Yesterday John and I went to the Palmer Reindeer Farm with Sandra and her kids, Sarah and Ryan. They had a special weekend for Halloween. We wandered through the hay maze, pet and fed the reindeer, and one of the moose--Denali. We were trying to have our picture taken--but then Denali got a little too up-close with my hat! You can see my surprise! John also caught one reindeer's creative approach to scratching his itch. We had a great time. 
tured some 
pictures.
compliment it! That was won
derful :)
[the final Sand Point journal]
I have mixed feelings today. On the one hand I’m really happy to be returning to Anchorage tomorrow—John, SALAD, school, and my critters are calling. Elaine (the other 4th grade teacher at my school) accepting the other position has really jarred me back to thoughts of school and made me feel like I need to be getting back to school. On the other hand, I’m not really ready to go back. I’m making great connections and loving exploring.
We arrive at camp and most people are scurrying about trying to get their projects done before tomorrow’s potluck, performance, and auction. Whenever we tell people here that we’re leaving tomorrow, they all kind of cluck sadly and say we’re missing the best part of camp… not something we have a lot of discretion over, so we try not to worry. Fortunately, Mike, Wolfgang, and John—the kayak guys—have planned a launch for this year’s iqyax. This will happen later today and will be a wonderful culminating event for me and Liza.
I need to finish my headdress, but am in a holding pattern. Apparently they’re running low on the clear beads for the reflection strands. Ithaca asked about them last night, but they told her to wait until tonight to make sure all the students had enough clear beads.
I’m okay with not being done though… I’m overwhelmed by the tedium of the headdress. Our headdress instructor doesn’t actually seem to want to teach us how to do it… or maybe it’s not just us… anyway, I always feel like an imposition—which isn’t any fun. I like the beading, but prefer working with Merle. With Merle I learn a ton about beading and life here (she now lives outside of Anchorage, but used to live in Sand Point), because our headdress instructor isn’t around much. I start and work on a new necklace instead.
As we finish lunch, people are talking about the iqyax launch. It’s unclear to me how we’re supposed to get to the launch… but of course we’re going—right?? The launch is supposed to occur at 4pm (or is it 4:30?—time here seems to be pretty flexible). At around 3pm, many people are already leaving. Merle prompts us to find a ride. (She’s worried we won’t get to go otherwise.) We ask Dawn and her husband, Robert, if we can ride with them. They say yes, but I’m hesitant to go with them because we have to ride in the bed of the truck. In the nick of time, Crystal and Sally offer to drive us. We thank Dawn and Robert, but end up going with Crystal and Sally.
The girls are going to wear their full regalia to the event. Crystal teaches the girls to dance and so puts on her regalia as well. It’s full leather with fur—she’s tugging at it in the car, because it’s so warm. I can tell she’s excited for the girls. We’re excited too.
When we get to the beach by the airport, there is lots of positive commotion. The boys are gathered around the iqyax and some are in regalia for the dancing too. The girls are giddy and hugging—just like middle/high school girls any place. It’s clear that they’re not getting started right away.
Merle asks me if I want to learn how to find sea glass. Of course!! I’ve always thought sea glass was cool. Unfortunately there isn’t much sea glass in Arizona (duh!) and in San Diego, where I’ve vacationed, beaches are completely picked over. I’ve never seen sea glass on a beach.
I really enjoy the walk. Merle tells me to look at the shore line; the most recent tidal deliveries are there. We find all sorts of treasures—pumice (which is made of ash and air—I had no idea), agate (which I also found on Mussel Beach, where we went the first day for the sea survival), beautiful shells, and sea glass. After about a half hour of happy hunting, we return to watch the iqyax launch.
The launch begins with a singer from the Russian Orthodox Church. She sings and sprinkles this year’s kayak and last year’s kayak with Holy Water. The kids follow Crystal and Karis’ lead and begin singing and dancing. It’s a very special moment as Wolfgang (one of the iqyax builders) climbs into the iqyax and forges into the water.
I notice that Wolfgang wears a modern swimming suit and vest. I think this speaks to the juxtaposition that is present in so much of life here. Sand Point has rich traditions, but many of the amenities of contemporary life.
