It Has Been in Our Blood for Years and Years that We Are Salmon Fishermen – A Book of Oral History from Unalakleet, Alaska, USA
Kaisu and Tero Mustonen with the people of Unalakleet Snowchange Cooperative, Finland, 2009 Foreword
Victoria Hykes-Steere, Anchorage, Alaska, USA It has proven to be an incredibly hum- what was in plain sight. They showed me bling experience attempting to write this a world so beautiful even in the unfor- introduction to Tero and Kaisu’s visit to giving nature of our environment. They Unalakleet. Tero and Kaisu interviewed lived life filled with joy never allowing elders and they spoke of the changes oc- the sorrow of loss to define them. curring due to climate change, but my Our world of snow and ice, blowing memories keep going to the generations wind and in the summer endless chores, before who died from 1970 to 2000, sings. The song changes with the seasons. wishing their voices to be heard. Being thankful to God for being a part of They were magical. Their stories our world is the secret to the simple joy from hundreds and thousands of years encountered by traders, missionaries... ago transported our young minds to a Knowing we belong to a place so beau- time when our world was free. We de- tiful we can’t believe our luck is what fined our existence and our survival de- our grandparents and so many others pended upon honoring the earth, Creator gave my brother and I. Unalakleet is our and shunning anger. Many of those who magical place. The love we share for our studied our ancestors believed it to be homeland makes the Malamiut, Qawi- simplistic, underestimating the knowl- araq, and Unaaliq one community. edge possessed and the science behind
2 Preface
Tero Mustonen, Snowchange Cooperative, Finland
The KNOWLEDGE of the lands, ocean, “We have an alliance with the Earth. and other waters surrounding the village Each one of us does, and some of us as of Unalakleet appears in the following a people have continued to grasp this pages thanks to the people who shared it alliance and have anchored it into our with us. It was an honor, a Finnish thank hearts, into our minds, and into our souls you– kiitos –to all participants and proj- ... The lifeways of a people cover an en- ect support people. tire spectrum, a spectrum so wide and In May 2002, a dialogue was estab- profound that it continues to astound the lished between representatives of the Western mind as non-Inupiat learn more Unalakleet Tribal Council and the Snow- about us. (2007: 189)” change Cooperative, based in Finland, in From 2003 to 2008, all the interviews order to document oral histories, obser- were transcribed, analyzed, and archived. vations, and traditional knowledge that In 2004, a small part of the main findings relate to climate and ecological change appeared in the publication Snowscapes, in the local context. After intensive com- Dreamscapes. A copy of this publication munication’s groundwork, the inter- was made available to Mr. Art Ivanoff, views began in August 2002. Our team as well as to several prominent scientific then consisted of me and Kaisu Pulli, forums on climate change, including who is now my wife and also a member the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate of the Mustonen clan. We were helped Change (IPCC), which is the chief sci- by Mr. Art Ivanoff, who was the Tribal entific body on climate change, -operat Environmental Coordinator at the time. ing under the auspices of the United Na- Assistance was also provided by Mrs. tions. Victoria Hykes-Steere, who is an Inupiaq In 2005, the Snowchange Coopera- woman from Unalakleet, though she cur- tive worked with Mrs. Hykes-Steere, the rently lives in Anchorage, where she also Alaska Native Science Commission, and acts as the Snowchange coordinator for others to organize a large international Alaska. conference of indigenous people in An- During the work in August 2002, chorage, Alaska, which was known as more than seventeen people, from young “Snowchange 2005.” This conference adults to elders, were met in conversa- was designed to direct attention to the tion. The following words represent changing ocean and Arctic climate, as some of their Knowledge, and each indi- a response to the needs and wishes ex- vidual retains rights to this Knowledge. pressed by the Unalakleet participants of We are very grateful that they allowed us the oral history project. There were over to share some of it for this international two hundred participants from across the project that spans the North. As Herbert Arctic and Alaska. The participants of O. Anungazuk from Wales (and Anchor- the project in Unalakleet brought their age) writes eloquently in Words of the messages to this event as well. This Real People: event was deemed a success, since it 3 Stanton Katchatag 2002 highlighted many of the crucial concerns ries from Unalakleet our cooperation that the indigenous peoples of Alaska has proven to have been a success and wanted raised. These concerns included a very active one at that. Now my own the rapid and apparent climate change village of Selkie, in Finland, is initiating in the Arctic and subsistence rights. The a school project with a Russian school in final proceedings are available from the Udmurtia, a Central Russian Republic, Snowchange Cooperative as “Stories of and with the village of Unalakleet – we the Raven.” hope these continuing steps will further In 2006 and 2007, there was an on- the possibilities for understanding be- going dialogue on how the Knowledge tween the people across the North. from the project could best be used. It A technical note regarding the tran- was decided that a visit would be made in scribed materials that are presented here; November 2008, where I could return to while great effort has been taken to pre- Unalakleet to meet with representatives serve the content, meaning and context of the community, the tribal council, and of the spoken words, some words may all the people we spoke to in 2002, to have been altered or misunderstood, bring the Knowledge back home. This some additional italicized words have event is reported at the end of this book. been inserted in brackets “[ ]” to bridge In 2009, with this publication of the gaps between sentences and in an attempt Inupiaq, Yupiaq, and other oral histo- to make the text clearer to international
4 readers. As well, due to practical limi- Kaisu Mustonen specializes in the tations some of the transcriptions were knowledge of women in the subsistence combined and are quoted as joint state- communities of the Arctic. She holds a ments from husband and wife. Master’s degree in Social Sciences (Hu- I wish to thank once again all the peo- man Geography) from the University of ple that took part in the work from 2002 Joensuu, Finland. Tero Mustonen has to 2009. Special thanks go also to Mr. been working for twelve years with Art Ivanoff for assisting with all aspects northern subsistence communities. He is of the project. The researcher Mr. Henry the Head of the Village of Selkie in the Huntington from Eagle River, Alaska de- Finnish Province of North Karelia and serves an additional big thanks for help- has a Doctorate in Human Geography. ing to initiate the project. As well, without Mrs. Victoria Hykes-Steere none of this For more information contact Tero at: would have been possible. In 2002 and
At Laurila Farm, Havukkavaara, Selkie village, North Karelia, Finland March 12th, 2009 Tero Mustonen
5 6 Contents
Foreword 2 Preface 3 1. Elder Guerie Towarak’s Story 8 2. The People who shared their Knowledge through stories and thoughts in 2002 14 3. “Unalakleet” – “Where the East Wind Blows” 16 3.1. Stories of Growing-up in Unalakleet, then and now 16 4. “I haven’t seen snow like that...” –Snow, Wind, and Other Weather Changes 18 5. The Sea 20 5.1. Crabbing 22 5.2. Observations and hunts of whales, seals, and other marine mammals 22 5.3. “Walrus? There’s some around” 24 5.4. Is the Bering Sea changing? 25 6. “The ice break-up going out the mouth of the river would be really violent” – The River 26 7. “Our people rely on these resources so much”– Subsistence and Views of the Changes in Hunting and Fishing 28 7.1. Elders talk about bush experiences in the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties 28 7.2. “The skills are still here” – Continuation of the subsistence lifestyle 30 7.3. “I hunt with my friends” – The younger generation carries on subsistence traditions 30 8. “We love fish here, that’s our main staple” – Everyone Talks about Salmon 32 9. New Species Arrive 35 10. Impact of Changes and Forms of Adaptation 36 11. “If our ancestors were not stewards of these resources, we wouldn’t have any resources now” – Power Relations 39 11.1. Our stories are our history 39 11.2. “I worry about my culture, my people” – Fisherman Jerry Ivanoff voices concern 41 11.3. “If there’s a big spill it’s going to last for how long, I don’t know, how long does oil last?” – Oil, gas, and the environment 45 12. Cultural Change 46 13. Relations with Russia 53 14. “I know when the weather is changing” – Sundogs, Moondogs and Weather Prediction 55 15. “They do a lot of skiing, those Laplanders” – Elder Oscar K´soutchak and his wife Mae´s Memories of Relations with the Sámi 58 16. For the Future 58 17. Return to Unalakleet in November 2008 59 17.1 Introduction 59 17.2 Reflections of the People 59
7 1. Elder Guerie Towarak’s Story “I think there was Yupiaq-speaking peo- ple here along these hills and rivers, the names of them are Yupiaq names. My parents, my dad grew up here, but his parents moved [here from another place]. Way later on, we found out that he had an argument with his sister and that hurts him to argue with a family member, so he took his whole family this way, not knowing where he’d stop. But I guess he liked it here, so he stopped, here. And when we were growing up, there were Guerie Towarak a lot of relatives in the village from my dad’s side. My mother, her mother died on his arm and he got it infected when he before she grew up, in St Michaels. was trying to do heavy lifting and prob- Long ago wherever they died, they ably bumped it in to some things, and he used to leave the body wherever they die. died from it, and they didn’t have any They didn’t have gravesites like these nurses or anything back then. here. But there were tepee-style graves My mother said that she was about when we were growing up here, up on five years old, and she could remember the close to the beach, but then FAA him holding her hand and walking down [Federal Aviation Authority] came and towards that mission house. They put up they asked permission to put the bones children’s homes there, and they taught together and bury them over at the graves young people to speak English, and how over there. Axel Carlson, the very first to read and write. Those first, the ones missionary, has a big stone here. I think who went to school under them, were he was one of those that found gold, real good interpreters, they spoke their when there were two missionaries in the own language, and then they learned to area. He was in Unalakleet, because his speak English from the missionary. wife had that big stone cross made, and Axel Carlson had been in Russia, he she died while we were kids. tried to be a missionary there. My mother My mother was an orphan. She said her used to tell us about his stories, they had dad was long-shoring to earn few dollars put him in a cellar and kept him there, so that he could buy some tea and coffee, and only mice were around him, and and stuff like that. You know, they didn’t he had to stay there until they released know anything about those, but then they him. I don’t know how he went up there learned to like them, when they learned and how he came back, but when he that they could drink those store-bought came back there was another mission- coffee and tea. So he long-shored, but he ary that stopped at another place and he worked with his arm, and he had a boil [Axel] came here in Unalakleet. I think
8 he stopped through St. Michael’s, and St. house now but they have log houses. Michael had a… I think that was the First When we were growing up I think they World War, I think they had some army used to [live in log houses], there’s an old boys down there, and the ships used to site across there, [where] Maktak Martin unload down there, and I think that’s one built a cabin. He wanted to claim that reason why those natives used to go down area. and try to work in long-shoring, but they They said that the Russians gave them didn’t know anything about work except shots, to the whole village, and they all hunting. died in their homes, and nobody… ev- They didn’t know anything about erybody died, except one family that gold or anything. They knew about what moved on this side, and a… this family they caught for food, and they used the told that the Russian came and gave them skins for clothes. I don’t know exactly shots on their arms and the whole village how, but for sure they had parkas out died in their homes, and there used to be of… they hunted squirrel, …so squirrel crosses and graves there… it’s real big, a skins; and make inside parkas, and they lot of people were buried up there. can make fancy parkas out of them too. When we were growing up there used Nobody makes [these] anymore here in to be wooden tepees, I think that’s how the village. they put the… the… because my sis- My dad was a reindeer herder, and ter, oldest sister, she’s eighty-six now, my mom learned to cook real good with she’s older than I am, we had a brother living in the children’s home, and there between us, but he died. I’m eight-two was another girl. She [mother] named me and my brother would have been eighty- after her roommate. She [mother] died four. And the… this sister that’s living when she went outside, and she got mar- yet, she’s eighty-six. She said that she ried out there. She had a white father and was picking in one grave that they put a native mother. wood over the person’s body, not bury. Going to school we’d go up and down But they started burying them now. The the snow banks, but we enjoyed it! Be- FAA… during the WWII, the FAA asked ing kids, being kids and not knowing the people we used to… they used to that they could do something about the have more like a boss or they called him snow [like plough it up with bulldozers]. chief, the older man, I think he was the Sometimes we made playhouses. We oldest one, and they got permission from had shovels, and we’d shovel a hole in him. Later on, after they built schools, the snow bank, and we’d have a snow they had council members, so not only house! one person decides for the village, so I think that’s [some sort of snow they had village council members. house] one thing they used to use when I remember my dad used to be the they were out hunting, they made fire in- council man. He’d go around the village side so it wouldn’t drip, you know, let the with a little stick to make sure all the kids snow melt so when it cools off it freezes, are home and everybody, seeing my dad. so it stays good inside. When they go A lot of the men aren’t as tall as he is, he hunting, they… nobody lives in snow used to be (one of) the taller ones. They
9 run home as soon as they see him! My dad was herding for the company, and dad’s a real calm person, he wouldn’t they have houses for people that work for even hit anybody, he never did spank us; them. And my sister would catch one and my mother did though! this other lady asked if she could go with We would go with our dad when he her so she gets her own crabs too. My goes to check on the reindeer, but he used mother used to be so pleased, something to pack me over his shoulders, my moth- fresh other than meat. We didn’t know er had a baby, and his sister used to hold we could catch trout with a hook too, one younger than me, two years younger we used to try and chasing and tramp- than I am, but she died several years ago. ing, walking over the ice. And those fish She used to hold her hand and walk her. would go all over on the river. The river My mother packed our only brother; he used to freeze just clear ice, there’s a was a special brother after three girls. little river, and we didn’t know we could Yes, well after we grew up, I think it catch them with a hook, we never did, we was because us growing up out in the never even tried… country, our parents brought us home We have real big storms in the winter- here where we could go to school. At time. Snow. When we stayed, the place first, when the Company found out that where we stayed at, had hills right be- my dad quit taking care of Frank Wil- hind, not very far from the village and we liams’ reindeer, they hired him there. could see Unalakleet, snow blowing out There’s a little… it wasn’t a village, but a in the ocean. You know the river is open, few people lived under the hill there, but some of the hills are open and lot of the after real high water the houses are gone snow, when it’s windy you can see the so everybody moved here. It never used storm in Unalakleet, but when we moved to go that far against the hill, but that here we had to put up with it too. We all was… I don’t even remember exactly … go together when we are walking down in the 1930s anyway. We had real high to the school, we will hold hands, and so water that was the highest we ever had it, we wouldn’t go wrong way. and not much after as high as it did. It’s a lot warmer in the spring time. We, my sister and another lady, tried We didn’t have big storms for a long, to crab, because we have to hunt our long time, like we used to have when we food. They used to use a string, but they were growing up. We had a lot of snow had to make hole first and put a bait right then and we used to have lot of berries at the end of the string. They… they in the summer time, because the snow didn’t use anything else, but we didn’t keeps them from freezing. I mean things know anything about crab pots. But they that are growing in the springtime, they used to catch them. But the rule was if have a lot of water from the snow. This you’re pulling your rope you can’t jerk, spring [2002], it was cold spring and not you know jerk it, otherwise the crab’ll let much snow on the ground, and people go of it. So they were really careful pull- were wondering, I’m sure they, the older ing their string… rope from the bottom people, were thinking maybe the berries of the ocean. They go not where it’s aw- will freeze. The seedlings will freeze, fully deep, where we can see them. My but they said, ‘There’s a lot of blueber-
