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Yup'ik Eskimo Subsistence in Southwest Alaska, by James H. Barker

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Yup'ik Eskimo Subsistence in Southwest Alaska, by James H. Barker 98 / REVIEWS on Ella0 (Ella Island) with two Danes and two Greenlanders.that he not only excelled as a geologist, but as a father, Haller’s first work was concentrated in the crystalline Caledo-husband and friendas well, and he was possessed of a deeply nian rocks of the inner fiords, and he went on to become spiritual nature. The affection in which he was held by his the leading expert in East Greenland geology and the chief students is revealed by the song “Big John Haller, ” written scientist of Koch’s expeditions. during an excursion to the Canadian Rockies in 1980. This arctic book differs from most in its extremely personalThis book is lavishly illustrated. In additionthe to sketches nature. A reminiscenceof student days is followed by reports and maps mentioned earlier, photographs appear on 57 of from expedition co-workers about the wonderful years of the book’s 128 pages, and 21 photographs are in colour. geological exploration and mountaineering in East Greenland.Together they constitute a fine record of the magnificent land- Then come vignettes dealing with the 20 years that John scape in which John Haller was fortunate enough to work. Haller spent as a professor at Harvard, appraisals of his They also provide the reader with an appreciation of how scientific work by colleagues in Massachusetts and at the operations in East Greenland were conducted, even to details Geological Survey of Greenland, Copenhagen, and finally of the commissariat! The photographs I like best are in the short commentaries dealing with John Haller the Person. Notchapter “John Haller from HisOwn Texts,” by Fritz only do the diverse contributions give the reader a well- Schwarzenbach, especially washing clothes in a 45-gallon rounded picture of an exceptionally gifted individual, butthe drum, washing himself under a waterfall and plodding across inclusion of illustrations not commonly publishedenhances a valley festooned with camp gear. And then there are the the value of the book tremendously. The first of these is a magnificent aerial photographs - my favouriteis map and profile of a cave, Glitzersteinhohle, which Haller “Spaltegletscher” in Fraenkels Land (p. 26). mapped while at Basel. The publication (1949) containing As with every book, there are a few omissions anderrors. this map is, according to the bibliography, the only one for Several place-names mentionedin the text do not appear on 30 years that dealt with a topic other than East and North- any map. Figures 32 and 74 are missing, and the text under east Greenland! Figure 74 (labelled 75) refers to Figure 75, which follows Haller’s talent as an illustrator is revealed throughout the three pages later. And, on page28, Lauge Koch died in 1964, expeditionary part of the book - in his painting of the not 1970. wintering station, in his sketch of MS Sabine rolling in In spiteof its price, not surprising in viewof the fine paper heavy seas in Kejser Franz Joseph Fjordas a result of a fohn and the abundant use of colour, this book should be in the wind from the icecap, in his magnificent panoramic sketch library of every individual and institution interested in the of the view from La Marcia (1462 m) and in his coloured history and development of geological exploration in the geological fieldmaps with marginal notations. He even Arctic. My only regret is that I never had the privilege of sketched his sledge and dog team half in the water, the meeting John Haller. consequence of traveling across thin ice! The occasional cartoon is reproduced also. Weston Blake, Jr. Although most geologists working thein Arctic, whatever Geological Survey of Canada their speciality, are aware of John Haller’s monumental con- 601 Booth Street tribution to our understanding of the East Greenland Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Caledonides, few will be aware that during the winter of KIA OE8 1949-50 on Ella 0 he dug snow pits, described the strati- graphy, recorded temperatures every 10 cmand took ALWAYS GETTING READY, UPTERRLAINARLUTA: microphotographs of snow crystals. YUP’IKESKIMO SUBSISTENCE IN SOUTHWEST The statusof geological knowledge in East Greenland prior ALASKA. By JAMES H. BARKER. Seattle: University of to John Haller’s involvement is summarizedby Curt Teichert, Washington Press, 1993. 