As things wrap up, Merle takes me for another walk to find more sea glass. I capture one of my favorite trip photos—Merle’s hands in the smooth sand. So much of my trip has been structured around Merle’s agile hands guiding my learning the beading. It’s great to capture her enjoying herself as she talked about playing in Sand Point’s sand when she was a child.
When we turn back we realize that many people have left. Merle rode over with the church singer, who is older and had to be taken back immediately. We notice Crystal has already left too. (I see that Sally hasn’t left yet and suspect that we will have a ride after all.) At any rate, Merle suggests we look for a ride. A man overhears that we’re looking for a ride. He offers to take us back to Camp.
Ordinarily I would never, ever get in a car with a stranger… but this isn’t ordinarily, this is Sand Point. So, Merle, Liza, and I pile into the car with this man and his 2 kids. No car seats. His little girl sit on his lap while he drives and his son sits on the arm rest. His son is eating a Twix bar and discovering the wonders of melted chocolate. After pinching the Twix bar to see the caramel squish out, he begins pushing his hands together and then pulling them apart to make a sucking sound. In the midst of this, Merle tells the man that they’re related—Merle’s cousin is this man’s mom. The man turns to his son and tells him that Merle is his cousin. We all agree that the cousinliest thing that the boy can do is not hug Merle :)
When we arrive back at camp, things begin to wrap up. Liza and I talk about meeting up with Merle near Anchorage. Liza, Ingrid, and Ithaca all frantically try to finish their headdresses. (I’m more concerned with finishing my necklace.) I share my Bering Sea Headdress with my instructor. She likes it and gives me the beads to finish the reflector strands. Liza and I share thank you cards with Merle, Carla, Mike, and the camp staff.
Before heading back to the hotel, we all agree to meet at one of the bars about 10:30pm.
Mike, Liza, and I meet just after 10pm and he takes us for one more visit to Trident. Trident is always an uncomfortable place to visit. It smells. Employees aren’t happy to be there and the many, many workmen tend to stare. We stopped by mainly to see when their cafeteria was open, since Liza and I needed to find breakfast for Saturday. Their breakfast was served from 5am to 7am, which gives you an idea of the type of schedule Trident employees have to keep. (Trident brings in almost all of their workers from out of the state or country—hiring almost no locals, which is a contentious issue.) We leave Trident and meet up with Ingrid.
The four of us head over to The Tavern. The Tavern is crowded and loud. None of the instructors are there, so we head over to The Lounge.
The Lounge is the bar attached to our hotel. When we get there, there are several other people in the bar, but just the 4 of us that I know.
Mike is treating everyone to drinks, which is very generous. It’s odd because, even though the food is much more expensive, alcohol is comparably priced in Sand Point as it is in Anchorage.
Mike shows us his pictures of the trip which are incredible. The background is a progression of drunken men hitting on anyone who stands up. This one guy keeps coming over and announcing his “name,” which changes every time he stops by the table.
After looking at photos for awhile, Crystal and Sally arrive and are followed shortly after by Carla, Karis, and Serge. This one guy—Artie—starts hanging around just after they arrive. He’s mostly interested in Ingrid, but seems to be trying to hit on everyone simultaneously. Carla knows him and keeps warning him to “calm down” and “be nice”. Ingrid, Liza, and I are clearly discomfited by his behavior.
The bar is closing and lots of people are headed over to The Tavern. I don’t want to go—it’s already midnight—but I do feel badly about not joining Crystal, Sally, Carla, Karis, and Serge at The Tavern, since they just got here. Mike, Liza, Ingrid, and I all decide to call it a night. As we’re walking away, Artie tries to keep me there by stepping on my foot. I seriously doubt this has ever worked on a girl! I pulled my foot out and walked away; he called Liza and I assholes, but I was okay with that. Simultaneously some other guy pulled on Liza’s purse strap. Mike, Ingrid, Liza, and I waited a few minutes until the awkward people had left the area. Then we said our goodbyes and Liza and I went to our room.