10 ries, but not salmonberries.’ A lady came make fire in our home, and take turns to through here from another village and make breakfast for our brothers and our she said, ‘There’s no salmon berries.’ sisters, because our mom works so much For some reason women are special for during the day. She was training us how salmon berries; blueberries are good too, to make a fire, and it is not a problem but salmon berries …don’t get as much in summertime but wintertime it’s cold. juice as salmon berries do. But uh, they But we have dove blankets and all, you keep frozen, solid frozen so we didn’t know, they hunt birds in the fall and save have to have cold storage and that was the dove, make them to blankets. the only fruit we had you know, berries. [When asked about native dancing] We picked a lot of cranberries because Was not while we were kids because of there was a lot on the hills, right across the missionary that was here stopped it. from the village. There was a [different] I think the reason why he stopped it was village right under the hills there, and the after the village people invited other vil- river between us, but people were nice to lagers to have a potlatch or something each other, if they see somebody wanting like that, then they go hungry after that, to go across, they’ll pick them up. because they have to feed their [the other And then we used to burn our yards. village’s] dogs and people. They’re not We had big gardens when our past. We that many people, but if every home had a one missionary called B. Larsen, takes a family that’s a lot; then they go he’s a Swede, and I don’t know where he hungry in the spring time. Even if they lives. He stayed here for years, I think he hunt, they eat up what they save for the stayed for over twenty years, but he used winter having village potlatches, inviting to take on vacation when the summer- other villagers, so the missionary that time. When he leaves he stays for two was here stopped that. He wouldn’t let years and someone will be in charge of our own people here have Eskimo danc- the church then. But he was a real good es. They sure would like to sometimes, teacher, he… he used to have bible stud- but they wouldn’t go against the mission- ies and choir practice, and men of course ary because he really taught them from used to… we used nothing but wood the Bible. then, …men would make fire and they [In childhood] My sister and I take make… they hauled wood in the… in the turns, but we help each other in the fall time; so they won’t have to do it in morning. Our older sister can sleep all the cold winter. And then, they take turn she wants because she does the harder to make the fire in the church. work than we do, she washed clothes and My dad when it’s his turn, he has to cooked when our parents are out, some- go out and check on the reindeer, and he times… my mother has a .22 [rifle], so would ask my sister and I to go make the sometimes she likes to go out hunting fire one time. This white man, first time for ptarmigans, she likes to go with my he was in Alaska, and he didn’t think us father if they go with a dog team. They girls could make fire in that stove, and don’t do it all the time, but you know she that’s our chore. You know, at home has to get out once in a while too. There and… [me] and my sister take turn to was a lot of ptarmigan in those days. My
11 older sister she used to, when she got out all their money when they get a check of school, go put snares up on the side during war time, the FAA was building hill with another girl. She used to catch those things, and made people work, them in snares you know. They [butch- my husband worked quite a bit too, and ered] a reindeer, they take the meat out everybody was happy they could earn and dry the sinew. And they make a lot something. Some people used to go to… of things out of it, they use it to sow with, [other places] to work and… but our dad they use it to make snares, make it little was here all the time because he’d take wider than sewing thread. And they have care of reindeer. sticks you know, to mend with the carv- [When asked about weather predic- ing for snares, then they’ll make sure tion] I… you know we grew up without that ptarmigans won’t fly away with the grandparents, the ones that have grand- snare. parents are the ones that… they sure [When asked about handicrafts] know how to predict. There’s one lady When my mom grew up, she was an or- we used to go camping with a boat down phan. And she didn’t have no one to teach the shore for salmon berries; she’ll pre- her, [before] she got married. Hanna dict the weather in the evenings. She’ll Carlson, she was the one that raised her. go out and put her hands inside her parka She was a missionary’s wife, but when and stand around and look at the clouds, her husband got sick, he died. There was and look at the hills, and some evening a doctor in St. Michael’s, an Army doc- she’d come in and say: ‘tomorrow will tor, I think, but they couldn’t do very be nice,’ other days then, ‘tomorrow much. I don’t know what he had, but he won’t be too good, either rains, or be died from something, probably appendix real windy.’ If it’s windy they enjoy it, or something. And his wife stayed for a because of the mosquitoes. while, my mother was the last one of the [When asked about people changing children. There was quite a few children weather and Shamans] I don’t know any- that came to stay in the children’s home. thing about that one. There were no sha- And Hanna Carlson taught them to sew mans when we were growing up. They with cloth and make their own clothes. stopped; I think the missionaries didn’t She [mother] used to make our own want them to have shamans, I don’t know. clothes, make dresses for Christmas that But we didn’t have any shamans when used to be something big! New dresses we were growing up. I always admired for Christmas, the boys, she buys them that lady; she could always just predict pants or overalls, but that was something the weather just looking at the clouds new at least for Christmas day. and over the hills, and/or the moon or the We have programs every Christmas, sun. If the sun has a ring, it’ll be windy Sunday school program and school pro- tomorrow or something like that, heh. gram. The best teacher I had, he was Right now we turn on our radios and lis- Norwegian, but I think they had moved ten to the weather forecast! to America. He was a really good teacher. It’s so, so different than when we were He’s the one that taught us how to save. growing up. Kids don’t listen to their He noticed how people would spend grandparents or parents. We had a strict
12 mother, we had to listen to her… other- for [the] Company. They must not have wise we’d get spanking. We had to listen blueberries down there, I don’t know, but to her, so when our dad would babysit us he must have. He ordered it through the I used to think he was a really good man. Company, so our dad got it so he could Because you know after being all day out have us fill it. And we’d spend a night out with the reindeer when he comes home at my uncle’s camp and he laughed at us! he’s happy to see us. He said: ‘You girls can’t fill that barrel, a We had one missionary that stayed for one-hundred pound barrel.’ We just let a long time, he was a real good gardener. him talk on and on, he would laugh at us, We used to have real big gardens, we and when… when we came down after didn’t have to buy potatoes and carrots two weeks being up there he… the first and lettuce and cabbages, but then later thing he wanted to see was the barrel we on when we used to go up river to camp had filled! Three girls! My older sister all summer long, people used to be in and my younger sister and I. My younger their camps right now, and each village sister, she picks faster than I do. She’s a had their [people together] in a group to really good berry picker, but she’s the one help each others. The one and the same who died. Poor lady when she was dying used to be the boss of the group, and he she saw me with my tears, ‘you always shares everybody the same amounts of cry!’ I told her: ‘I won’t try to hold you fish, and there we… when there was no back this time.’ I’ve been really praying commercial fishing, we used to get lots for her not to die, but she was real sick and lots of fish, and when we’d go down and suffering so I had to give up trying to to town we bundled them. hold on to her. She and I were close; she My dad, he wasn’t a fisherman. He was only two years younger than I. didn’t even know how to fish very much. My older sister is four years older than One old man went up with a kayak, we I. Yeah, and she used to be the boss in thought that was really neat. We didn’t the house when mom is not home. When have grandparents from both sides, and mom is not home she gives her orders this man had a kayak and he was pad- though, you know, for us to do some- dling through the not in very deep, but thing. Make sure they do this and do that, the closer to the shore, but not as close so so we had to do whatever she [our sister] his kayak won’t rub on the rocks. They told us. The only thing she does is sleep were made of oogruk [bearded seal] in the morning; she’s a really good sleep- skin, leather, more like leather, but it’s er. And my [younger] sister said: ‘that’s thick. They usually use young oogruk the only time when we can be mean to because they’re easier to sow and easier her, when she’s sleeping heavy’ and this to put on a kayak. Big ones, they use for is [meant as] ‘real mean’ to us. We were soles on the boots. This man told our dad doing that [being real mean to our sister they had the net out, they would check it by] taking turns, and one morning, and in the morning. she sat up, and we ran out the door, but And us three girls we had to fill a she didn’t do anything to us when we one-hundred pound barrel because it was came back. We thought it was better than ordered from that guy that was working making faces and stuff, being mean to
13 her. It’s fun though, you know, when you grandmother was Athabaskan Indian, read back your life. from that area.” My mom one time told us about Axel Leonard Brown “And my name is Carlson. She said they put him in a cel- Leonard Brown. I’m born and raised lar and I don’t know what they feed him, here in Unalakleet. And we live here as but there were a lot of mice in the cel- subsistence folks, we don’t work for a lar to crawl on him. I think that was be- living anymore. We are retired from the ing mean to him, [in] one way. My dad’s Unalakleet lodge and… that was it!” uncle, he’s the oldest one of the brothers Charles O. Degnan: “I’m from Unal- that moved here [from another place]. He akleet Alaska. I was born here and lived had a real big Russian blockhouse; they here most of my life. Except to go to high make out of blocks a ‘Russian block- school and military service.” house,’ we call it Russian blockhouse. Elder Stanton Katchatag: “I was It’s kind of square building, and make it born and raised here in Unalakleet. And tall. I think it had room upstairs. The guy I haven’t been to high school, and the that had owned it, his younger brother reason was my parents didn’t want me to used it for storage for his stuff, he used leave Unalakleet. At that time we had to to trade furs to the Russians from the travel to Whitemountain. And they didn’t people here in the village. Just trade little want me away so they taught me to sub- things, the natives then didn’t have any- sist, and trap, and hunt.” thing at all; if they traded something use- Galen Doty: “I’m not originally from ful then they’re happy. Our mother used here. But I was born and raised in An- to tell us about the missionary that went chorage, and I lived in Anchorage for out, he said they… he told them that he four years and I moved here. So, I’ve had to stay in the cellar for I don’t know been living here for twelve years, and how long. They gave him little food each I’m sixteen. And that’s mostly my life. We day so he didn’t starve.” do a lot of fishing and hunting out here, subsistence and commercial stuff. In the summer we usually fish. We do some fish- 2. The People who shared ing and hunt for moose, bear, and beaver. And in the winter we use snow machines their Knowledge through and ATVs, and go up the river. To go fish- stories and thoughts in ing in the winter, we just cut a hole in the 2002 ice and use like a stick and jig until you get a fish. Here we go caribou hunting. Steve Ivanoff You know what caribou are?” Kaare Eriksson: “I’m seventeen Jerry Ivanoff: “I was born in Unal- years old, and I’ve lived here in Unal- akleet Alaska and I’m forty-nine years akleet for eight years, but grew up in old. Born in 1963, to Ralph and Rainik the other villages, because my dad was Ivanoff.” a teacher. My mom is from Barrow, so Mary Brown: “I’m Mary A. Brown. I don’t have any relatives here. I hunt I was born six miles out of Holycross. a lot and live off the land, and my mom My mother was from Anvik Alaska. My
14 grew up in a really native lifestyle up in of fish, humpies, and put them away for Barrow. She lived off the land with her the winter. Also freezed fresh fish for the brothers. My momma always makes… winter. Besides dryfish, I pick lots of ber- makes Eskimo food. And she knows a lot ries and greens. I pick lots of greens, of Eskimo stuff too. So it effects me pretty all kinds of wild greens. I don’t know much because of my mom.” the English names for them, but willow Paul Ivanoff III: “I work in the em- leaves, wild asparagus, wild onions, all ployment-training field. I try to get peo- kinds of greens.” ple employed and trained in our area. I Jolene Katchatak Nanouk: “I work hunt and fish every year, for as long as I at the school as a bilingual-bicultural can remember. I’m thirty-seven years old teacher, and during the summer I’m and I’ve been hunting with my parents working with fish and game. And I hunt ever since I was a little guy.” caribou. I was hunting moose for a while Elder Betty Anagick: “I was born but I gave it up because every time I went and raised here.” out with my gun I didn’t see anything, Byron Kotongan: “I moved here to and every time I went out without my gun Unalakleet about six years ago. I enjoy they would just appear. I lived here until hunting and fishing and snow machining I was nine, and then I moved to Anchor- and four wheeling.” age until I was in like 10th grade, so I Jobina Ivanoff: “I’m from Unalak- didn’t really know until I came back and leet Alaska and I’m a payroll clerk. I like I mostly hung out with boys. And they going out camping in the fall, it’s my fa- would bring me out camping and moose vorite time of the year, when everything hunting, and they showed me everything. is changing color.” I think I’m just motivated to what I’m do- Joan Johnston: “I work for UNC - ing because I look up to my mom and my the Unalakleet Native Corporation.” grandma who lived the subsistence way Elders Oscar Koutchak and his wife of life, and I try to learn from them too. Mae: “I am an Alaskan Eskimo. I was My mom and my dad spoke the language, born in 1930 and I’ve lived here in Unal- the Inupiaq language. And they would akleet just about all my life. But I travel always talk so that none of us would un- to some places where I work. Both my derstand what they were talking about, parents are gone. My oldest sister was so I figured I might as well go to Unal- born in 1912 and the youngest girl of our akleet so I can learn to understand some family was born in 1936.” things and learn how to live in Unalak- Donna Eriksson: “I am Inupiaq, leet. So I wanted to come back, and so I originally from Barrow. I am forty years left my parents in Anchorage and came old, and I have five children. I’ve lived in here. Plus I like living with my brothers Unalakleet for twenty years, before that, too. I’m the youngest in our family, and first twenty years of my life were in Bar- my brothers showed me a lot.” row. I work with the airlines, and the vil- lage airline, for Bering Air. In the sum- mer we fish. We dry dryfish, first smoking salmon, and then dry all the other kind
15 Village 2002
3. “Unalakleet” – “Where Unalakleet was everything. You know, the East Wind Blows” I learned everything I needed to about where to pick my berries, where to get The mosquitoes have always been here my marine mammals, and what to catch, and the wind has always been here, we what to bring back. You know, leave the have the land breeze and the sea breeze. killer whales alone; they are smarter than You know Unalakleet is located so that you know.” we have the northern sound of Bering Jerry Ivanoff Sea beyond there. We’ve always had “The winter is fun. You can go snow wind here, that’s Unalakleet, ‘where the machining, snow machining is really east wind blows,’ that’s what it means. I fun. We also go snowboarding; sliding guess.. I’m not sure, but you know it has down real steep hills, and tow with snow always been windy… machines. Summer we just swim around, and fish a lot, and go hunting.” 3.1. Stories of Growing-up in Galen Doty Unalakleet, then and now “I grew up in a time where there “From zero to seventeen years old I was no water in cabin. You had to go didn’t leave home, I didn’t leave Unal- out there, when it’s cold, twenty below, akleet, and this was my world. I didn’t and chop ice, fill-up the round tub. That know that there is the other side, the Rus- metal tub that we had was … Like that, sia, Europe, the United States, Stanford this round, then about this high. Fill that University for that matter. You know up with ice, and you put it by the stove.