144 p., 2 maps, 93 duotone who participated in the Danish East Greenland Expeditions photos, bib. Hardbound, US$50.00. Softbound, US$29.95. in 1931-32. Niels Henriksen, Anthony Higgins and Peter Dawes, all ofthe Geological Survey ofGreenland, bring us Jim Barker has always(for 20 years, anyway) been getting up to date with regard to the contributions made by Haller ready to make this book, and the results are well worth the and their contacts with him after he no longer was engaged wait. He first visited Bethel in 1970, where he was impressed in field work in East Greenland. Curt Teichert notes (p. 38) by the warmth and humanity ofthe Yup’ik men and women that “John Haller will forever be knownas the great who make their home in the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta. He synthesizer of the geology of central and northern East wanted to knowmore about these “real people,” who were Greenland, an area of extraordinary geological complexity content to reside in the arid tundra lowland of southwest that occupies a position of global importance for the under- Alaska. Subsequently Jim lived in Bethel, the center of a standing of the geological history of the North Atlantic region boasting 20 OOO Yup’ik inhabitants spread through- region. ” The advent of aerial reconnaissance flights for out more than 50 villages. He worked first at the local geological mapping is traced by Fritz Schwarzenbach, radio/TV station KYUK and traveled all over the region, including the first use of helicoptersfor reaching nunatakker camera in hand. A skilled black-and-white photographer in 1956. before he moved to Alaska, his huge person soon became From the testimonials inthe final sectionthe reader learns a regular guest in many ofthe villages and his photographs much about the human side of John Haller. It is apparent a staple of local publications. REVIEWS / 99 The heart and soul of the book are the 93 photographs parka-clad Robin Barker for a picturesque Eskimo while depicting Yup’ik men and women at work and play. These ignoring her Western-dressed Yup’ik companions. photographs are organized by the seasonal harvesting In sum, Always Getting Ready is a fine introduction to the activities around which Yup’ik people continue to organize region and its people for urban readers, giving them a vivid their lives, including seal hunting, salmon fishing, herring sense of a way oflife very different from their own. Arctic harvesting, wood gathering, and berry picking. The book’s scholars not so familiar with the region can also learn from title, drawn from a statement by Agnes Bostrom, refers to its visual images, while those like myself, who have known this seasonal round and its centrality in Yup’ik life (p. 13): Jim’s work for years, will appreciatethe opportunity tolearn All through the year we are getting ready; gettingready for more about the circumstances of his photographs’ creation. fishing, for berry picking, for potlatches, getting ready for Finally, the book’s sensitive text will make itenjoyable for winter. We are always gettingready to go somewhere to get Yup’ik readers, many of whom willtreasure the photographs foods. And because we are so religious, you know, we are of family and friends. Future generations can look back at always getting ready for the next life. it to see for themselves activities thatform the core of Yup’ik The book closes with photographs depicting the mid-winterlife at the end of the 20th century. I do not doubt Always dances in which the Yupiit dramatically portray these same Getting Ready will have a long and useful life. harvesting activities, communicating their continued vitality Ann Fienup-Riordan in the face of changing times. 9951 Prospect Drive Although the photosare the book’sraison d ’&re,the result Anchorage, Alaska 99516 is much more than a picture book. During years his traveling U.S. A. in the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta, Jim kept ajournal, the best parts of which have been used to contextualize the photo- graphs. Working in partnership with his wife, Robin, these COPPERMINE:CONSEQUENCES OF CONTACT anecdotes havebeen woven together into atext that is WITH THEOUTSIDE. Directed by RAYHARPER; arguably the most accessible general introduction toYup’ik the produced by JERRY D. KREPAKEVICH. Edmonton: National people of southwest Alaska now in print. The book also Film Board of Canada, 1992. Video. Colour. 56 min. includes a fine foreword, describing both the region andthe Cdn$28.84-$32.30, depending on province. author, by Yup’ik anthropologist Mary Pete titled “On Our Coppennine is a film producedby the National Film Board Own Terms. ” of Canada and based on research intooral, written and photo- Although now a published author, Jim consistently eschews graphic recordsof events that occurred Coppenninein during the label “expert. ” He notes himself that hiswork does not the early 1900s (Vanast, 1991). Its main objective is to docu- attempt to give a complete pictureof the region or its people. ment the consequences of contact between the Copper Inuit Rather he has responded most to people at their best, and and the white population at the settlement of Coppermine, in his photographs he reflects both his own humanity and located atthe mouth of the Coppermine River on Coronation that of his subjects. Gulf. In order to providean audiovisual reproductionof these People in Alaska willrecognize many of the photographs events, the film combines photographic and movingpicture in thisbook, as for years Jim’s work has appeared on postersmaterial from the early 1900s, interviews with surviving and in pamphlets, both within the region and beyond.
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