Liza and I are looking forward to going home. I have met some wonderful people and lived a week in this beautiful place. I came here thinking I’d learn about the Aleut/Unangan Culture. I learned more about village culture—the way that Unangan culture is carried out every day. Unfortunately, like any culture, there are good and bad aspects. I’d imagined that Unangan Culture would be some sacred, sparkly treasure. Instead, I learned the more universal aspects of all cultures—the search for a sustaining livelihood, a better life for their children, and negotiating friendship, love, and set-backs.
I don’t have a lot to say today. I’m sapped… and so is most of the rest of the staff.
This morning started over breakfast with Carla elaborating on the gas shortage and discussing energy opportunities and issues. Carla says that one of the tribes (there are 4 corporations in Sand Point—tribal groups in Alaska were formed into corporations) had an opportunity to buy the electric company—but chose not to do so. She says this was a huge mistake. She shares that her electric bills from November through February totaled nearly $3000—but there are no other options on the island. She’s also frustrated by the gas shortage. A lot of issues seem to arise from companies outside of Sand Point owning critical resources.
I try beading, but am distracted. I checked my email before we came to camp. I found out that my co-fourth grade teacher in Anchorage has accepted another position. I feel jolted by the reality of school creeping back in.
I go upstairs to see how things were going with Mike’s iqyax. People are open to Liza and my participation… but only Mike and Merle really welcome our idle chatter. As Mike is guiding Mason through building his model iqyax, I talk with Mike about his online class. Mike is comparing online learning with traditional face-to-face learning for his doctorate in education. We talk about what a pain it is to get human subjects’ approval. He’s looking for students to take the online iqyax building class. I may have one student who is interested, but will need to ask my principal.
After chatting, I go back downstairs and work on my diamond-pattern bracelet. I don’t care so much about finishing the headdress. It’s just so involved; it’s not easy to see how it will ever be finished.
We eat sandwiches for lunch. I can’t even remember the last time I had preformed lunch meat on white bread… it’s sort of a shout out to elementary school (even though I always had to eat Roman Meal bread, when I wanted Wonder bread… I would LOVE Roman Meal if I could have it now).
After lunch, I go back to working on my headdress. I’m hoping I can get it done soon.
Ingrid, Ithaca, and Traven invite Liza and I to go visit the Aleutian Municipality building. They have noticed a lot of kids wearing sweatshirts that say, “Sand Point Silver Salmon Derby—the Lure of the Wild,” and have decided they want them. Liza and I jump up at the invitation and walk with them. It ends up being close, but we get a little lost and take a long route. It’s nice to be out in the breeze and see the sun. We’ve spent so much time inside. While I love learning to bead, I’m ready to be outside. When we get there, we see all the boxes of sweatshirts… It takes us awhile, but we pick out the right colors and sizes. I’m sorry to be headed back.
I continue working on my headdress, but notice that I’m distracted. Real life is creeping back in.
When we leave this evening, Mike tells us about how Carla arranged for us to get gas. Apparently she found someone with a 55 gallon drum, then arranged for him to pick up that much gas. They drove it over to camp and dispensed it into the cars using a siphoning hose. Crisis averted.
When I get back to the hotel room, I see an advertisement from the Pebble Partnership. The advertisement is relative to the highly controversial Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay area. (Ingrid explains to me later that basically it’s corporate interests versus fishing/community interests.) While I don’t think I agree with the Pebble Partnership’s position (the mine helps some, but hurts the business and personal interests of others), the beginning of the ad does aptly summarize the issues that I’ve seen in the village—namely, there aren’t enough jobs, people leave the village, then schools close. It’s really sad and I don’t know the solution—or even if there is an easy one.
So, I promised not to journal again last night; but, I still want to share a few more things from yesterday.
Last night, after dinner, while Liza and I were working on our headdresses, Crystal came over and sat with us. Crystal (and her mom, Sally, and daughters, Nadia and the baby) are from Atka. Atka is a town of just 60 people. She shared some interesting aspects of life in such a small and secluded (it’s very far out on the Aleutian chain) place.
In Atka, there is no doctor, no police officer, and no jail. That doesn’t mean they don’t need those things—so they have accommodations.
