’ I
• ì
ïb? ftartUttìt ffibsemer
C
By Rose High Bear
of Wisdom of the Elders (WOT E)
August 11, 1999
Focus
u l t u r a l
The Cultural Diversity series is
for the preservation of tradi
tional and indigenous cultures
and the ageless wisdom held
dear by their people.
t
D
Page 7
iv e r s it y
mercifully and m ercilessly hundreds of
fire beneath the fish rack s at river’s
the Yukon River, with her Dutch h us
scending syllable and sound, her re
miles dow nstream through the valley
edge as their m en and children depart
b a n d , W illiam V a n d e r P o o le , the
deem ing qualities shone through and
beneath the A laska M ountain R ange
and return - day after day - fishing,
territory’s new constable. H edidn’t know
had a quiet, but com m an ding effect on
where she enters the Bering Sea.
hunting, gathering. Th ey b rin g their
Dene tradition, that the woman doesn’t
following her m uckluk steps.
Raven, another ancient inhabitant
O n this clear warm day in May, the
grandchildren to the shore and raise
remaining villagers know what to do.
them to learn o f this way so they can
leave her ancestral village.
G randm other w as am on g 170 na
They’ve predicted this time of ice breakup
know this pow er that gives the people
tives who fluently spoke Ingalik d ia
river and H is people from generation
for thousands of years. They take the last
life and then swiftly takes it away.
lect of A thabascan. When her hus
to generation im parting love, wisdom
of the K uskoquim watched over the
of their belongings to higher ground and
Dene ancestors - ancient migrating
b an d forbid her from teaching her
and hard lesson to all of H is children.
he thunderous crack of spring ice
inhabitants of the sub-arctic kept our
language and culture to the fam ily, she
T h is black-winged creature, shrewd
T
patiently wait to behold what the river has
resonates from the riverbank - a sound
heritage pure for centuries as we shared
w as obedient, but rarely used his lan
trickster, yet chosen to speak for C re
in store for them this season.
T h e flood o f ice an d gu sh in g water
this vast tundra wilderness with few
gu age, the English language. Su p p res
ator, perched in the tree above the
villagers have already traveled by dogsled
outsiders. The grizzlies and dall sheep of
sion of indigenous heritage, though a
cemetery and eloquently eulogized my
races past below them an d the people
the mountains, the migrating caribou
Grandm other in 1983, as she began her
gradu ally feel relieved that, this tim e,
com m on occurrence this last century
G ran dm oth er has been com p assio n
and the wolves of the foothills, and the
throughout the N orth A m erican con
final journey hom e to the Spirit World.
ate with her children. O nly the lowest
moose and of course the m osquito na
tinent, did not succeed in takin g the
sub-arctic water, ice, silt and debris to
portions o f the village have been af
tion, that lived along the forested waters.
Indian out of this grandm other. Tran-
twist its deadly way through the lower
fected an d very little riverban k is lost.
These were our closest neigh
reaches o f this small deserted Dene vil
Fam ilies living in lower p arts o f O ld
bors. By the turn of the century
lage, imperiling foundations o f humble
M cG rath will return from sprin g hunt
we live in, only the most coura
dwellings and all else that lies in its path.
ing cam p without heavy loss from this
geous of missionaries, the most
Spring flooding. It is part of the
year’s breakup. T h e ice jam s will gradu
ambitious of traders, and the
rhythm of life on the eroding, con
ally clear and soon the returning fam i
most enthusiastic of the min
stantly changing banks of this great
lies will set up river cam p once again.
ers had ventured this far into
sub-arctic river, the Kuskoquim . O ur
By early Ju n e , the people will be put
elders com e to know the river, their
ting out fish traps, sm ok in g fish, gath
our homeland.
My full-bloodied Alaskan
grandm other, as she endlessly weaves
ering roots, berries an d m edicines,
Dene grandmother - Sophie -
her way past our village. They spend
and fortifying winter dw ellings and
migrated to O ld M cGrath in
their days listening to her, watching
food caches - in preparation for a hard
the early part of this century.
her, traveling on her, and feeling her
w inter that com es too soon.
She traveled by dogsled from
that signals the alert to evacuate. Most
to spring hunting cam ps, leaving only a
handful to witness this year’s breakup.
They’ve prepared for the raging flood of
m any m oods and seasons. She flows
T h e gran dm oth ers vigilantly tend
T h is is the resum e of my G ran d
mother.
S ummer E vents
her birthplace, Anvik, up on
Flatlands
Thursday, July 15
Theresa Demerest & Good Company
Thursday, July 22
Songwriters in the Round with Craig Carothers
Sunday, July 25 at 7:30pm • $7.00 admission
The Jack McMahon Band
Thursday, July 29
S o p h ie
F r e d e r ic k s
V a n d e rp o o l
was a w e ll-
known elder
who had 53
grandchildren.
She is part of a
m emory
of
how
th in g s
used to be that
is remembered
less by the
young,
but
treasured by
those of us
who lived dur
ing those days
and grow, from
time to time,
nostalgic when
we see how
much
the
w orld
has
changed since
then.
The Jessie Samsel Band
Thursday, August 5 at 7pm
Retta & the Smart Fellas
Thursday, August 12
UNCF Fundraiser with Tom Grant
Tuesday, August 17
I& I
Thursday, August 19
McMenainins Kennedy School
N F I t r i l . P o rtl.iiid O rr p n n • (SO'S) 2 4 9 -3 9 8 3