16 Chop the ice in it and melt, heat, and much anything here. They just sit around then put some more in it. And then you and do nothing. And it gets bored pretty finally get it warm enough, so that you quick, unless you find something to do.” take them out… And when you got seven Galen Doty sisters and brothers, and you’re the last “[Living in the village is] Cool most one on the line, you kind of wonder if of the time, but sometimes the same you ever get in there.” thing gets old, but I guess that’s true ev- Jerry Ivanoff erywhere. But honestly, it is pretty differ- ent than living in a city. I’ve lived [else- where] [in a city] for years, so it’s pretty different [here]. I like it though. You get used to it if you live here. You can get really bored here, but if you’re smart you can find a lot of cool things to do. You can go out hunting and fishing, and keep yourself occupied.” Kaare Eriksson “When I was younger we had a mis- sionary here by the name of E.B. Larsen, originally from Norway. He came from Norway with the Evangelical Covenant Church of America. He was our preach- er here. In fact, our Sunday school was with him for quite many years. Maybe twenty years, he was here, maybe more. He taught us how to plant gardens, how to take care of them. We had abundance of potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, lots of potatoes. Then we Youth 2002 stored them. My folks, everybody had a “Many of us [the young adults of Unal- cellar long time ago. In the middle of akleet] just sit around, do nothing. We’re the floor you’d make a door there, and bored. All we do is play ball all day, and they’d dig it out. And some say, ‘It is not get better and better at basketball. Some- very deep. Maybe that deep.’ You’d had times I just sit around, lay around, and walk on your knees there, and we keep everybody is just walking around: ‘Hey, our potatoes there, underneath it’s cool. what’s going on!?’ or something like And we hang our cabbage on the ceil- that. And they just say: ‘Oh, nothing, just ing. They collect little mold, but mold, walking around being bored.’ There’s a it is good for your body. Anyway, all lot of things that you can make a differ- you have to do is clean out the cabbage ence in, going out of this village, doing throughout and it is still good, although a lot of stuff, but if people don’t have a there is a little indication on top. He was vehicle or anything they don’t really do here for good many years, until he re-
17 tired. He was E.B. Larsen, and he taught thing that you knew there was a building us a lot of things about planting and how there was a smoke pipe, that came out of to take care of things. Of course our reli- the snow bank. And we’d slide past that, gion is like the Swedes have over there, and we’d have to make sure that we don’t Sweden.” bump the smoke pipe on a way down to Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae the bottom of the bank. I mean that’s a long slide, where they [on the] ways up, we’d have to truck ourselves all the way back up. But I haven’t seen snow like that, you know, snow drifts throughout the whole town, in quite a few years. Were they [the drifts, are] way up high. It’s not that I miss it, and maybe our snow fences are working in a while, but I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s that amount, as you know, when I was younger.” Downtown 2002 Jobina Ivanoff “There a lot of things I think, things like modern equipment, because when we were growing up we didn’t have no machinery. Except the ones that come in and out and even outboards they come in to being in the late 1930s I think. That’s when my dad bought an outboard, I think it was early thirties. The first one, there were three-four people that was the first in our village here. Before that we rowed the boat and pulled the boat and every- Downtown 2008 thing. I really don’t know, what I’m get- “I would say that there’s gonna be ting at -- all the noise from the machin- years with really heavy snow, and that ery, you know, all the planes go back and gives us a reminder of when I grew up. forth all the time that may have an effect But it seems like it was like that every on the habit and behavior of animals.” year. And now, maybe once in a decade Elder Stanton Katchatag we’ll have a really good heavy snow year. In fact, several of the last ones have been pretty dry, not as much snow as I could 4. “I haven’t seen snow like remember. But it seems like when I grew that...” –Snow, Wind, and up we had lots of snow every year. But it Other Weather Changes does not seem to be the case now.” Steve Ivanoff “Right by the post office there is a build- “I moved in to my grandfather’s home ing that we completely covered with back in 1939, and there’s a lotta change snow, all the way to the top. And the only since. It’s noticeable. We used to have,
18 you know, the break-up of the Unalak- Now there is practically none. And when leet River used to occur late in May and I sit around with people, and visit maybe in June. And now it’s late April or first the older ladies, they talk about how the week of May It’s much earlier and much summers are hotter than when they were warmer, than it used to be. And when I young. Or ever since I’ve been here may- was a kid, during the middle forties, it be it seems like the summers are hotter.” was a fun game for us to jump from ice Donna Eriksson cake to the water, and it’d be middle of “This was one of the mildest winters I June!” have ever noticed, I think we had kind of Leonard Brown a warm weather. We had snow until real “The first time I really can remember late spring, after all snow melted away having rain in winter time was when I was this year, it kind of… you know, there in grade school, and then it froze the next was bare ground like this, but it snowed day, and everybody went skating all over after that, and it snowed till I don’t know the place. It’s a long time ago. Around when…mmm… possibly in first part of 1951, or somewhere around there.” May, somewhere around there… And Charles O. Degnan just the first time, I see that kind ofa “It just doesn’t seem like we’ve had climate that lasted so long like that. The too much of the blizzards, like we used prevailing wind out here is mostly from to have when I was younger. And long the east, that and it blows maybe forty to period of bell blizzards in, you know, not fifty knots at times, but…otherwise the the one-day, two-day kind. I mean it used north wind doesn’t bother us too much to blow seven to ten days in a row, you here. But up here [in the north] it blows can’t see anything, that’s why we had the forty miles that way, and blows up there big snow banks. But it seems a little bit really hard, and like I said, ‘The climate warmer.” has changed a little bit.’ I think it got Jobina Ivanoff warmer, I think that was the… I don’t “I’ve noticed a lot of subtle differ- know what they call it… I forgot the ences. It seems that the amount of snow term they use of being warm, you know, we get is less. First of all the snow here it’s different. By that I mean… one of doesn’t just fall down, but it blows in. the first seals wandered up here long… And growing up I remember these huge I don’t know how it got up here. Ordin- snow banks, monster snow banks, and arely our seals have claws up here, this now they’re not there. They’re prob- one here has [different features]. I’d say ably about half the size what they used a nine miles from here, and that’s the first to be.” I’ve ever seen like that around here.” Paul Ivanoff III Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae “There has been changes since I’ve “When I was younger we had a lot lived here. I came here in 1978, and I’ve of snow. There would be snow banks noticed that one of the big changes in the all over town. You know, it grew up and winter is that there is no more big huge down, up there. It used to blow all the snow banks in town. They were very, time. And you know, the village right very high above buildings each winter. there sitting horizontal with the wind.
19 And you know there is an ebb where the 5. The Sea snow gets gathering, it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger.” “I think I’ll start out from by the sea side, Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae because I have commercial fish[-ed] here “There’s been some thunderstorms too lately, and there I think [it is] re- and strong winds. I know my grand- ally noticeable in regard to temperature mother would tell of um… wind blowing changes. One of the other things I find so hard that it’d put grass through a tree, out after I was absent for some time, fif- so you know that’s pretty powerful wind. teen years of commercial fishing. When And she said it happened during her life- I come back here, I find out that the sea time.” current was getting real strong, not like Charles O. Degnan the way it was before. And so that was “We notice these things, so maybe the noticeable. I think that may have been af- global warming may have affected them. fected by the warm. I think the warming It wasn’t that noticeable. One other thing of uh, the weather, is becoming notice- that I noticed is that even the snow… that able about twenty-five to thirty years it’s may not be natural, I’m almost certain slow, you know. But when I think back, it’s because of global warming. Because that’s about the time when it seems like in the fall, we used to get snow all the it changed. Because long ago, especially way from October and December-Jan- last part of December around Christmas uary, and the snow used to be all over, and new years, that used to be extremely you know, and the snow banks. But dur- cold and the temperature would drop ing the last few years the snow doesn’t down to sixty below and so forth. My seem to come until January, or so late. wife even said that one Christmas, that And last year, we got quite a bit of snow, she saw the temperature was seventy- and when the warm weather come, and five below.” the snow just dissolved more or less.” Elder Stanton Katchatag Elder Stanton Katchatag “Now just recently, we haven’t had “I think they used Search and Rescue a lot of ice, a lot of slush and heavy ice a couple of times. And that was because coming from the ocean. Ah, it doesn’t of the wind. I mean all of a sudden this freeze very solid anymore, like it used to, year, when I was in an elder and youth and we’d go out and seal hunt, twenty- conference, they said that the winds have five miles out, and sometimes all solid been changing so fast. When years ago ice, back in late forties and early fifties. it would take a while for it to [change], Now you couldn’t go out there, too thin. [one] could tell that the weather is going It never freeze solid no more. Except to change in a week. But now it goes so when the heavy ice coming in from the fast.” ocean. And that’s always moving. Now it Jolene Katchatak Nanouk doesn’t freeze very solid.” Leonard Brown together with his wife Mary Brown “What we see, for instance in the ocean ice, we get a lot less ice pack. It seems that we are getting more and more
20 Seashore 2008 open water, other than ice just freezing more fragile, and even in the river. Dur- and staying.” ing the winter we have some warm spells Paul Ivanoff III in the last few years, and it would be too “Oh yes, the sea. My step grandfa- dangerous to go on the river for snowma- ther said years ago the winter was se- chines. So there has been changes.” vere. They used to go dog teaming to go Donna Eriksson to St. Michael’s, and they used to make “The ocean starts to freeze on latter straight cut. But now they say the weath- part of October, and maybe first part of er is changing on account of the wind, November. At times you can’t see the and this keeps it from forming solid [ice horizon, I mean it is horizon ways, the where] the wind would blow. We do have sea ice is way out there. In fact, couple a lot of east wind during winter months. of times my brother and I were going out And it is not as solid as it used to be, to with a dog team because of seal hunt- go right straight to St. Michael’s.” ing, and we put our dogs together, and Elder Betty Anagick out there over night hunt, aiming to catch “The ice? I grew up in Barrow. And a big bearded seal. We kind of look at just either going visiting or talking a lot the sun and see if it is going to change on the phone with my family and rela- or something like that. That there is a tives is about whaling, and it is very, very sundog, on here the sun over here, and different up there. And here it’s a lot dif- the sundog, you know, they look like the ferent from when I first moved here. It color of a rainbow on this side. That is an is dangerous and it is hard to go snow- indication that there is a big front com- machining on the ocean. You can´t travel ing in, mostly warm weather and wind on the ocean anymore in the winter like will start blowing. And… there have we use to, and the ice seems thinner and been several times that people have been
21 blown out and never came back. Usually on that stuff, the young ice.” [they] go from Nome, the King Islanders. Joan Johnston They went out seal hunting. There were “I have noticed the weather being about four or five of them, and one guy warmer and affecting the sea ice. [I no- got lost for over a month out in the ocean. tice this] Because I started crabbing in And, how would I say it, well, he eventu- the spring, in the ocean. And the past ally drifted with a current, went back and three springs, it hasn’t frozen up. So it forth and eventually ended up in Shish- affects subsistence things like that.” maref, it’s that way quarter ways, not too Jolene Katchatak Nanouk far from there. While he was walking on the ice, he knows or notices some grass, 5.2. Observations and hunts of whales, so he thought I am on the land now. But seals, and other marine mammals I guess he froze his foot too. And they “We, we used nets, tangle nets, regular finally found him, people went out for nets that they’d put together themselves. look for him and they found him. But this They’re a lot shorter and we used differ- one guy wandered too far, he got drifted ent anchors; it’s not like a salmon net. out. And ten days they look around with That went on for a while, and then they rescue planes and could not spot him. started using guns. Well the Beluga took And I guess he fell down, fell in the wa- off, they ran away. So eventually [they ter several times, and he’s got no stove have] started coming back. Now they’re or anything like that. He just did what he using nets again. There was a change could to save himself, but he froze one there, and it came back, the old way, side of his leg up around here, I think.” you don’t scare them off. They come in Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae and you catch one in the net, and don’t scare the other ones off. But the minute 5.1. Crabbing they’d start shooting, BANG BANG, “It’s not cold for long periods of time and they’re gone. So that’s the differ- like I used to remember. One of the other ence between there. But the Beluga has observations I have through crabbing been increasing in the population quite through the ice in the winter time, the rapidly.” last… I think only one in the last six… Leonard Brown together with his wife only once in the last six years have we Mary Brown been able to crab though the ice, since “There used to be everything when I the ocean doesn’t freeze over like it used was a little kid. There used to be every- to when I was a child.” thing going up the river. Even the blue Steve Ivanoff [whales] would go up the river. And they “You know the sea ice, it doesn’t stay. don’t go anymore, not. I haven’t seen it. It used to, when my husband and I were Once in a while seals go up there, but not first married. It was twenty years ago, very often.” and we used to crabbing on the ice. And Charles O. Degnan we can’t anymore because the ice goes “I haven’t had any problem with the out. It is kind of like open water. And you Beluga, the number seem to be sufficient have to be careful, you don’t want to get enough. I’ve seen where the killer whales
22 bring them on to the shore, and there is a real rubbery part in the middle between so many of them. I saw [a pod] once as the outside. And there’s another part on wide as maybe six-hundred feet wide. It the inside, which is blubber. And in be- was on the calm bay in the ocean, and tween it’s like real chewy place, and you it was just glassed calm, but for about lift both of the flabs up, and then you just six-hundred feet wide, there was rough cut along and it just comes off. And you water, and you get to it, and it is all Be- just cut big layers. And then you just cut lugas. And six-hundred feet wide, as them up into squares, and put them up. far as I could see south and as far as I That’s pretty much [all that is taken]. Af- could see north, there was Belugas. But ter you cut off all the maktak [skin and they were moving and they were scared. blubber] around the whale, you usually Killer whales had them in the shallows. I just leave it for the birds. The birds will haven’t had any problems catching Be- usually eat it to the bone.” luga, both in the spring time and in the Galen Doty fall time. I don’t hunt them too much in “There is an abundance of Beluga the spring. But when I go set my net in here that migrate from I don’t know the fall, I get enough to feed quite a few where they come from. Maybe south of people.” Anchorage, but they come up here and Jerry Ivanoff follow the shoreline all the way up. And “We got some Beluga this year. We my father in fact… there’s my whale net caught two Belugas, white Belugas, out here, right here. It’s my whale net, down in towards St. Michael area. Along [the mesh size is] possibly maybe foot the coast there’s mountains down there, like that. It would be maybe seventy-five and we set off of the rocks and it’s really to eighty feet long. In fact, when they deep. It’s deeper than out here. Down to- were coming from other places… One wards St. Michael, and we just set a net. year my wife and I were sitting here, and And then we go down to Canal, which suddenly… sitting over here somewhere is [in] St. Michael. And Canal’s a river in the spring time… and when we looked that splits St. Michael and Stebbings out of the window, and there we saw a lot and makes them [an] island. That’s Ca- of guys out there. Maybe one mile and a nal, the river. It’s really flat [landscape], half out that way, and they were migrat- there’s not that many hills for long dis- ing up north. And right away I knew they tance. And we go out and set a camp. were Beluga. There’s a lot of Beluga and And we hunt for geese, and crane, and I guessed they go all the way around up swan, and ducks, for about maybe a to North Slope area. I collect a lot of Na- week. And then we come back, and on tional Geographic videos, and they go up our way back here on the boat we check there and molt. I think it is passed the Ca- the net, and that’s usually when we catch nadian border, and they come back down them. When you cut the Beluga, you cut here. One year my father and my next the layer. First you cut down the middle oldest brother, they towed, without boat of the Beluga, and it’s like butchering. motors, six Beluga. They caught them in You just cut, there’s like a real soft layer, the net. My father built that boat. He was the outside fleshy part. And then there’s a good craftsman, and he built that boat