Instead of a doctor, they have a “general health practitioner.” A general health practitioner has training in how to perform emergency stabilization (like an EMT) and how to take a medical history and conduct a thorough exam. The practitioner can’t, however, prescribe medication. Instead, the practitioner performs the exam and then calls a doctor at the Alaska Native Hospital. The doctor then prescribes medication. The clinic has a small pharmacy and can dispense medications according to the doctor’s orders. If the pharmacy doesn’t have the medication, then it has to be ordered from Anchorage.
Crystal and her husband lived in Anchorage when Nadia was born, but lived in Atka when Crystal was pregnant with their youngest. I asked her how that worked. Apparently, her insurance paid for her to go to Anchorage a month before her due date and stay in a hotel until after the baby was born. Her husband and Nadia joined her after she’d been in Anchorage about 2 weeks. Since her baby was born 12 days late, Crystal spent almost a month and a half in the hotel, and her husband and Nadia spent about a month there.
Crystal’s husband is the “public safety officer”—which is like a police officer, but broader—since he is the only law enforcement (Really, just him). There was jail space in a municipal building, but it is not insolated or heated. Instead, if her husband has to arrest someone, he does so by putting the person under house arrest.
It wasn’t until after high school that Crystal began taking an interest in the Aleut culture. She’s since focused on learning traditional ways and, in particular, the language. She hopes to share this with others.
I had continued beading through this conversation and was able to get quite a bit done.
On the car ride back, I told Merle about how she never says yes when people ask her to learn beading. Merle thought for a second and then laughed—a lot. I don’t know if Merle likes us as much as we like her; but, she’s been a major highlight of the camp.
And now… on to today.
We eat a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, spam, and cinnamon rolls. The food is totally different than what I’d expected. I thought there’d be a lot of fresh fish and traditional foods. Instead, our diet is dominated by processed foods. While I’m not the healthiest eater, my body is definitely NOT used to this.
I’m still working on my headdress. Others went to the beach for a science lesson by the Fish and Wildlife Department. (I’ve learned that this is the national conservation division. Fish and Game is the state-level management group. Fish and Wildlife is the biggest funder of Alaska culture camps—across the state—as they try to forge a partnership with locals.) I need to keep working on my headdress if I have any hope of finishing—and so skip the beach trip.
By lunch I’ve finished the beading on the side. I take a break and eat fried bread and a soup of vegetables and spam.
Not too long after lunch, I just can’t do anymore beading. I am exhausted. I think I may be fighting the “camp crud”… a cold that’s been going around. I go upstairs and rest with the babies.
After I wake up, I talk with Mike. Most of his students are working on other things. Somehow our discussion migrates to the ongoing bathroom issues. Namely, the toilet seems to clog just about every day—often overflowing. Mike said that this was really NOT an issue compared to many smaller villages, particularly in the Bethel area. He said, if I was ever asked to teach someplace without running water, the answer is no. I thought that probably would have been my answer anyway; but, he elaborated. In the places Mike had visited, he said there’d be a toilet, but under the toilet was a bucket and there was no place to wash your hands. Pretty hard to imagine!!
After this chat, I go back downstairs. I bead on my headdress for awhile, then (because Shay was at the store) I work on my diamond-pattern project at Merle’s table.
Pretty soon it is time for dinner. I eat some barbecue chicken and macaroni salad.
After dinner, I continue working on both of my projects. As the evening/adult classes begin, the focus of much conversation is the gas shortage. Earlier in the day, Evan’s grandpa was at the gas station. (I use the term gas station very loosely—it’s a shed on pilings in the harbor. The pilings are getting old; so, only 3 cars are allowed on the gas dock at a time.) Evan’s grandpa’s truck lost its brakes. He could either go into the gas station or over the edge and into the water. He chose the gas station. The attendant was in the building at the time and was quite scared when the truck came plowing into the building. He was alright, though. Unfortunately, it means that the gas isn’t accessible and won’t be for a week.
The gas shortage is a big concern for everyone, including us. Mike’s car is almost on empty and no one has any ideas other than walking back and forth to camp.
