the modernizing world, and limited resources.
Wallis opens up about her parents’ alcoholism that left them having to fend for themselves most of the time. Therefore highlights that akin to most children in the communities they grew up stunted emotionally and psychologically due to the negligence. The story expresses the challenges of the natives in their villages as their heritage and traditions die off and despair befalls the community. Wallis was adamant to escape the destructive patterns that had overwhelmed the community such as alcoholism. Henceforth she left home to live in the cabin and getting in touch with her traditions away from the dysfunction of her village. She even convinces her mother who momentarily embraces sobriety to join her to escape the trappings of their community.
Wallis explores the welfare system and the government policies that were imposed on the villages to ease the transition into modernity. Consequently showcases the part of the community that did not embrace the change and stuck with the old ways that were dwindling. She focuses on the paradigm shift that saw the previous generation that had lived off the land lack enough sustenance in the modernized society. Moreover, the younger generation that surrendered their traditional ways, religion, and language for Eurocentric education. They benefited as they integrated into society with ease however they lost their heritage in the process. The older generation that lived in denial of the paradigm shift existed with the pain of their lost culture.