23 all by himself; it’s a rowing bottom, with this season, in the fall, they haul out on keel on it. And he put two Beluga on both the island out here. And lots of them haul sides of the boat, and he pulled four more out to an island forty-five miles west of in the back with outboard motor. That’s a here, straight out, there’s a big [Besboro] lot of in the net. He’d usually make his island they haul out to rest on. Yeah own net out of… they call it ‘Number there’s walrus.” seventy-two ton.’ It is pretty hard stuff Leonard Brown together with his wife to break, and it gets around here on the Mary Brown Beluga. Here, pretty soon they huff and “There’s no more dogs. They did use they puff underneath there, and pretty walrus meat for dog food. They dried it. soon it goes around here. It gets stuck They hanged it up and dried it.” over here. And sometimes they are still Leonard Brown together with his wife alive when we go out there, but we have Mary Brown to shoot them near the blow hole. There “[Before people used to hunt walrus is an abundance of Beluga, and a lot of a] Little more than now, but not a whole sea mammals like seals, and … and wal- lot more, mainly because we depended rus too. A lot of walrus out there, but a on the ice pack to come through a certain quite a ways out there.” area. But you know once a year some- Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae body may catch some. But I remember “I’ve hunted seals ever since I was a growing-up, [going out] with my father, little boy. My dad took me up when I was when I was young, and we would see a so small, and I could not see the land in lot more walrus than we see now. And any direction, and I was worried. I was that was twenty-twenty-five years ago.” hoping that he’d know the way back, Paul Ivanoff III because I didn’t know where I was. He “One year, it was in early part of Oc- taught me how, and he taught me wind tober, I took a walk up there about ten direction and how to catch the seals. You miles up here. I was on the beach, took know, when I am looking for seals, cause my rifle along, and as I came around minor problem, but if I’m not looking a point there was that big mammal. I for the oogruk [bearded seal], I need the thought he was washed to shore. Pretty leave the shore-fast ice and get out there, soon I see its flippers moving, and I hid you know, twenty-three miles out on the back on it behind a rock. And my cali- ocean. And if I am looking for walrus I ber on my gun, it is not very big, but it gotta go even further. But he taught me has quite a good power behind. I shot how and basically where to find them, him towards the last winkle over here, and how to catch them and how to take just where they shoot them. I think there them a part. And what to bring home and because their hide is real thick and they what not to bring home; there was not have blubber on it. But he was quite too much we left behind.” away from the shore, so he tried to turn Jerry Ivanoff around. I put six bullets in him when he got out there. Then he went into water 5.3. “Walrus? There’s some around” and he rose up, this time he… I could see “Walrus? There’s some around. Later on blood squirting and I shot one more time
24 and it sank. And my wife’s brother was [close by] up here, maybe three to four miles away. And I put a marker where he sank so we went over there after supper. And he had a grabber, you know, a hook. And we went down there, I told it should be somewhere out here, but his [tool] got stuck. And then we found out that we… that the grabber got right on a front flip- per. I don’t know why it sank. Normally, walrus will float, but he had very little blubber on him, kind of lean; best of all the walrus I ever got.” Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae
5.4. Is the Bering Sea changing? “It’s warmer! Yeah it’s warmer, and I’m told that the scientists are seeing a lot of different types of algae growing out there. And blue whale… blue whale is right in it. They’re not supposed to be up here! But they’re out here on the Bering Leonard Brown 2002 Sea, in that green stuff. So, I don’t know maybe they’re just using it for shade or something, but… there’s a lot of change in the ocean! When they first started re- porting [changes in birds]… that’s when our salmon started taking a dip in popu- lation. It was about ten years ago; they said that birds are dying out there. And it showed here, in the fish; we get less fish.” Leonard Brown together with his wife Mary Brown 2002 Mary Brown “There seems to be more bottom veg- “The sea ice is thinner in the winter- etation then earlier years, because when time. Here it blows out frequently, cause we gill net, we’ll see long ribbons of we have east winds, and after freeze up kelp, like spaghetti that is growing off the when the wind blows the ice off, and bottom, that I don’t recall when I fished that might be a contributing factor too. when I was younger. And I’ve fished for I’ve noticed that the ocean ice is consid- thirty years, and I don’t recall that much erably thinner. Because of it’s thinner it growth on the bottom, on the rocks.” breaks up sooner. Otherwise it seems the Steve Ivanoff cycle remains pretty much the same. You
25 know, if there’s a time period when you 6. “The ice break-up going have the seasons change, well, essential- out the mouth of the river ly they’re not too far off.” Charles O. Degnan would be really violent” “I suspect that the sea is being over- – The River harvested by those big ships. They are “I notice too in our river. In Unalakleet in the Bering Sea right now, and they’ve river here, we used to have a strong been there now for forty years. And it break-up way back, and real high water, used to be the Japanese, [they] used to and real strong current. I’m pretty sure come and fish right here, and they had re- this is affected by global warming too, ally long nets compared to what we used. ‘cause it got shallow. And when we got And then they changed the laws, and north wind we… we don’t get high tides, they moved off. And you got these huge you know. And it’s extremely cold right ships that process fish now, and I think around… it never changed that much that has an impact on everything up here. right around January. And, you know, I I’ve noticed our fish runs are smaller. think that’s when the ice used to get real One year I saw infection in the salmon thick. It used to be all the way to the that I’d never seen before. You know, beach, and you could never see the wa- when you cut it open, there’s where the ter, it was way out. But it doesn’t seem blood is right next to the back bone, that to freeze out around our area anymore, was full of infection! You know it was wintertime. I already think it’s because just white. And you know, there’s some it’s so shallow. You know, when it get fish deformities and that kind of stuff. I extremely cold there wouldn’t be any don’t know what caused that.” water, what little ice that is left out there Charles O. Degnan would be right against the mud because “If you judge by the fish, no the sea of low tide. The tide that is coming, and is not healthy, but there’s something go- when the tide does come, all it does, there ing wrong, there’s something going on. would be some water on top for a while, We see a lot more fish that have lesions and that ice would pop up. And there’s in them. As for the bigger mammals, I nothing to hold the ice. The ice, I think think they’re healthy, which is a good the thing that really affected is the strong indication. And we see a lot less walrus tide coming and going out. It’s really… come through. And that’s because of the it’s extremely strong. We never used to ice pack there is less ice pack for the less experience it like that.” walrus come by.” Elder Stanton Katchatag Paul Ivanoff III “The significant difference between now and when I grew up, is the spring breakup. The river would have… be a massive flooding. And the ice break-up going out the mouth of the river would be really violent. And the last few years it has [been] milder. And really mild com- pared to when I was growing up. Maybe
26 River 2002 the biggest factor to lot more vegetation that is the fact that along the river, than the ice is melting when I was a child. earlier over a longer When I was a child period of time and there weren’t very making it weaker, many moose here. not solid like it used And now there are to be when it would more moose than be cold to a certain when we grew up, date, and then warm you know. Wheth- really fast. And I think, the springs have er the vegetation plays a factor I don’t …it seems like they’ve gotten longer. know, but I can really speak to the effect They’re warm for a longer period of that there is a lot more vegetation now time. It warms up, goes off. Warms up, than back then.” goes off, and it gives it a chance to drain, Steve Ivanoff and for the ice to soften up. And that may “There is a lot more algae growing on be a factor.” the bottom than I could recall as a child. Steve Ivanoff A lot more. And in fact, it is becoming a “The river has a lot more vegetation problem in our salmon nets when we fish than when I grew up, as far as trees and near the mouth of the river. ‘Cause we got willows go. The willows, when I grew up the green algae going’ out, and it makes were small, and now they’re almost like the nets dirty. I don’t recall algae being a trees. You know, they’re a lot bigger. A problem when I was growing up. I think
27 lots of sun promotes that, and that’s what time I used a piece of rabbit skin, some- we’ve had a lot of this summer.” thing that’ll scent, you know. And for the Steve Ivanoff wolverines… I don’t really wanna catch “I remember the Unalakleet River a wolverine you know, but they’re nui- used to break-up just before Memorial sance, they spoil your set. So I have to Day, which is the 30th. The true Memo- catch them. I use a snare. If you put a trap rial Day is at the end of May. So com- in the snow, they know it’s there. They pared that to now... It’s quite a bit early. smell it. So we catch them with a snare. Two to three weeks earlier. And it’s a lot Or when one I couldn’t catch with a trap, warmer! Yeah, compared to those days.” I had to use a shot gun, ‘cause he was Leonard Brown together with his wife stealing our martins off the traps during Mary Brown the night. They’re eighty bucks a skin, so “But the river ice doesn’t break-up you couldn’t have that wolverine doing like it used to. When I was young it used that to you. So, I used a shotgun.” to be like thunder, I mean loud, real loud, Leonard Brown together with his wife you could hear it all over town. Now it Mary Brown just goes out. I mean, it was a lot more “When I was little and in grade school, fun back then! Because it was like an ac- I’d say maybe 5th or 6th grade, our folks tivity.” used to take us squirrel hunting with a Joan Johnston dog team, and we’d stay out there maybe about a month. I know my mother used to make a lot of biscuits for bread, so 7. “Our people rely on that we wouldn’t have to try to cut them, you know. Whereas a loaf of bread was these resources so much” frozen, but biscuits, you know, they are – Subsistence and Views pretty nice. You can cut them easy with of the Changes in Hunting a click. One year we went out in April, and Fishing and we got back here on the latter part of May. We were gone for maybe three or 7.1. Elders talk about bush experiences four weeks, maybe just about a month. in the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties In fact, the ice went out, and we had “[Describing lynx trapping] Well we’d to come back on behind the hills. And put our little number one trap on the we ended up over here at the point, but bank of the river. And um… we hung things were pretty hard them days. But anything… candy wrapper to feathers, the game was abandoned. There was a to snowshoe hare skin… snowshoe skin, lot of good prices on fur. I know they piece of meat… When I would go out, I are going rate. Or no…when there was a would use for bait a chewing gum wrap- depression long time ago, you know ev- per. The wind moves it around. Anything erything went down, the groceries were shiny, some guys use a piece of can. cheap, but the price of fur kind of shot up You know, an empty can, a bean can or quite a bit.” a milk can. They’ll come to play with Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae it, and fall in the trap. But most of the “My father, and my mother, he took
28 Dogsled 2008 me out several times out here on ocean. caribou a day. But who was to kill five We’d go out there with a boat, and he caribou per day? It’s all I need for winter, would shoot at seal, and they get up [float I mean for whole year maybe five cari- to the surface]. Especially in the spring, bous. And we make jerky out of them. they don’t sink, they’re [big] enough. And we put some in the freezer, cut them Their fat is about that thick, and they stay up ready to eat.” and float on quite a ways.” Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae “We have some brown bear here, “My father took me out to hunt black and some of them are pretty good size. bear. Black bear, he usually get them We don’t hunt them. In fact, the people about… maybe just about… maybe just don’t go out for brown bear. Only the before they come… They get closer to guys around Texas, they come up here that dam in the fall. And they’re been eat- and they go hunting with a guide. And ing blueberries and they are pretty much they are after the big ones. But the Es- fat. There is much for them, for their… kimo, they don’t ordinarily shoot the you know, they sleep all winter, and a brown bear, because their diet is not very there wasn’t very many… there was no good. Their diet, they eat, you know, fat. There was no caribou them days out anything that they can try about. Like here. Then they showed up about twenty dead salmon, things of that nature. In years ago, and we had an abundance of fact, you could die. There was couple caribou here. In fact, you could see some of people who got pretty sick, one guy migrate across the plateau. And there was died. I know I’ve heard of it up here in so… so many you’re allowed to kill five Salomon, this side of Nome. They didn’t
29 cook the brown bear long enough. It just take it apart.” came out of dead for the winter. And I Jerry Ivanoff guess they didn’t boil it long enough, so “The driving force in the ability of our he died. I think they call it ‘Triconosis’ or people to survive has been subsistence, something like that. I don’t know, some that’s the most important thing. Outside kind of a sickness. You know, he got sick the urban definition you find in the Web- in his stomach and didn’t survive at all.” ster’s dictionary, what does it mean? Ba- Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae sically that is how we have survived for generations, [following] the patterns of 7.2. “The skills are still here” life that we depend on and the [seasonal] – Continuation of the subsistence differences. Basically every season pro- lifestyle vides food as resource for us to harvest, “I think that the skills are still here and and put away, to make it through the six can be transferred, but I’ve learned it months of cold.” from my dad, and I’m sure he learned Jerry Ivanoff it from his parents, generation to gen- “I am only forty, so I’ve only been eration, father to son. I think the skills putting away food in the last twenty of hunting and the conditions, where to years, but as I was growing up, I spent go to find what you’re looking for, how my summers at Nome, with my grand- to take it apart, and what to bring back, mother camped. And my mom and they what to save, what not to save, it’s still taught me all the eatable plants and roots, here. But it needs to be transferred, as it and I can’t find here in Unalakleet, in the has been through oral tradition, because last five to eight years. I cannot find… if that oral tradition is not transferred, in English we call them elephant ears then there is a break in the communica- .… They are big green leafy plant, that tion. And some of those traditions, you you pick on a tundra .... I can´t find them know, will not make it to the next gen- anymore. I don’t know why I can’t find erations. And of course it is McDonalds them. I’ve searched…last summer and time, we are not eating seal as much, and the summer before, me and my friend I know this is a change in the eating pat- Pauline, we found some at St.Michael’s. terns of younger generation today. Who They don’t go everywhere they use to, to blame? I just grew up in time when and I don’t know why, but everything that was not available. See the jet land else is pretty abundant.” bringing in the modern store commodi- Donna Eriksson ties, and naturally the change, the shift, in the eating patterns. That’s why we see 7.3. “I hunt with my friends” – The obesity now in our native nation; before younger generation carries on the we are active hunters and fisherman. But subsistence traditions I still think that the hunting patterns are “I hunt with my friends. In our school, being passed on. Of course, like I said, we have this… some kind of a program ‘The level of interest…’ you know, we that we do for wild, and rescue and safe- have to want to learn how to go on hunt- ty, and stuff. From our younger genera- ing, and what to bring home, and how to tion we used to go with our parents to go
30 hunting. But now were old enough, and the way to tell if any of your animals is we go hunting with our friends or in a big not really good to eat is when you gut group, or just a couple of us. We take our them, you look at the liver, and there’ll boats and go up river. When did I first go be usually like little bubbles on the liver, hunting? Probably, first time I ever went or marks in them. That’s how you can tell hunting, I was probably three. I went with if they’re edible or not.” my guardians, and we went oogruk hunt- Galen Doty ing. And you catch them in late fall, or after the ice break-up. That’s when they start going on the ice, and that’s when we go hunting on the ocean.” Galen Doty
Galen Doty 2002
“Ever since I can remember, my dad used to hunt a lot. So, he’d bring me out as soon as I could walk. My favorite is probably caribou hunting, but during the Galen Doty 2008 last couple of years they haven’t been coming close [to the village]. But bird “We learn ever since we are young. hunting, hunting for geese and ducks, is Our parents and our elders, they teach us a lot of fun too. I usually… [hunt] with not to waste any food and to how to tell if my friends. I used to go out a lot with my it’s good or not. And there’s this [govern- dad, but as soon as I was knew how to ment regulation], that you can only hunt do things on my own, I just go with my certain stuff. And nowadays you have to friends all the time. My dad, he is not a have a license to hunt. It changed a lot of native, but he grew up here. And my mom stuff, because a lot of people don’t have is native, so my mom taught me some licensed stuff now. Unless, they go to natives’ things. Like, when you catch a the AC [Alaska Commercial Company, seal you have to spit freshwater into his a rural retailer] and buy some. And so mouth, so the spirit will go underneath, it’s harder for them to go hunting. And and like tell other seals that it’s a respon- mostly we don’t usually waste, we keep sible hunter, and he is going to use up the furs and use them when we go snow the whole seal for good use. Everybody machining with sleds. You… [can use knows that when you first catch a moose, the furs] to sit on, they’re on your seat. you have to give it all to the elders. Or And… the carcasses we usually just if you first catch a seal or anything like wait for something to eat on them. And that, you have to give the whole thing
31 Kaare Eriksson 2002 away to elders. My dad taught me a lot around. I learned a lot from the people of gun safety, that you have to be really in the community; of every animal you careful with your guns and don’t waste try to get, take as much of it as you can, anything. You can’t shoot seagulls and and do not wasting anything. Respect the stuff that you are not going to eat.” elders, and your friends and family, and Kaare Eriksson help each other out.” Byron Kotongan
8. “We love fish here, that’s our main staple” – Every- one Talks about Salmon “It [salmon] provides food for lots of stuff, and it’s a fertilizer too. It fertil- izes the whole river valley, and then ev- Byron Kotongan 2008 erything depends on fish. And even the plants do! So, it’s a big cycle.” “When I first started hunting, about Charles O. Degnan five years ago, I went out with my fam- “I’m a commercial fisherman. I ily, and my grandparents. And friends, started when I was very young, my dad when their grandparents brought them taught me. Again, he taught me how to
