Oh, and I can't forget to mention Spot. Named after the dog in the famous "Dick and Jane" series (if you remember reading those stories, congratulations, you are eligible for AARP membership!), Spot belongs to one of our guides and takes up residence at the camp to be our watchdog. He's supposed to warn us if any bears are in the area. Well, we didn't see any bears while we camped, so I'd say he did a great job. He also served as our garbage disposal for food that wasn't devoured by the campers. Spot and I became good friends, I figured it would be a good thing to be friends with him in case I fell in a well or something...shades of Timmy and Lassie.
We are quite lucky. We get to camp at the old village site. I was told no group had previously been allowed to camp out there. Our tents are pitched quite close to the sod house that was the most recently occupied (in the 70s). When I was here in October we walked through it, but it's now May and there is still snow in the front. 
There are lots of sod house remains in our village, as well as many wood houses. The village site had to be abandoned in the 70s due to erosion. 
[This is basically a spit, surrounded by the Chuckchi Sea on one side and the Arctic Ocean on the other. The wind and the wave action over thousands of years have reduce the size of the land significantly.]  |
| Stevie |
Oh the stories we hear about living here! Our guides all grew up here, so stealing a moment alone with any one of them, you get a glimpse into what life was like for them as children. For instance, electricity was introduced not long before they had to move the inhabitants. They didn't have 24 hour access, however. It was on from 9 in the morning until 9 at night. Outside of those hours, they used seal oil lamps (just like their ancestors) and kerosene lamps. Wow, I didn't ever imagine there would be a limit on use of electricity. I never had that limitation in my life! Must have required some planning to get all the "light-required" chores done prior to the lights out siren that sounded every evening at 9.
Everyone had dog teams in those days. Hunters used dog teams and sleds for transportation. Henry and Stevie (two of our guides) had to care for the family dogs. Stevie talks about caring for more than 30 dogs at once. Think about feeding, watering, not to mention picking up after all of those dogs! I bet it was quite cacophonous in the village in those days. I can just imagine the conversations those dogs had with one another.
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| "Hanko" |
Henry talks about getting the sled ready for his Aapa (grandfather) before Aapa went out hunting and how he took care of it when he returned. This meant hooking up the dogs to the sled, supplying the sled with essential items, and making sure all was in working order. He had to care for the dogs upon return, unload the sled, and put everything away. There is still longing in his voice as he tells me how much he wanted to go out hunting, too. He wasn't allowed to go, yet. He had to wait until he was ready. He says this is what really taught him patience. This also helps the youngsters earn their spots as hunters. As we learned later on, the whaling crews are comprised of men who have earned their way through many seasons of watching/protecting the base site, bringing beverages and food to the hunting crew, and other assorted apprentice jobs...until they are ready to move up in the ranks. The hunter is schooled and his skills are learned by observing seasoned hunters. They don't just hop on the umiaq or four wheeler and get to go hunting without a lot of preparation.
Henry learned how to hunt from his uncle. This is common practice. His Aapa told him he had to learn from his uncle because Aapa would be too lenient with him. Now, that I think about that, what a wise practice. Of course it would be hard for Aapa to have the discipline to teach his grandson the right way to do things. He would want to be gentle and kind because of the nature of the grandparent relationship.
The uncle, on the other hand, is in the teacher role. Knowing it's his job, he is careful to cultivate and school a good hunter. Henry relates that his uncle would only tell him something one time, so he had to listen carefully all of the time. This taught him good listening skills as well as the skills to be a good hunter. He learned the skills by watching. Observation, keen observation, is key in acquiring the knowledge and the skills to go from apprentice to hunter. As I came to find out, Henry is a very traditional hunter and practices many traditions not commonly in use these days. I could go on and on about Henry (Hanko as he is often called) and I probably will. He showed me most of the practical things I learned during the trip. I was fascinated with his stories and the things that just popped out of his mouth without preamble.
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