Wild Dreams: Refashioning Production in Bristol Bay, Alaska by Karen E. Hébert A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in the University of Michigan 2008 Doctoral Committee: Professor Fernando Coronil, Chair Associate Professor Arun Agrawal Associate Professor Stuart A. Kirsch Associate Professor Barbra A. Meek © Karen E. Hébert 2008 Acknowledgments At a cocktail party after an academic conference not long ago, I found myself in conversation with another anthropologist who had attended my paper presentation earlier that day. He told me that he had been fascinated to learn that something as “mundane” as salmon could be linked to so many important sociocultural processes. Mundane? My head spun with confusion as I tried to reciprocate chatty pleasantries. How could anyone conceive of salmon as “mundane”? I was so confused by the mere suggestion that any chance of probing his comment further passed me by. As I drifted away from the conversation, it occurred to me that a great many people probably deem salmon as mundane as any other food product, even if they may consider Alaskan salmon fishing a bit more exotic. At that moment, I realized that I was the one who carried with me a particularly pronounced sense of salmon’s significance—one that I shared with, and no doubt learned from, the people with whom I conducted research. The cocktail-party exchange made clear to me how much I had thoroughly adopted some of the very assumptions I had set out simply to study. It also made me smile, because it revealed how successful those I got to know during my fieldwork had been in transforming me from an observer into something more of a participant. Throughout my research, I was struck by the eloquence with which Bristol Bay fishers, residents, and other industry workers expressed their commitment to and passion for their work, the places they called home, the natural environment that surrounded ii them, and the social relationships that made these sites and activities so meaningful. This not only spurred my intellectual interest in writing about Bristol Bay, but also deeply moved and inspired me on a personal level. I found great joy in working alongside and talking to those involved in the salmon fishery. I was awed by the kindness and generosity I experienced from both friends and strangers. I learned and gained far more than I could ever capture in the pages to follow. Beyond all else, I am grateful to those who shared so much of their lives with me. Despite my concerted efforts to do justice to all that was imparted to me over my years of research, I recognize that I will never be able to adequately represent the full presence and import of the stories, sentiments, ideas, attachments, aspirations, and struggles that I experienced and witnessed. Nevertheless, I still harbor hope that I can convey at least some sense of this and my gratitude for it in my remarks below and throughout the dissertation. My desire to acknowledge those who have helped me in producing this study is complicated by the fact that it is the outcome of so many years of work, throughout which my ideas were shaped and my spirits lifted by such a large number of colleagues, research participants, and friends. I have no doubt neglected to include innumerable names that belong on these pages. And I likely repeat such regrettable oversights in the dissertation itself. Despite the knowledge and guidance I received from others, any omissions and errors are entirely my own. I feel extraordinarily lucky to have stumbled upon such a stimulating project, and for the paths along which my academic work has taken me. I thank Guido and Natasha Casciano for first introducing me to life in rural Alaska, which sparked the interests I developed throughout my graduate career. Likewise, I am grateful to all those who iii helped me arrange a period of pre-dissertation research and volunteer work in the Yukon River community of Galena, especially Peter Captain, Ragine Attla, and my welcoming coworkers at the Louden Tribal Council. My time in Galena prepared me for my dissertation work in countless ways, and I reflect on this time often. A number of individuals in Alaska were especially helpful to me as I formulated my dissertation project. I thank Gunnar Knapp of the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage for his ongoing interest in my study, as well as for his generous provision of ISER office space during my research period in Anchorage. I also benefited from the support of Paula Cullenberg of the Alaska Marine Advisory Program. My conversations with Steve Langdon proved critical in helping me develop my work. And I am thankful for early guidance I received from Don Callaway of the National Park Service’s Alaska Region Office. I doubt that the late Andy Golia of Dillingham had any idea how much his understated assurance furthered my design of a dissertation project centered on the Bristol Bay salmon industry. Like so many others, I remain indebted to him. I was also privileged to have been able to speak with a number of other Bristol Bay residents during my research period who have since passed away, including the late elders Paul Romie, Johnny Nicholson, Joe Clark, and Harvey Samuelsen. The region is no doubt a different place without them, but I am thankful I had the opportunity to meet each of them there. Andy Ruby was also very encouraging of my work during the brief period in which I knew him before his untimely passing. My choice of Dillingham as a field site was influenced in no small part by the encouragement of Norman Van Vactor. Not only did his help pave the way for my first iv summer of fieldwork, but my research would have been much the poorer without the industry access he generously chose to grant. The employees at the Dillingham cannery—far more individuals than I am able to name here—were similarly charitable with their time and help. They did not merely tolerate my presence and stints beside them at work, but took an active interest in my project, and, even more important, helped make the endless hours of overtime surprisingly bearable. My research was both facilitated and furthered through the support of representatives from many Bristol Bay-area organizations, particularly the Bristol Bay Native Association, the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office in Dillingham. I am especially grateful to Hans Nicholson and the other members of the Nushagak Fish and Game Advisory Committee for welcoming me to their meetings and into their discussions. The members and staff of the Alaska Board of Fisheries, as well as the Bristol Bay fishers attending those meetings, assisted me immeasurably as well. My dissertation was formed through the interactions I had with innumerable people across the range of sites in which I conducted fieldwork. Those who bear special mention include Hjalmar and Anuska Olson, Robin Samuelsen, Tom Tilden, Val and Cecelia Angasan, Robert Heyano, Kenny Wilson, William Johnson, Nels Anderson, Russell Nelson, Jon Saarheim, Pearl Strub, David Harsila, Mitch Kink, Arlene Adkison, Joanne Armstrong, Fred Torrisi, Tim Troll, Max Martin, Steve Perkins, Paul Friis- Mikkelsen, and Magnar Warness. I thank Herman Nelson for welcoming me to Koliganek. I cherish conversations and friendships developed with Victor and Lena Nick, Jody Seitz, Reece Perkins, and Oleanna Petla. I was happy to be introduced to the v Gypsy corner, and appreciate the supportiveness of Ryan Sabo and the encouragement and energy of Robert Lebovic. My stay in Dillingham would not have been the same had I not known Liz Brown, Jim Jones, Jeremy Cate, Noel Purdy, Andy deValpine, and John Chythlook. I reflect with fondness on times shared and adventures to come with Jed Smith and John and Rachel Muir. Among so many other debts I will never repay, I hardly know where or how to begin to thank Mike Davis and Jerry Liboff for, above all else (and there is so much), making Kanakanak into a place that is a home to me. In addition to the research assistance, guidance, and friendships I enjoyed in Alaska, my dissertation is also a product of years spent at the University of Michigan. Over the course of my graduate study, I received institutional support from a number of Michigan sources, including the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School, and the Center for the Education of Women, as well as the Department of Anthropology. I doubt I would have completed my doctorate had I not been able to rely throughout on Laurie Marx’s capable know-how and humor. During my dissertation research and writing period I also received funding from the University’s Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations and the National Poverty Center, housed at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. My fieldwork was made possible through grants from the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs (Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, Award Number 0617877). I benefited enormously from participation in the Center for the Ethnography of Everyday Life (CEEL) during its period on campus, and am grateful to Tom Fricke and the program administrators for my office space there. Conference panels with CEEL fellows vi Pete Richardson, Jessica Smith, and Josh Reno pushed my writing forward at a few critical junctures. Those who know me best saw me at my worst in difficult periods of the writing process.