32 [hunt] at a very young age. And not very to forty thousand dollars a year with one much older than that, he taught me how permit. I bought my permit in 1995, and to fish. since then the fishing has gone down. I couldn’t start our motor when we Last year, I made less than forty-five first started. It was [only with the help hundred dollars with two permits. I used of] my brother Steve… My hand, his to catch… make twenty thousand worth hand, my hand, his hand. We choked the of kings in a season with one permit. And motor, And ready. Pull!….[LAUGHS]… in 2000, I got seven kings. In 2001, I got My hand, his hand, my hand, his hand. six kings. This year they did not even let Ready. Pull! And then we finally got the us fish. So, I worry about our salmon, I motor going, put the choke off and put it worry about the species out there.” in forward and going. We were… I was Jerry Ivanoff like this, and he was like this. We were “I commercial fished this year down young. We got out with a twenty foot in Bristol Bay. My parents do a lot of wooden boat and no floatation on, except subsistence fishing, they use all the fish the fact that it is made of wood and float for strips and dryfish. But, I was there pretty good. But with a fifty horse Mer- this year and last year, I helped them, or cury [motor] on we used to fly. at least I was helping. But, it’s not that You know it is a fast boat, and we got much work, it’s not that hard to put the more fish that we net out. And just to needed. And when take the net out, all we cleaned as much you gotta do is to fish as we could out bring the fish, and of that fish, it would my mom will cut be heating [and could them up and pro- spoil]. We’d have to cess them.” go make a running to Kaare Eriksson the shore to deliver “We used to our fish, because we camp out a lot when had so much. And Salmon 2002 I was growing up. we would go back out And we didn’t use a and check the net again. And we pull the rod and reel, we used a stick with a line fish again. But I worry about that now. at the end and a ‘J’ hook. We used to do I’ve fished all my life, and in the eighties that a lot. When I first saw rod and reel, I I used to make twenty thousand dollars used to say, ‘My, that’s the slowest way to just from king [Chinook] salmon fish- fish!’ But, I got used to the rod and reel, ing alone. And then another ten to fif- although it takes a while to reel in the teen thousand dollars from silver [Coho] fish. Mostly silvers there though.” salmon fishing. [As a]Near single man at Elder Betty Anagick that time, that was enough to get me by. “Fish is a different story. In the last With the last few years, I haven’t been five years we have noticed a consider- able to make our living by doing it any- able drop in the amount of salmon. I’ll more. I used to [make], that much, thirty even go back twenty years, when I was
33 in high school and right out high school, fish and game, just to see how much is which was in 1983, when I graduated and the difference. It’s the subsistence and started working for the cargo company commercial intake, our subsistence is that transports the commercially caught what were taking. It’s half of what it used fish out of here. In the summer months, to be a…ten years ago or so. It has really we used to be able to, on any given day, declined. But for my subsistence, I’m to send out 20 000–45 000 pounds of lucky to get fish to be put away.” salmon, caught commercially. We don’t Joan Johnston see that anymore. That was [when] the “The one thing I don’t like is sport fishing periods were from Monday 6 pm fishing. Sports fishermen can catch like to Wednesday 6 pm, and Thursday 6 pm three fish, and then they could hook fish to Saturday night 6 pm. And those were and release the fish. I don’t like that at the fishing periods all. Because I’ve no- for commercial pur- ticed when I’m cut- poses. And during ting fish or sailing those times, they for fish… You know, used to get, I would ‘sailing for fish,’ say ten times more you know what that salmon, king [Chi- is? You take your nook] salmon, Chum boat out, and have salmon, and Silver one person on with [Coho] salmon. Ev- that net. And you ery evening here we pull your nets, and Boat 2002 get pinks. But dur- go around in circle, ing the last twenty years, we’ve seen a and you trap the fish. That’s how we sail very noticeable decrease in the number to catch our fish. I noticed that there are of fish. And the last five years, a really lots of dead fish on the water. They died, big noticeable difference in the amount and I don’t know why they died. But they of kings coming in.” certainly didn’t die because age, because Paul Ivanoff III you know when they die of age that they “Fish? I’ve noticed we don’t seem to have spots on them. Even my husband have as much fish as we used to. In the thought that was because of hook-and- spring time, we do a lot of trout fishing, release.” that seems to stay the same. But, in the Joan Johnston summer time, there’s not as much fish “Oh, when I was young until about [as there used to be]. I mean this year, 1940s, there was an abundance of salm- we haven’t seen many silvers [Coho]. I on, pink salmon. Normally, the pink don’t know why. And our king [Chinook] salmon years are even years. There are run was late this year, really late.” not that many, like odd number of years, Jobina Ivanoff odd like 1919, 1920. I mean that even “It’s really declining. I did a report on years are twenties, and… but there is a subsistence in Unalakleet last year. And I where they change. Right now I don’t had to collect data from different places know how come, but there is not enough
34 fish over here. Their numbers have gone they don’t eat anymore once they get to down, I don’t know why. Like the Bris- the river. They have to go on, and if the tol Bay right now, used to be the salmon trip upriver is really tough, and they die capital of the world, it’s not anymore. I during their job there. That’s natural. But don’t know, they are depleted so much.” I think some of them make it back out. Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae But there’s… it’s really hard to prove though.” Charles O. Degnan
9. New Species Arrive During the interviews, we asked whether any new species had been seen around, something never seen before. “I spotted one this morning! But when was it? In the spring? It was in the spring. I spotted a screech… Screech Salmon 2002 Owl. They’re not supposed to be up here! “I think about the fish because I work They’re supposed to be down South East [with the fish]. Fishing for silvers right Alaska. See, we had a pair of screech now is low. I mean, we are not as far as owls here, in the spring. In April, I took where we were compared to last year. And picture of him. Yeah, they were around I keep thinking it’s because the ocean is my house for a long time. And one spent too warm right now, and the river is too the summer out there on the beach. He low. And maybe if we get the rain, then was always sitting on two trees. And it maybe they’ll come in. I’m concerned was… it was there for months! Feeding about the fish, because I work with fish around, catching mice, I guess. I didn’t and game in the summer. They hardly see them this year. But we did have that get any fish there, and it’s scary to think screech owl near our house for a long that Unalakleet would someday have no time.” fish just like the other communities. So, Leonard Brown together with his wife that’s my concern right there. And also Mary Brown finding the fish that are deformed, or not “Seems like we’ve seen more bugs, healthy.” or different kind of bugs that we are ac- Jolene Katchatak Nanouk customed to seeing. That’s the only thing “Because… I’ve seen… You look I could think of, the insects that we are there’s lot of dead ones, you know, seeing. We are seeing some ants, and I there’s no question about that. But I’ve don’t recall seeing those when I was seen fish coming back down, going to growing up.” the ocean. Get out to the ocean, and they Steve Ivanoff keep swimming. What I figured, maybe “One summer it was quite unusual, I some of them get well after they get back saw a humming bird fluttering right by to the saltwater. Because uh… generally my window. And I looked at it, and I
35 thought what kind of a big bug is that. it, some of the bird species, they’re not And I took a closer look, and it was a plenty as they used to be. Might be that humming bird. And I don’t know where they changed their migration pattern, but it came from or where it went.” there really are some that disappear. We Elder Betty Anagick used to have swallows with red breast. I “Actually we were picking berries don’t see them anymore. And this year, with my mom, up on the hill, going the plentiest swallow we have anymore through some willows and grass, and I are those with white… what they call just came to a stop because there was a them ‘Mud Swallows.’ Those, we never great big spider. I had never seen a spi- used to see them when I was a boy. So, der that big here in Unalakleet. And I just even the ravens and crows, they never stood and stared at it! It was white, great used to be around town. Now they’re white back. And I just went on to tell my around town all year round. So, I hardly mother about it, and she said, ‘There has think that if it’s the global warming, if never been spiders like that.’ And we some of the insects or the plant life is should have gone and looked at it. [Also affecting their food. It’s just the chain some people] Said that they had got a big reaction. What I always think about too sea fish upriver, and that had been the is that our people, they rely on these re- first time that happened.” sources so much, I kind of worry about Joan Johnston that. If the global warming really affects “People have been seeing this year… the salmon, and I think it does, …salmon This is the very first year, and I have not and all these other resources that natives seen them… but I’ve had five different subsist and rely on, when those are gone, people tell me that, while they have been it’ll be hard on a lot of people here in our berry picking… I’ve been, not berry pick- area. ing every day, this past two weeks, but Elder Stanton Katchatag I’ve never seen a grasshopper. But five people tell me that while they’ve been berry-picking, they see grasshoppers. 10. Impact of Changes and And I’ve never heard of them here. What I also noticed was that the wild raspber- Forms of Adaptation ries are bigger. Maybe it’s because it’s “It [lack of snow] restricts our access to warmer.” some hunting and trapping grounds. You Donna Eriksson know, we’re not able to get to places that “There are bugs now that I haven’t we used to be able to get to. Because of seen before, and it is kind of gross. I the lack of snow. I mean the creeks, when don’t like bugs at all. It’s amazing to see the snow… when it snows [as it did in all kinds of bugs going around. And I the past], it fills up the creeks. And [now] think it is because it’s so warm here com- we’re not able to get to where we want pared to before.” to, because the creeks aren’t filled in.” Jolene Katchatak Nanouk Steve Ivanoff So, one other thing too, I think that oil “There is very little activity on the spill might have something to do with ocean because of instability of the ice
36 Seashore 2008 the last few years. Like I said only once ready had many deaths drowning in the in the last six years, ‘We are able to get ice. And there’s already one kid that was some good crabbing.’ And I could re- saved from drowning into the ice, right member as a child, the ocean freezing behind here in the water.” completely solid, and looking out and Galen Doty seeing no water. And there isn’t a day of “There’s a lot of difference there, early the year that you… I mean you can prob- snow and late snow. I personally like to ably just with a… Just a handful of days see early snow, the ground doesn’t freeze where you could look out and not see the too hard, and you can track the animals water. The water is there all year, and I better. You see where they are. Snowless don’t remember that growing up. We’ve winters are terrible, the ground freezes done very little hunting on the ice the last too hard, and it kinda makes things dif- few years because of the ice just being ferent for the winter and spring. Yeah, so so unsafe. I mean it just hasn’t been cold there’s a difference there.” enough for a long enough period of time, Leonard Brown together with his wife to make it safe to travel.” Mary Brown Steve Ivanoff “I think we are coping with it. If it “Like going out, and it’s dangerous isn’t right to hunt out on the ice, we’ll where the ice is real thin. And a lot of just wait until we can do it with the boat. young kids will go out there. And they And I think that Unalakleet has adapted try to keep them from doing that. Or in pretty well. Because we realize that if the summer, to stay away, because we al- it’s unable to do it safely, we’ll find an
37 alternative time or alternative source for it’s kind of like a mixed bag of econo- it. You know, like the last couple of years, mies.” we haven’t had the caribou down here, Leonard Brown together with his wife like we did within the last decade. And, Mary Brown and we’ve adapted to that. You know, “Change is very slow. It’s really not with alternative food sources.” noticeable to the people that are here Steve Ivanoff now. They are used to doing things their “Basically what we are after is the way. Things evolve, I mean when I was same. We’re hunting and fishing, [but] a kid there were very few airplanes, it’s the same. The method of catching and now they got huge airplanes. And your subsistence is different. The people transportation system has changed. But are different. They’re not too dependent change is so slow that it’s hard to really on subsistence. They, like my wife and notice, because it’s gradual. But there’s I, after retirement, [ours is] maybe sixty always change, even languages change. percent subsistence and forty percent And skidoos came out, and they’re used cash economy. Like we’re doing now. more than dog teams.” But for years and years when we were Charles O. Degnan running the lodge, we were like ninety “Our lifestyle now… It is true that percent cash flow economy. But now that the native were barred from going to the we’re retired we went back to our sub- bars at Nome, when Nome was discov- sistence lifestyle, more and more. The ered. In fact, maybe until the early 1930s Inupiaq culture probably went along the they started letting the natives go to the same route. They need money! So, they bars, and they drink. And there’s a lot of probably have more jobs. Look for more drinking over here in Unalakleet, and it’s jobs. Now they go a longer ways, to do kind of changing their ways of living. their subsistence. It costs more, that’s People have a tendency of getting lazy a big change. Years ago we rolled, we on a count of that. Me and my wife, we pulled, we pushed our boat, we pulled try to maintain. You know, because we our boat. We used dogs to pull our boat have girls. You know, we have five girls. up river to berry picking, and fishing, That liquor in our town is a bad thing for and stuff. We didn’t have the cash to buy them, you know. I drank a few a long the gas! Or we didn’t have a motor to time ago, when I was younger. But there’s burn the gas with. We depended on our abundance of it right now. Also there are muscles and the dogs! Now the dogs are drugs, marijuana and you name it, they gone. That was a part of our tradition. got it here. It’s going to be here until We didn’t eat as much fish as we do now, there’s somebody, until they’re all gone. ‘cause the dogs were fed with quite much There are several trips from Anchorage a dog salmon, and humpies, and stuff. We day with cargo planes, and they order all put up… There’s quite a bit of change… their liquor from Anchorage. That comes Depending on whose family you’re talk- in here, and lot of bootlegging is going ing about. Some families are like eighty on. It wasn’t like that a long time ago, of percent subsistence; some are like ninety, course once in a while somebody would like more. And some are way less. Yeah, make [homebrew]. Otherwise it changed
38 a lot. It changed the habitat of the people ever wants to be a fly service specialist, here and continues to do so. That’s one of they called it with FAA [Federal Avia- the things, that there should be a remedy tion Authority], that’s a government arm. for that, There is a remedy of that, but And we talk to the airplanes a lot, I went you have to buy. By these Alaska state to school down to Oklahoma City. It took laws, you have to do that. If they find out me about a year and a half to go to school that you are bootlegging, you might get there. And I had to do on a job training, thrown to the can.” finally I got certified and it changed my Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae life. It really did. And if you work steady “[When asked about traditional life- for somebody, like school district over style and spirituality] They have this here, it’s good to stay there, and think of what they call the spirit camp, it is up in something in the future. I don’t have to tributary of the Yukon river in Canada. work the rest of my life now, I have a We located them quite a ways a way, but retirement from the school district, also there is a spirit camp there for people I get social security, her and I, from the like that. They… it’s their mandated by federal government. So, we are living the state of Alaska, they are sentenced, OK.” and they go to jail or something like that. Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae They’ll have to go to that camp if they “I think the women are in control now. want to. There’s a lot of things going out I see a lot of women working more than there, like how to fish. And there were the men. You see more women go out, no drinking there. And talked them, do driving, and hunting, and fishing. And not drink like that. Lot of people are sent here, I notice it a lot, that some men aren’t there, not only here, but some of the vil- doing anything. I think it’s good, but then lages like East of Barrow. Some of them I think also that the men shouldn’t give gotta… Some of them are living outside up. I mean because once you go out and of town.” do stuff like get the food and be busy you Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae feel good about yourself. And I think it “It’s not only here, it’s all over Alaska. would be better if everyone just went out The native people, a lot of people, are and did it.” dying or dead. They drown, whatever…I Jolene Katchatak Nanouk hope there is some kind of remedy. They got some kind of remedy for that you know. You’re mandated by the law, that 11. “If our ancestors were you got to attend this meeting here, every week. If not you’re going have to serve not stewards of these time. I don’t know, it’s one of the things resources, we wouldn’t that nature… It should be taught that have any resources now” way. And there is some changes here. – Power Relations Some people you know, they realize it’s not very good, and they change their 11.1 Our stories are our history lives. When I was thirty years old, there “The Inupiaq way of life, what they call was a notice in the post office that who- subsistence, they changed it after Alaska
39 became a state. They are changing the I might add, I think when it comes rules and regulations. Before that Alas- to statehood… that was way back in… kan Department of Fish and Game never I even forget the year, after the World used to be around. The thing in subsis- War, around mid-fifties or somewhere tence way of life, what I can say is, ‘That there. And there was a Statehood con- if our ancestors were not the stewards of vention in Fairbanks. And the conven- these resources, we wouldn’t have any tion people were more or less… I don’t resources now.’ They had their own un- know the number of them, but only one written laws, the natives. They claim if of them was from here, and he was a mis- you could not use any wild animal don’t sionary. To my understanding there were kill it, leave it and let it be. If you’re only two or three native people, when hungry, kill it and use what you can. But they drafted the state rule. And you know especially in the summer time, when it’s what? They were going… what their hot you can’t save anything anyway. But guideline was… what they call the ‘Ten- they say, ‘If you’re way up, out of town, nessee Plan.’ That’s how they draw up and you’re hungry, and you see an ani- the constitution, under Tennessee plan. mal, don’t be afraid to kill it. Kill it and And so, what I’m getting at as natives, eat.’ whether they’re Aleuts, or Indians, or In summer time, when you have fish Eskimos, or Inupiaq, we didn’t have our running, this would be a good time. Be- representation at that time. So, that’s a fore they get these freezers, to put away big problem now. fish. What they do is they dry them. And The only protection we have any- you have to… have to dry fish. You have more… there are legislators going after to have good drying weather like this; that is what they call ‘ANELKA.’ It’s otherwise it’ll just spoil. And flies are called ‘ANELKA.’ And the Article 8 is the awful here, and it’ll just spoil. protection of not only the natives, but the The thing is that after the impact of resources too, you know. And the thing non-natives in other villages, after this that they fight over is, that ANELKA was became a state, that’s when we started they claim unconstitutional, or conflict- losing our way of life. They put rules, ing Alaska Constitution. because they didn’t know. I always call I always say, when I was involved in these rules foreign laws. Because na- this, ‘Don’t touch that, it’s the only pro- tives have their own unwritten rules, tection that the entire native people have and they follow them and they respect in Alaska.’ What they call ‘ANELKA.’ their nature. They were close to nature, And the other thing, I might add, I know and close to land. And they had a strong some of my people even would not look respect even for plants. I meant a while at it that way, is a ‘ANCSA,’ Alaska Na- ago, if you… if you won’t need some- tives Claims Settlement Act. At least thing, don’t disturb them. And that goes here, and lot of other small places, they to even plant life, like berries. They say, didn’t really have a hearing on that, you ‘If you can’t use it, just let it stay. Don’t know. fool with them.’ So, these are the things What they did, they selected few of that are gone. the leaders from different places, and
40 they put that together. And it’s the Con- of knowledge that’s not written down. gress that put it together, it’s under the That’s why I told him, ‘The knowledge Act of the Congress, both of them are. that you have is far more important than ANELKA was under the Congress too, what I was able to attain.’ Because that’s and they shouldn’t fool around with it. the tradition, that’s what brought us to It’s… it’s a projection of our, what they people we are today.” call, sovereign way of life of the native Jerry Ivanoff people. What they do at times is they “The world has changed in how it’s would ask… I know… I have been asked going, and the stories that my grand- to explain sovereignty. Sovereignty, to mother and father used to tell me about me is a way of life that was already es- how Eskimo culture was, and how they tablished here before the migration of did things was completely different people. from what we do now! Because of the Our ancestors were the only people educational system, the United States here at one time. Then I don’t know, I government, and all the governments think somewhere around the 1800s the around the world have impacted us. So, Russian’s traders and hunters came they’re changing us. They’re forcing us over, and they established that. And then to change, because of the educational sometime later, I think it was 1867 or system and the tools that are available. somewhere there, they someplace, that a And it’s just a normal thing when people, guy named Seward, he was Interior Sec- you know, you’re always eager to try retary, I think. Claimed he was the one something different. That’s part of what who arranged and sold Alaska. To me, caused the change. And when I was go- Alaska has never been sold. They don’t ing into the army… what year was that? believe that. They don’t go by that for a 1966, I drove down the highway to Se- simple reason. What I hear a lot… what attle, and there you could see the change Russian… Russian people that were here in the air. We had clean air, down there sold that, sold their right to hunt in Alas- it was starting to get hazy and dirty. And ka. If they bought… you know, some- by the time I came back in two years, body figured sometime ago… You know, that stuff had moved further North. And what Uncle Sam pays for Alaska? Two then you couldn’t see around here way cents per acre.” up high where you could see, that how Elder Stanton Katchatag clouds were.” “The knowledge that my dad has is Charles O. Degnan an oral tradition. He can speak the native language Inupiaq to people North and 11.2. “I worry about my culture, my Yupiaq to the people in South. And he people” – Fisherman Jerry Ivanoff knows the ways, he knows the cultures voices concern and the knowledge he has is an oral tra- “Our argument is about subsistence right dition. So, like I said if it breaks, there is now, and the subsistence rights of native a break in communication from father to people. They don’t even know what it is, son, because of modern education. And And you know, they try to find a defini- then we can’t stand to lose generations tion for us. And we are quite a diverse
41 group of people, where it is Eskimos in Northern Alaska, Athabaskans to the East, Inupiaqs to the North, Yupiaqs to the South, Tlingits down in South-East. We all have different harvesting patterns. We all have different species that we uti- lize, and different cycles available to us. But if they kill the fish species, which is, I think centre, core to the subsistence activities, then they will… Why argue Jerry Ivanoff 2008 about the subsistence, when they kill the resources and our culture, [since] our be- you make them with dry fish. And then ing [is] dependent of them. they come and they freeze so that they I mean, I’ve grown up eating fish all dry soft. That we can eat them, our elders my life, and to watch and see what is can eat them without the false teeth. It’s happening now, this commercialization easier to eat, it is easier to chew. is scary. In the sixties, boats from Ja- Without the fish resources I worry pan, Russia, you name it, were out there. about the tradition, I worry about my Then the Americanization in the 1980s, people. I saw that king salmon species they brought in the American fleet. And go from twenty thousand to nothing they were doing the same thing, catching in twenty years. The humpback [pink] millions of tons of fish, and towing out salmon are in dire straits since 1992. my salmon… as my catch…millions of We’ve had some crashes from north to tons of it, with no economic return to the south. Subsistence closures in AWK people, who are suffering. area, which is in up here. Subsistence Myself as a commercial fisherman closures that never happened before in now, I feel that I deem to have a law suit history, you know. All through manage- against the federal and the state govern- ment… mismanagement, of the state of ment for depletion of stocks. If I take Alaska, Alaska Department of Fish and them to court, to the Supreme Court, I Game, and the North Pacific Fishing think I will. It is not about the money, Management [Council] Conference on I worry about the culture. I’m worried the federal side. Again, I could take them about the fish resources, I’m worried to court. And I think I can win. I have a about the tradition that won’t be able to pretty good case.” pass on to the next generation. “I just worry if the salmon are not You know, this is what we did. These coming back, what are we gonna teach are the humpies that we cut, and you dry our children? Do we keep buying with on this way, and you make a mark, and McDonalds, Burger King, fish sandwich- you put it away to see this way. These are es? It does not taste as great as when you the kings [Chinook], you cut them, and pull them up, and you’re cooking ‘em, make strips, and smoke fish you have al- and putting on the frying pan. If they ready put away this way. These are the sil- dare, just alive or no. My caribou steak ver [Coho] salmon, they come late. And tastes better than the beef, that’s sure,
42 and [the meat] has been aging for four ing Management] Council now, manag- months. My caribou meat, I take it out, ing the fish resources two-hundred miles and cut it up. And the first one I feed them, to three miles, where the state takes over. my dog. And the next one I cut up, they And they get a lot of pollock. Pollock are all good. They are all red meat, and resources might be stable, and might be, fresh, and real good meat. But that to me even good condition. But I worry about is a sensitive issue, when it comes to fish.” the rest of the resources, are they gonna “Our ability to survive as native peo- be able to sustain the level of by-catch, ple been depends a lot on that fish and what they destroy out. But pollock re- it’s staple in our diet. All governments sources stay the same, because they are are hurting us. In the international scene, so healthy and they have the largest num- the pirates come out here beyond the two bers. All the other species are going to hundred mile limit, even within the limit, take the drastic dip down so far, I worry and catch whatever they can. Japanese about that. with their one hundred mile nets catch all I grew up in a time when basically species. Catch all marine mammals, and we were the only ones here. We were whatever they can pull into that boat. Of discovered [by] Bering, [Vitus Bering], course, with a country that has no natural but he landed in Sitka, way down there resources, they come here, and take what in the South-East panhandle over Alas- we’ve survived with for generations. I’m ka. They did not ‘discover’ us until way worried of those. On the national scene, later, you know what I mean, funny that we have the North Pacific Fishers [Fish- we should have to be ‘discovered.’ And
Shoreline 2002
43 it’s only since you know, 1800s, that this Again the injustices of modern society, happened. 1867, they say all of Alaska, as it is infringed the human, seem to like ‘Sure it is folly.’ I didn’t sign no piece the reality. The right of a native person to of paper that gave away our rights to the remain a native person. They are trying land, to my subsistence lifestyle. When to find us in subsistence, that don’t make they signed the state product, I didn’t as any sense, when their doings the… That a native person. I didn’t sign any procla- should be regulated. You know, it’s our mation saying that we give up any native people that pay the ultimate price. And rights to our subsistence lifestyle, the they look after their big money, the big land that we’ve used for generations. checking accounts. And they are dealing They resolve to get the oil. You with billions of dollars, not 962 million know, how do we settle this land thing 500 thousand. We paid a heck of a price. to get at that oil. That is an awful lot of Native people have to be a part of the money, astronomical figure to someone society. They have the right to be here, who hunted and fished. And money is and we have a right to be here. And I’d not… cash is not a part of our society. like to keep fishing and hunting, and We didn’t have no flush toilets, no cable pass on what my dad taught me, plenti- TV, no VHF [‘very high frequency’ radio ful, bounty of the ocean, and the bounty for marine use], no fishfinders, no depth of our land that we live in. It’s amazing sounders, no monofilminating. Nor thirty what we have, I mean people pay money miles long ships, that can stay out on the to go fishing on rivers for king salmon. ocean, and basically be a little village, or And they came on, and they want to go harvesting process that fills up a hundred caribou hunting. They’d love to go over thousand tons of fish. And they have that hunting like we can. But I’m glad that capability, that’s scary. there is an ‘X’- amount of marine mam- We grew in a times, where we were mals. And if don’t raise them, then no- the only ones here and we owned the body cares for the generations to come.” whole state. You know, the native people “Japan tries to stop our native people did. That forty million acres, sound [like] in Barrow from bowhead [whale] hunt- an awful lot of land that they say they ing. That’s food, like you know, just like give us. But there’s 364 million acres in the fisheries out here. That’s their food, the State of Alaska. What happened to that’s what they eat, and how they sur- the other 328 million, that was divided vive. Japan was one of those countries up between the federal government and that commercialized whaling way back, state government? Our land, and they and they thought they disseminated the have taken the land. They’ve taken the resources. Why are our people continu- money derived from that land. They’ve ing paying the price, for somebody else’s taken the money derived from the oil, and mismanagement or greediness? they’ve spent it in urban centers. While But we’ve come a long way, jobs are our communities go without water and available now, scholarships are available sewer yet. And that [water and sewer] for changing lifestyles, and our dynamic is kind of nice, I like flushing toilet. The youth is able to take on the educational modern conveniences are nice, but I… system and survive. We can become the
44 teachers. We can become lawyers and that cycle that revibrates [reverberates] doctors, the jobs that are available here. throughout the whole cycle. You end up We can become the superintendent, and with nothing. It’s kind of scary.” it should be one of us. And until that hap- pens, they haven’t been doing their job 11.3. “If there’s a big spill it’s going properly. I worry about the generations to tolast for how long, I don’t know, how come. That’s why education is so impor- long does oil last?” – Oil, gas, and the tant. Like I said, ‘It took me fifteen years environment to get graduated from Stanford, but I got “I have really deep concerns about oil it.’ Piece of paper nobody can take away and gas development. I think it benefits from me. I was able to survive.” primarily the huge companies and the Jerry Ivanoff nation as whole. And they don’t take “When you’re talking about fishing, care of the local people, I mean, they say that’s core, to me. It is what brought us they do. And they do indirectly through this far. It comes on my table, and it’s taxes and the employment. But based on fresh all the time. I depend on it on an- their experience with the North Slope nual basis, starting of… with the herring. development, there were very few native We get herring when the ice melts. then people that got hired up there perma- the king [Chinook] salmon right after nently. There’s some. You know, there’s that. I love king salmon fishing, because no question that there’s benefit there. they are so big. When you’re dealing But the majority of people didn´t really with a big king salmon, it’ll throw you have an opportunity. Most of the people around. And it just… it fills your inner employed were outside people, imported being. You just have to do it, it is a part to do the work. And that’s been common of your cycle of life. It is something that in Alaska since the beginning of world I do in June. trade. And they always say, ‘You’re not I do my oogruk [bearded seal] hunt- qualified enough,’ even if you are!” ing in May, my caribou hunting in Janu- Charles O. Degnan ary, rabbit hunting in the winter time, “And then how long does oil pollu- sometime in February or March. I pick tion last? It’s really… it´s really hard. berries now, in June, July, August, and You know, there’s always the argument September; and put away my fish, dried of scientists. Western scientists versus fish. I also got my humpy dried fish put aboriginal people, and how they know away, and my stoked fish put away. And their area. And generally the scientists put some ball fish away too. I still crave are written-language based, and docu- the food I grew up with, and I’d like to ment based. And they don’t believe any- pass that on. body unless several people saw it. And But I worry if they kill the resources, when they’re dealing with fish and game, that not only we depend, but the marine and wildlife, there’s no way, You know, mammals depend on. If those fish spe- they’re always behind schedule by fifty cies are gone, what are they gonna eat? years. I summarized Western science If they change the cycle of life, that we being ‘oops’ science. ‘Oops we didn’t depend on, there is a missing part of account for that.’ And you know they
45 have to modify. There’s nothing wrong have secrets, and commercial enterprises with the technique, and it’s proven that have secrets, they don’t want to share. So it works, but it’s just… It’s hard to apply it’s really hard to tell how those impact to human life and hunting, gathering and our people.” fishing stuff like that, you know. And, Charles O. Degnan like the Valdez oil spill spilled a whole bunch of oil, and now they’re trying to find out what impact it’s having. And they 12. Cultural change still haven’t really found out. They have found out some things they agree on. But “Eskimo dancing is something that the scientists that work for the oil company, people are trying to revive. And I think, and scientists that work for government, when I was a child I didn’t even [know] and scientists that are working for clean what Eskimo dancing was. There were water and air and all that. You know, they missionaries that came before our time don’t agree! So the answer is there, the and established a church here, and so a interpretation is different.” whole town. There never used to be no Charles O. Degnan houses here, no airport, no grave cem- “The concern I have is oceans and etery, that used to be about a mile away their inter-relations with land. Alaska has from our people. That changed the be- a long coastline and everything migrates havior of family life. I will always be through the Bering Sea, and into the kinda sad about two things really. When Arctic Ocean. And that it’s important to we were growing up there were no inter- protect it, and that it’s healthy. I’ve heard ference, no TV, no telephone, no radio, that Russia may have had ocean dump- no electrical appliance. Family used to ing with radioactive material, and that’s all chip in and work together, and it isn’t a concern. And also there is the practice that way anymore, and [that is] what re- of dumping in the ocean. Historically, ally bothers me. In our family we have I think caused a lot of damage. I think, seven all together, four girls and three but it’s hard to tell. Because the oceans boys. All the girls are living in Anchor- are pretty deep and who knows how it’s age now. Our family is close is what I taken care of. And you know those old mean, but there are some families unfor- ships, that they used to sink, and what tunately that are not that close. And that happens to them, and how they inter- bothers me. act with the ocean. I imagine the ocean And the community too, for that mat- cleans itself. You know, through wave ter, are losing their way of sharing food. action, and current actions, and wind and They don’t share food anymore, like in rain, and all that. I think, the action helps the winter time around first part of March to clean it. But I really don’t know about or late February or whenever it gets kinda [what kind of impact] radioactive debris warm. They used to go way out, and they and oil spills would have on everything. used to get those what we call oogruk I know they do have an impact, but how [bearded seal], them big seals. Whoever much of it, and how would an ocean heal get it, when they come they would share itself. Because the way governments it with the whole village. And they don’t
46 do that anymore. And one other thing, You know, what they do. Maybe, this one I think they still practice in some other reason why too they don’t share much of places, but here I don’t notice that any- their catch, because they got a place to more, is that if you’re a boy and you get put them. Before that, right fresh, when your first caribou, or first seal, or whatev- they ever get them, they share them. er, you pass it around to the elder of the They used to have sharing spirit long village. All the elders, because these are ago. And that’s what bothers me. They’re not like that anymore. And like said, ‘The families are not that close together any- more.’” Elder Stanton Katchatag “In this community, it’s pretty amaz- ing how different this community is, if you go to other communities around this region. It seems like their native life- style is completely dissolved. Like there is hardly anybody who does anything. I mean, they still hunt and fish, but they Hut 2002 don’t do it with native style. Whereas, if you go up for north slope, their first lan- guage is Yupiaq, that’s how they speak as an Eskimo, It’s not dissolved. The Russian Orthodox missionaries… [re- ally didn’t go up there, or they did but it wasn’t that heavy]. I like to go to Wain- wright, there is small village. They really are strong in Eskimo values. And they got a dance group that goes to all the Eskimo gatherings around Alaska and the world. Downtown 2002 And it’s just really dissolved here.” Kaare Eriksson not very big you know. So, those things “It wouldn’t be real if everybody tried are what I miss. to act like they are Eskimos here, I mean, And I think one other thing too, that they are Eskimos. And I mean, it’s pos- resources like plant life, some things that sible. But don’t get me wrong, there are they used to put away, they don’t even Elders here that still live that lifestyle. put away no more. Our generation… like And they are really smart, and they know wild rhubarb, they would go out and get a lot of stuff. The problem just is that the those. Those are good. And what they younger generation does actually… like call, a… leaves, certain bush, got leaves, not the youth of today, but like the youth we still do eat them. But they don’t put of our, maybe seventies, sixties, eight- them away that much anymore. The rea- ies that. You’ve kind of pushed, like that son is that they rely on these freezers. stuff away. So, now there’re kids like me.
47 And the generation around me don’t re- at the emotional wellbeing of our culture, ally do that kind of stuff, There are still it’s a broad question. I’m worried about Elders who speak Eskimo to each other, our culture. I’m worried, my generation and the problem just is that the youth does not speak our native language, we doesn’t listen enough.” just speak English. And that’s mainly Kaare Eriksson from this village. There are other villag- “Salmon, I think. Because we are so es where they teach their native language salmon dependent, being a coastal com- from the third grade. And then they intro- munity. And it’s been in our blood for duce English as a second language by the time they’re sixth-seventh grade. And by the time they’re 8th grade it’s primarily English. And I very much admire that. But our culture is in trouble. Seriously, when you look at it from that point-of- view of subsistence, it is because we are so reliant on salmon. As far as caribou, moose, and seal go, well, I think that’s still healthy.” Paul Ivanoff III “The most scary thing is that we are losing our subsistence. Our fish are get- ting less. And they’re starting to build more stuff, it’s just taking away the things in nature. That’s my concern, that we are eventually going to lose it. And that’s go- ing to intervene with the culture. If you lose your subsistence harvesting, you Paul Ivanoff III 2008 lose a big part of your culture as well. Some of us live off the fish, and the cari- years, and years, and years to be the bou, and everything. And it’s becoming salmon fishermen. I think that’s the big- so industrialized, and the kids later on gest threat, the loss of our subsistence eventually are not going to know about salmon. Our reliance on salmon. I think the subsistence lifestyle, I think.” that’s one of the biggest concerns that I Jobina Ivanoff have, as far as what my kids and my grand “It’s different now, because back then children will be able to use and consume we didn’t have a lot of things that we have healthily. There are a lot of worries, cul- now, like TV and computers. As kids we turally speaking, about the death of our played out more, we were outside play- culture. When I say ‘culture,’ I mean a ing games, and what not, and playing lot of things. I mean subsistence. It en- with other kids. Nowadays kids are not compasses a lot of things. You know you used to eating their meat and food, and I could look at language, you could look at feel that they’re more Westernized. The the subsistence lifestyles, you could look fact is, that it is just me and my husband
48 eating the food I put away, the native nity, whaling. When I was growing up food, I mean. Once in a blue moon, our we always were around, Like my mum kids will join us when I make a dinner was always busy putting away food. And for them, but they’re not really used to I came here to Unalakleet and I was so eating our native foods. And that’s kind shocked that people did not live like that. of sad.” I mean, for me it was just different... I Joan Johnston was so shocked first of all that the first person I talk to could not speak in Es- kimo. I asked her a question in Inupiaq, and this girl who I could obviously tell was native, my age, and she laughed kind of nervously. And I asked her, ‘Did you understand me in Eskimo?’ And she laughed again. And I asked her in Eng- lish, ‘Did you understand me?’ And she said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘You don’t speak Eski- mo?’ ‘No.’ So, I immediately looked for Joan Johnston 2008 a phone and called my parents in Barrow, and said, ‘Mom, I met an Eskimo, who “The language? My parents spoke it cannot speak Eskimo.’ fluently when they went to school. They But as far as the difference in cultures, were punished so much [at school for a lot of that sharing I grew up with very, speaking it], that they decided when they very sharing, it is not here, but… It not had us that they didn’t teach us. And that’s like that here. But then my husband and I when it died out right there. I could speak lived out in St. Lawrence Island, Savoon- just phrases, and I could understand only ga in 1988 to 1990 and their culture was phrases, but I can’t speak it fluently. But just like that Barrow culture, very much, my kids, they… because I can’t talk it, very sharing, very subsistence. But times they’re not learning it. I’m sure it’s dif- are changing everywhere.” ficult when you don’t have it in the fam- Donna Eriksson ily. In that sense, that you don’t have it “[When asked about the traditional taught every day. And that’s a problem, I Inupiaq spirituality] I think it’s forever guess all over in the indigenous cultures. gone here. My first ten to fifteen years That it’s been so harsh, the change that that I’ve lived here I’ve spent mostly you have to speak whatever the domi- with elders, old ladies. Learning how nant language is. Like… I hope some of to sew the traditional patterns, and so the young guys would be interested in I have taught myself. And I’ve spent a learning the old language again.” good, I would say at least two to three Joan Johnston hours a day trying to learn how. I even “I grew up in Barrow and I came here learned how to make the Laplander boots for boarding school in 1978. And our the old way. And I’ve spent a lot of time lives in Barrow revolved around put- with the old ladies. They have all passed ting away food for the whole commu- away now, there is only one left. I was
49 self teaching myself how to saw skins in were broken. Because my mom was born traditional ways. in a sod house in Shishmaref, she knew And a lot of my time I spent with the no English. She was born in 1932. And in old women, we talked about the past. 1942, she was taken from her village and And the church had a big huge influ- brought to a boarding school, and she was ence, as far as taking away any native stripped off her language. She was very, spiritual Eskimo dances. Everything that very traumatized, and it affected her life, the church taught them, it [dancing] was and her siblings, and their generation. very wrong, any kind of Eskimo beliefs So, they turned to alcohol. And then they or taboos. These old women, that I’ve couldn’t raise us children. They lost their got to know so well, really had very culture, they lost their way of teaching strong feelings that Eskimo dancing was their children, they lost their parenting wrong and stuff like that. And I think it skills in these boarding schools. Come could come back, but it would have to back to the village, and you see broken borrowed from other villages, as there homes and broken families. And now is no Unalakleet dances that anybody that my mother is an Elder, she can reach knows of and knows how. When you Es- back to her first ten years of life, and try kimo-danced, each village had their own to remember and try to teach. Try to heal, certain style, there is no [universal style]. you know…” It would have to be borrowed and recre- Donna Eriksson ated. No, it [traditional native beliefs] is “I don’t think there needs to be resis- not here… tance… [towards traditional way of life I remember hearing about those nor towards Christianity]. I think that you things as a little girl in Barrow, when I can do both. I believe that our ancestors was growing up. And feeling more con- had very strong belief in their spiritual nected to the land and to the animals up world. And I think that the future genera- there than here… My brothers always tions reach back and find what they can, sealhunted when we were growing up. and try to restore some of that, some of And I’d help my mom butcher seals. And the old culture, but then continue. Every- one thing we always did first thing when thing has to change with time, everything they brought the seal home. We put fresh must change. I think that the little that I water in its mouth, so that the seal will know, I can teach my children, and they come back. And it’s all this small belief can still be college educated and contin- that my mom had tied in us. And when ue on. They don’t need to resist religion. I did it here, everyone laughed at me, And they can depend on God, I mean… ‘She’s raving,’ ‘What did she do?’ ‘She I think that you can’t get back to the old was raving,’ It’s just an old Eskimo way, ways, there’s absolutely no way…I’ve and none of that is here.” spent so much time with old people, lis- Donna Eriksson tening to their stories of their hardships, “Right, they… [the linkages between and how life was so hard a long time ago. past and today] are broken. You know, And that we can take the best part of that when the generation before me went to culture, hang on to it, and move on. And boarding schools a lot of those things take the best from both worlds and try to
50 continue on.” my life, that I could fit in both worlds. Donna Eriksson That I can fit, feel comfortable. I feel “I did really grasp on to trying to learn in the right place amongst my culture, as much as I could as far as skin sew- my native culture, and then yet I can be ing goes. I learned so many, many things confident enough and be out in the white that nobody in the world knows. I mean world. And I think that you can take best like for example I tried to make very old of both. pattern from hundred years ago, with I’ve always thought that you can have modern materials. And I asked from all the best of both worlds if you try, and these ladies, I went to Shishmaref, from you don’t have to sit and whine and com- where my mom is from, and I went home plain about… [oh this happened to my to home and asked, ‘Who is the best skin people, so much trauma has happened sewer here? Can I visit her? Can I talk to my people]. We need to get over that. to her?’ And I asked her, ‘Why were And we need to try to strive to heal our the parkas designed the way they were? children. Try to strive to heal our fami- What do they mean when all the parkas lies, and all that. We are finding out now had walrus tusks?’ that all our traditional foods are more And they were put there for a reason. healthy for bodies. And the traditional That means good luck. And I’ve seen ways of healing are right, and have al- that they were worn in Canada, Green- ways been right. When I was growing land, United States, I mean America. up, my grandmother and my mom they And all the native tribes throughout the always had us…For every little ailment, North had that, and that was tusks. And they had us this stinkweed. It tasted re- the belief was that if you sewed it into ally bad, the juice made from the leaves. your parka, that the walrus will bring you I just read in the newspaper that Univer- good luck wherever you go. And also I sity of Alaska did a study of… I think it found out different parts about a parka. was the University of Alaska, that stink- The women, on the front, had sewn a weed plant. They were just amazed that piece of fur that was a different color, the cancer fighting, how that is so good and that was called ‘the line of birth.’ for the body, especially for people with And from there you can hang tusks of cancer or any kinds of ailments. For gen- how many children you have. That also erations then, native people have been went with, from different tribes Canada using it to cure their illnesses, and now to Alaska, and Greenland. And I did not scientifically they are planning out that it see any in Russia though. really does works. I identify myself as Inupiaq, and when So, I think that you can do it, you can people say ‘Eskimo,’ it does not bother take the best of both worlds. You can get me at all. It has never ever bothered me. educated. And come back and try to hang I am half white and half Inupiaq. And on to culture. And try to do traditional when I was growing up my friends all things, and still come home and turn on spoke Inupiaq for a first language, and I the TV and watch the news, and use your learned English so a lot of my time was microwave. And you know you can have spent translating. I’ve always felt, all of the best of both worlds, I think. That’s
51 what I think.” terview the Elders. There’s maybe thirty Donna Eriksson of us, and we go and interview all of our “Oh yes, Eskimo dancing. When I elders. And we stick all our slides togeth- was little, maybe I was ten years old, er, all our tapes together, and then we just Mr. Larsen, our pastor, on the 4th of make it like a… one big tape interview. July, they started. You know, they started And after we are done interviewing and Eskimo dancing, and he came by real we got all our questions, then we go and quickly with a bicycle. And he stopped watch our tape. And then we go through, the shows. ‘Please no Eskimo dancing and get our answers to our questions that in Unalakleet.’ I think he might have we are looking for. We actually do with thought, maybe he thought, it was against this because the elders have stories, and our religion to have that. I don’t know then the young guys have questions, and for what reason. It’s, you know, Eskimo we try to bridge them together.” dancing. It’s coming back though in Un- Galen Doty alakleet. They teach young kids how to “For spirituality, in the Inupiaq spiri- dance when they are young. And I think tuality there’s a higher power, and you it’s good for them. I don’t think there is have to show respect to all the animals anything with that. It is good entertain- and everything. And it’s just a good way ment.” to live. Because traditionally when we Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae get animals or fish for the first time, we “Me and my wife, we try to teach our give it away. Because spiritually we feel girls as much as we can, about subsis- that then, they’ll come back to us.” tence way of living. We try to pick ber- Jolene Katchatak Nanouk ries, teach them how to make seal oil, One of the things that I’m really con- put away food. And I’m glad they are cerned about is suicide. Lot of our young doing it right now. But you know, getting people are committing suicide, and re- back to your question about how will ally for no good reason. And I cannot re- it change. Like I mentioned ‘The spirit ally pinpoint the problem, because there camp’… How should I say it…? I think are so many. One of them is alcohol. The it’s up to themselves, that they should other one is like bingo, they drop out learn to do it.” in school. Their parents, some people Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae with children, shouldn’t play bingo ev- “That’s a thing that happened here. A ery night, because the children that go to lot of it deals with the school, we have school in the morning need rest in order a lot of Elders, and we do a lot of stuff to learn anything. And if drinking and with Elders in our school. We [study] a staying up is involved, they don’t get lot their traditions, and we communicate rest that they need. You know, old folks with them a lot. Lot of our projects, we like us that don’t bother that much right? do in some of our classes, deal with our Children do need rest, that’s the whole Elders. And we go way back, and [talk] thing. about this village. In our history classes, And one other thing, although there we have a lot of questions to ask about are some, some people they still bring Alaska and this village, so we go and in- their children out to hunt. But one
52 thing I don’t approve is, when they let over and settled in St. Michael’s. So, these young children go by themselves. that’s how I came about with my Rus- We saw one way, way up the hill other sian family. My grandfather was born in side. He was just a small boy. He pass 1872. Stefan Ivanoff, and his father was us, we were driving four-wheelers, and Sergey Ivanoff. He was seven when they he looked back and waved at us. Just a came across, see he’s… he was… They small boy, surprised he shouldn’t be out migrated out of Ukraine along the for- alone because there’s bears and them est and wound up over here. Built some things up there. And some days there’s boats and cut across!” no traffic, and some, some days there’s Leonard Brown together with his wife heavy traffic. We don’t have much road Mary Brown here, just fourteen miles up, it’s not that “As far as the natives of that part of the far anymore either. During break-up, I world, I think they’re similar as far as, on think it makes it impossible to go across what we rely on, food, especially when river with truck or anything bigger than you’re talking about the subsistence life- four-wheeler. Four-wheeler’ll go across style. Us being a part of the Western civi- alright. So, I think the children should lization, we get a lot more than what the have curfew. That’s another thing, in Russians and the Far East would get, as wintertime they would allow them to far as meat, fruits, and vegetables. It’s an go around with snow machines even interesting comparison, the two. There is way late at night. You know, when we a night and day difference in the quality need rest, we need rest! And now sum- of life.” mertime, although for some reason, they Paul Ivanoff III don’t do that much anymore this sum- “Actually it seems that they are so far mer. You used to see them go back and away. But I do believe that what they do forth with four-wheeler. You know, little over there to the environment, comes kids at night time. across to Alaska.” Elder Stanton Katchatag Joan Johnston “We were living in Savoonga, in St. Lawrence Island, when the Iron Curtain 13. Relations with Russia fell, and my husband took a group of stu- dents from the high school, and one of “We were pretty much in contact even the very first trips were to New Chapeli- during the Cold War. Yeah, a lot of guys no and Cyrenicio, or whatever they are out on the islands, met their folks out on called, I can’t remember the villages. I the ocean, International date line, and witnessed living out there at that time. exchanged gifts and stuff, you know. I spent a lot of time visiting the Elders And there was still contacts being made there also, it is one of my favorite past to relatives, from both sides. My grand- times. father came over. My great-grandfather And I talked to the Elder there, just and my uncles were all from Siberia. visiting with him when at that time I was Let’s see, long ago, in 1870s, I can’t asking him what happened? He said: ‘I give you an exact date, but they came had a sister when they closed the bor-
53 der she had to decide if she was gonna it the old traditional way, and dye them live here or there, and she chose to live with berries, and so we did. It took us there. And we’ve never heard of her fam- maybe six months. We collected grass, ily.’ And he wanted to know if there were dried them, picked the berries, cooked any… if… He heard that his sister had the grass and the berry juices, dried passed away twenty years ago. And he them, and then made baskets. So it was wanted to know if there were any chil- a lot of fun. It was something that had dren, or grandchildren, or nieces. And not been done in …I don’t know in how that the emotions that they had, that it many years, many years.” was a very touchy subject to old people, Donna Eriksson when the Iron Curtain fell, to find rela- “[When asked about difference be- tives, to find out how closely related they tween Yupiaq and Inupiaq cultures] were. You know, St. Lawrence Island There is a distinct difference. But there and Russia, how close they are, and to fi- are very, very many similarities. The nally find each other again that was very sharing is the same. The cultural values interesting. I never did get to go, ‘cause are pretty much the same. The big dif- I did not have a, what you call ‘visa’ or I ferences are that the Yupiaqs have held didn’t get that. I wanted to follow, but I on to a lot of their old beliefs, that have couldn’t go. been lost in the Inupiaq cultures. And the But I did learn at St. Lawrence Island Yupiaqs have held on to their traditional how to sew a parka from eider skins, dances. I see very many similarities be- that nobody knows how to make, that’s tween the two different tribes, but there only in museums now. This lady and I, are a lot of differences too… And right we started collecting the skins of birds, a here in Unalakleet, you could see that in museum piece just for ourselves, because our Elders, some lean towards the south nobody makes them anymore. But we and some lean towards the north. And the never did finish, she became sick. And dialects too, some of the old ladies when maybe someday I’ll finish that parka. I was trying to speak in Inupiaq they only For a long time I did lot of sewing, and knew Yupiaq. And I could understand then I started teaching it in school as a dialects that are the more northern ones, volunteer, and then I also learned how to but I could not understand the southern do masks. Mask making, and then I trav- ones.” elled around, just this region to Nome Donna Eriksson schools and taught mask making. And “That’s a tough question all right, but some other classes that I’ve taught to since the Cold War ended, everything has this mostly St. Michael school were skin opened across the Bering Strait. People sewing, basket weaving… go visit, especially this Siberian Yupiaqs One thing we did for fun, my husband of St. Lawrence Island, they go across. and I lived in St. Michael’s for seven It’s only forty miles away, and they go years. He is a teacher and they are Yu- over there and visit their relatives. I know piaqs south up here. And one thing I did it’s very harsh living over there, the way I with the old ladies there was to collect heard it. We throw away a lot of old nets grass. And I asked them if we could do here, herring nets, maybe their web is too
54 small. And they recycle some of those old my students in school, and I told them nets, and they put them all together and that if we get to a point where we can’t send them over to Siberia, Russian na- get any food to Unalakleet, we’ll have tives. I heard there was some crying over to learn to live off the land just like the there on a count of they got nets now. people who are in Russia. You know, it Whereas the Siberian government or the seems that they’re living more tradi- Russian regime didn’t take care of their tional. The communities are closer on people very much, on a count of being this side of Russia. They’re living a more a communist country. It’s… Right now, traditional way of life than we’re used to. it’s getting better every year. We have And it… So, I think it’s important to sup- humanitarian trips out from Nome, they port.” collect a lot of food and clothing, and you Jolene Katchatak Nanouk know, for their essential being over there. I glad about that. I don’t think there was too much change, on account of the next 14. “I know when the door neighbors across the Straits. We weather is changing” [also] had a lot of reindeer long time ago, but you know, we have herds over there – Sundogs, Moondogs, [here in Unalakleet]. They migrate with and Weather Prediction caribou. Not to change the subject, but you know, they are gone. People have “I do it. I learned that from my grand- about 500-600 reindeer.” father, he raised me. I know when the Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae weather’s changing. The weather is a “You’ve probably seen that island out lot more unstable than it was before. I there, they call it Besboro Island. She make mistakes on the count of [it], I say, and I, we fished herring, commercial ‘Well, Possible, Maybe.’ But years ago, herring for maybe fifteen years or more, if he said, in our native language, ‘Now maybe twenty. And one year, Icicle Sea- it’s time to go home the weather’s chang- foods, they sold all their herring from ing.’ He knew, sure enough. We’d make here to the Russians. So, that Russian big it to the house in time, big storm would ship was over there by the island. And I show up! Yeah, they did. They knew how watched them load and load, you know, to handle the weather by observation, not like that they were working. And they get by math or anything like that. They do to eat American food, I guess, and kind know.” of change their diet a little bit.” Leonard Brown together with his wife Elder Oscar Koutchak and his wife Mae Mary Brown “I read an article a couple of years “I think it [knowledge of weather] ago, about a Russian community where changes gradually. Right now you got they had no food. It was in the Anchor- satellites and television, and they… they age Daily News or something, but it was keep communications going. But, I think about the people. You know, suddenly some people can read weather very well, their dogs are disappearing because they and for what they do. I mean, they take have no food. And I talked about it with care of themselves, like the fishermen
55 Seashore 2008 and hunters. And they know what’s go- fore. You don’t have to think about it, ing on, and they can tell what is gonna you just have to be ready to go and do happen. So, they’re prepared for what’s the stuff. And now that weather forecast- coming up. I know, one of my friends ing has become more formal and more told me that he was suspicious about [dependent on] modern technology for… his weather forecasting ability, because I don’t know… It’s just different! It’s not of the change. He said, ‘The ice isn’t as mind based it’s… technology based with thick as it used to be, the currents are dif- mind interpreted.” ferent, and the weather patterns changed Charles O. Degnan a bit.’ So, when you see the different “I’ve heard that Elders can do that cloud formations in relation to the hills, stuff. I remember Elders like saying, like, you know there is a change. It changed a I don’t remember exactly, but you can see bit. It’s harder to tell, how the weather’s if it’s gonna rain on you in twenty min- going to act with his knowledge. So, utes or not. You can see [it from the ways we, the younger ones we are a bit more the] clouds are going and see what kind dependent on… they’re using the Inter- of clouds are coming. Sun mostly comes net now. And there’s more observation with calm weather, or you can somehow in points that’s formalized. A long time see if it is going to be there within the ago you just depended on yourself. You next few hours. But I don’t know how to know, where you are at and you had to predict the weather.” read the weather for your own benefit, Kaare Eriksson and your memory of what happened be- “There is a sun dog, that’s one warn-
56 ing. And then we have a hill over here, if mer left. That’s how you tell the months there’s a cloud over it that means storm of the summer, by the fireweed. The big, is brewing. They still do look at the hill, pillowy clouds, I can’t really remember, for if there’s a cloud over it, it’s a storm would tell you how the waves and the warning. And they call the rainbow like ocean will be. If it is good enough to go light around the sun, my husband used for boating, or later on in the fall, when to call them ‘sundogs,’ and that’s another it starts to get dark. If the moon is not sign.” this way, but if it’s this way, it is filling Elder Betty Anagick with water, so the next day it will rain. “I’ve heard [about] the ring around the Just little things like that. I just remem- sun. Some of the things I’ve heard [about ber them reading the weather, sitting out. it] is that it’s going to be real windy the You know as I was playing. I wasn’t re- next day. And the fog on the tundra, they ally aware because I was so young, but say, ‘It’s usually going to be a really hot I remember my aunts and uncles, and day the next day.’” my grandparents, or my grandma talking Jobina Ivanoff about the weather and reading the sky.” “My father used to say, ‘That if there Donna Eriksson is a sundog,’ like a rainbow around the “We still… [read the weather and use sun, ‘that means wind.’ And during the the traditional markers]. Like yesterday, winter ‘It’s colder weather coming.’ And I noticed there was like a rainbow around if you look at the island, we have the hill, the sun, and that brings the wind. So, in there’s a cloud over on the top of it, don’t a couple of days it’s going to get windy. go out. If it’s at the bottom, don’t go What some of the older people do, and out because it’s really [rough] out there, I do with my teaching the language and which is true. And if it’s kind of black culture, I’m trying to let my students re- on the horizon, that [means] bad weather alize that you can tell what the weathers too. We, I mean our family still [follows going to do by just observing the clouds these signs].” and the sun. What I did with my students Joan Johnston this past year, I told them in the evening “One thing my grandma showed me, to go look at the stars. If they’re blinking that I remember was when I lived with and twinkling then that means it’s going her at a fish camp in Nome. She taught to be windy. And if they’re calm then the me in the summer, just few little things, next day is going to be nice. And if you but she always used to read the weather notice that there are sundogs or moon- and tell me by the clouds, if it is going dogs, then the weather is going to change to be windy. One thing she taught me, into something other than what we have when I was a little girl, was to look at right now. And it’s mostly to wind. the fireweed, and as they are blooming, And then like if you look at the north- if you measure with your pointer finger ern lights too, when they come out it’s and there is this much left of bloom. getting colder. So, I just tell [this to the You use your finger for a month, there students], and let them do like a journal is one month summer left. If there is two of what they’ve observed in the weather finger-length there is two months of sum- that day. And then the next day I’ll ask
57 them, ‘Ok, was your prediction, was it There were some Finns here too. I correct?’ And then we will talk about it. don’t know about…There was one guy You can also use the wind and the tide, they called ‘Tom Nikolah.’ I heard he somehow I can’t think of how you can do was a Finn, I’m not sure though, I might it right now. But you can tell which way be wrong. But there were some Finns the wind is going to blow by just looking here. I heard they were good skiers too. at the tide. Also, when we are out berry They do a lot of skiing, those Laplanders. picking and it’s very calm and all the Come down, they slide down long ways. mosquitoes are there, we usually whistle. Sometime, they laid their little dog way You know, and it’ll bring the breeze. So behind. Their little Lapp dog, when they we still do that.” are herding the reindeer, very interest- Jolene Katchatak Nanouk ing…” “My mother, I remember my mother and Inga Ranna, she was, I think she 15. “They do a lot of was born in Norway, Oslo. They used to weed their gardens. You know, that’s our skiing, those Laplanders” next door neighbor, and they talked Es- – Elder Oscar K´soutchak kimo both of them. She had hair like that. and his wife Mae´s They know a lot of Eskimo language. In Memories of Relations fact, they speak it too…” with the Sámi “We had some Laplanders here. Long 16. For the Future time ago, I guess he spoke to whoever was in charge of… but I don’t know who. “I would suggest to keep on living your But they exported… imported some rein- Inupiaq way of life. Following the val- deer from Siberia or somewhere, or over ues of respect, respect for nature and Norway or somewhere. And they brought for yourself; humor, and hard work, and them over here. I think they came from spirituality, and keep on believing. That Seattle or some place, but they trans- this why you’re here. Is because of what planted some Laplanders here. They had you learned from your parents and grand- hair like yours, blond people. I grew up parents. And it makes it a lot easier if ev- with those kids when I was young, blue- eryone just did live their Inupiaq way of eyed kind, blond hair. And they learned life. Of being hard workers and respect- how to talk Eskimo. ing their nature, and having humor when In fact, one P-A-H-R [possibly means things get too tough. It’s just… it makes family name ‘Pähr’], he was born at it a lot better, and you feel a lot better do- Norway. And he raised [by an] Eskimo ing what you’re doing.” family. He married Eskimo gal, and they Jolene Katchatak Nanouk raised a family. And he learned to speak several dialects of Eskimo along his. I don’t know, his own dialect, that Norway.
58 17. Return to Unalakleet in November 2008 Tero Mustonen, Snowchange
17.1. Introduction In November 2008, after six years and many international communications, I returned to Unalakleet, as a represen- tative of Snowchange, to bring the ar- chived Knowledge to the participants of the 2002 oral history study on climate change. Mr. Art Ivanoff worked with me to identify and meet all the people we could in the limited time available. I again wish to thank him very much for the help and support he gave then and earlier. I presented the main findings, outcomes, and purposes of our research to the local people at an elders’ lunch. We met all the participants in the project who were present at the village during my vis- Art Ivanoff 2002 it. For those that were not present, their Elders’ lunch, many new people spoke archived Knowledge was made available about the changes that had occurred, in the form of copies from their inter- as well as the present situation in Un- views, also with contact information for alakleet. One of the Elders at the lunch Snowchange, in case they had questions said that, “We have only prayers left to or wished further information, and some fight for our subsistence.” The question additional communication was made via of rights, especially about subsistence email after the visit. fishing and hunting came up often, and During the visit, I learned that a proj- people stressed the increasingly worsen- ect participant, the esteemed Elder Stan- ing situation. One of the men in the vil- ton Katchatag had passed away. I and all lage said that “We are occupied. We are of us at Snowchange were sorry to hear a threat to the mainstream US society of his passing, but I was able to meet his because we can still hunt, fish, live au- son, Sheldon, at the time. I also met with tonomous lives. There is therefore a need Rector Benjamin Howard from Unal- to control us.” akleet school and Mrs. Vanessa Nasset from the Bering Sea School District. We 17.2. Reflections of the People discussed at length the possibilities to Mr. Art Ivanoff reflected on changes, get the archived Knowledge back to the both imposed and internal, and said village and region. They also helped out that because their own quasiq system of with accommodations during my stay. governance was broken, people have be- During the visit, especially during come broken too; alcoholism and suicide
59 are not discussed enough. Opinions were places. My husband and children have that the village is divided on some issues, not received any Beluga in 2002–2008, but as a staff member at the school said: but our friends give the meat to us. “It is beautiful when we work together.” Berries seem to be further out from “There are changes which have be- the village, maybe due to the weather come present. No Chinook salmon are changes happening. Four wheelers as returning. Mostly this has to do with well, leave their marks to the nature. high seas trawling and fishing ‘pirates.’ Visitors use berry-pickers [a tool], which In the past five years [2002–2008], it has damage the plant, and they die. We pick gotten warmer. My ocean does not have by hand. The 2006 forest fire was put out ice. We used to be able to drive eighteen fast. They used salt water to extinguish it; miles out in the past. The ocean changes this water is not good for the plants. Our began about ten years ago. In my child- culture and language are dying out. Our hood there used to be eighteen feet snow children are eating Westernized foods.” banks. Silver [Coho] salmon has been Joan Johnston 13.11.2008 strong. It is still good, but there are con- “I work seasonally now with heavy cerns for sustainability. Tomcod is plen- equipment. I continue subsistence and tiful, it has no commercial use. commercial fishing. There is not much Crabbing used to be a commercial work here in the wintertime. I am receiv- fishery ten to fifteen years ago, catch be- ing training for heavy equipment profes- tween 100 000–340 000 pounds. There sion, and I have a small son. were only five moose to be hunted, I have not hunted much Beluga be- which allowed for the whole community tween 2002–2008. There does not seem in 2007. There was a big forest fire in to be too many. They stay in the deep 2006, with a lot of smoke, and many ani- waters in Norton Sound. We usually re- mals left the area. They are now return- ceive four to five Belugas with nets. King ing. This is part of a natural cycle. [Chinook] salmon has gone dramatically I did not hunt any Belugas in 2008, down. People say that there are twenty- but I got three young ones in 2007. The four year cycles to salmon run, so these Inupiaq language is still declining, even might be part of those cycles. The King though there is interest for the language. salmon fishing is closed down. Silver Public awareness about these issues is [Coho] salmon is plenty. But there is a important. Climate change is impacting fear of it collapsing. This would mean the coast, for example Shishmaref people the loss of our subsistence and commer- have to leave soon, as well as Kivalino cial fishing, as well as impacts to the eco- community.” system. Jerry Ivanoff 13.11.2008 These impacts would as well influ- “Silver [Coho] salmon is doing well. ence the food chain, and therefore there In the past six years, many king [Chi- is a fear of a collapse. How to bring it nook] salmon have been canned, salted, back? Subsistence activities are still go- and smoked, but now kings are disap- ing on, but it does not help. Perhaps we pearing. The Department of Fish and need to let go of that too. There are many Game limits the fishing and the catch seals around and they will be impacted
60 as well. There is concern for the com- have been many flies in 2007–2008. munity. There has been a five to six year Three years ago there was a ‘big ant,’ collapse in the fish, and it would be good a big, long insect. The caribou have not to see in a book. What about the future? been here since 2001. The culture is We need a plan for the next ten years.” changing, and teachers and parents are Galen Doty 13.11.2008 not helping children to learn the culture. Oscar: “The weather has warmed There are no jobs here. What language much [2002–2008] in the period. One should be taught at the school? …Mala- of the reasons is that the sunshine is miut? …Northern Inupiaq? Yupiaq?” different than five years ago. The ice is Elders Oscar and Mae Koutchak melting at the polar ice caps. In Novem- 13.11.2008 ber-December usually, there would be “I have seen hummingbird here, which snowstorms with forty to fifty Fahrenheit is strange. As well we saw a big eagle, below. Now, this does not happen any- which we could not identify, but took more. On St. Lawrence Island there is a photos of it. In October the eagles were feeling of change as well. Me, I was born still here. Seagulls stay longer. There is in 1930, and used to burn the oil lamp no solid ice on the ocean anymore. The as a child in the community. I have no- river mouth was still open in October. ticed that the days are getting shorter.” Summer 2008 was cool, which had im- Mae: “The ice used to come earlier to pact on the carrots. Between 2002–2008 the ocean. Cold weather is towards the the caribou have not returned here. Since spring, not autumn. We should have 2000, I shot caribou, because my father big snow banks, but we do not. The old was a bad shot. Berries are damaged due people did not know about this warming. to the use of berry-picker [tool]. Berries The Beluga pass here by on their way to should be picked up by hand.” the Arctic. They come in the spring and Elder Betty Anagick 13.11.2008 late autumn now. There are now oil and “Education is very important, espe- gas prospects for the Bering Strait, which cially in the village. It is important to see is only forty miles across.” Oscar: “Fish other cultures, and there are better oppor- is easier to catch than in the old times tunities outside the village. Stock market because of technology. The fish, such as crash of 2008 influences the small vil- humpbacks have cycles of two to three lages worst. I had to move outside to find years. There are people who disturb the job. spawning areas on the river.” Mae: “The Regulations are restricting the amount fish spoils quicker in the summer when of food for catch. Climate change influ- putting food away. We used seal oil in the ences the reproduction of animals. Ani- dinner. Last seal hunt was two to three mal populations are lower and the cost years ago. Seals migrate faster to north of hunting almost defeats the purpose. to colder waters, because there is no ice These are tough times for the world. We at Unalakleet. The old ways of predict- are seeing the impacts of a corrupt gov- ing weather could come back. We were ernment. I am going to college in Janu- too busy to pay attention to the weather ary 2009, to study fish sciences in New younger, only as adults we do that. There York, in Paul Smith College. I would like
61 to know more about the culture, as the school is failing to teach the culture.” Byron Kotongan 14.11.2008 “Climate change is more due to man- made elements. In 2008, there are lot more willows growing in the tundra, even though in 2002, I said, ‘There are no plant changes.’ This is different. There is a fear that our spit [landform, like beach extending off into water]will be gone. An elder told me that the weather cannot be predicted anymore.” Paul Ivanoff III 14.11.2008 “In summer 2008, one of the children was bitten by an eel in the ocean. Big new insects have appeared, ‘Beetles that fly’ [American Burying Beetle]. In com- mercial fishing, new species have been caught. Language is not succeeding, it needs to be spoken at home. Beluga and caribou migrations have changed since 2002. I am trading with other villages for items.” Jolene Nanouk Katchatag 14.11.2008
Production: Tero and Kaisu Mustonen Pictures and captions: Tero Mustonen Layout: Eero Murtomäki and Rita Lukkarinen Proofreading: Mark Richman Printing: Waasa Graphics Oy Vaasa Finland 2009 ISBN 978-952-92-5762-1
62 Seashore erosion
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