 Marshall
Cultural Atlas
This collection of student work is from
Frank Keim's classes. He has wanted to share these works for others
to use as an example of Culturally-based curriculum and documentation. These
documents have been OCR-scanned. These are available
for educational use only.
The Old Couple and the
Bootmakers
Aka tamaani there lived a kind old
woman and her husband who lived in a Yupik village called Takcak.
Most of the time they made skin boots for a living. That's how they
supported themselves. And they were well known for the fine quality
of their boots which where usually made of the best seal skins and
were sewn so well you could barely see the stitches.
This year however, the old man and
woman were very poor. They barely had enough seal skin to make one
last pair of simple boots. After that they would have no more. So one
winter night they both cut out the skin for boots and then because
they were so tired and hungry they went to bed early, planning to
finish the boots in the morning.
CLOSE DARK
When the old couple got up in the
morning they ate their last remaining bites of fish and then went
over to the seal skin and prepared to work on their last pair of
boots. To their surprise, they found a beautiful pair of fancy
sealskin kameksaks, much nicer than they could have made with the
small amount of seal skin remaining to them. They were very happy
because now they would be able to trade them for some food and more
seal skins.
The old man was very curious about
what had happened though, and he went outside into the cold to look
around, but all he found was a black Raven feather just outside their
door. Picking it up, he wondered where it had come from? Could it
have come from old grandfather Raven--the same one that created our
first man and woman? He didn't know, so he went back inside to be
with his wife.
The fancy boots were made so well and
were so handsome that a great hunter came along the very same day and
traded them for some fresh fat caribou meat and four nicely tanned
seal hides After the hunter left their house, the old couple picked
up the skins and decided to make more boots with them.
PAUSE
That night they cut out the seal
skins, but they were so hungry thked on some delicioius dried caribou
meat they had traded from the hunter. After eating to their stomach's
content, they were so tired they decided to leave the making of the
boots till the next day, and they went immediately to
sleep.
CLOSE DARK
When the old couple woke up the next
morning they found yet another surprise waiting for them--two more
pair of beautifully sewn sealskin
kameksaks………….And when the old man went outside
to look around, he found yet another black Raven feather just outside
their door. He wondered again if the feather could have come from
Raven the creator?
These kameksaks were so handsome that
by the end of the day the old couple were easily able to trade them
to another hunter for some seal meat and a sled load of seal skins
from the coast……..The hunter was so happy with the boots he
also gave the couple some delicious seal oil that was still fresh
from a recent catch down by Sheldon Point……..By now the old
couple were very curious about who was doing this work for them, so
they decided to pretend to sleep the very next night and try to
discover what was going on.
HALF LIGHT
Just about midnight they heard a
Raven croak……and two little bootmakers sneaked
quietly into the room and set to work with the seal skins to make
four more pair of handsome dancing kameksaks. While they worked they
hummed and talked softly which showed they truly enjoyed doing this
fine work. But the old couple noticed that their clothes were very
worn and tattered and they decided on a plan for the next day. Before
they could finish thinking about their plan though, there was another
Raven croak……..and before you could say "Tulukaruq," the
bootmakers had disappeared out the door and
away into the dawning sky.
After getting up and eating their
breakfast and talking about what they had seen the night before, the
old couple quickly set to work making the bootmakers two fine suits
of winter clothes…….They took all day to do this because
they wanted the clothes to be the very best quality.
When they were finally finished with
the clothes it was late in the evening. So they ate their dinner and
prepared for the arrival of the bootmakers. They neatly layed out
their clothes on the work bench and then set out a tiny meal of dried
fish and seal oil for them to enjoy while they worked. Then they lay
down on their blankets and waited for the arrival of the two little
bootmakers.
HALF LIGHT
Again, just at midnight they heard
the bell croak of the Raven…….and in came the same
two little bootmakers dressed in tatters and rags. They headed
straight for the work bench and there found the little gifts of
clothing and food the old couple had made for them.
Immediately they put their new
clothes on……..and they were so happy with them that right
there and then they did a little jig around their work bench. They
looked like two little whirlwinds the way they were whirling and
jumping in their joy……..Finally they sat down and began to
work, every now and again dipping a piece of fish or seal meat into
the seal oil and smiling happily.
PAUSE
The bootmakers didn't work as long as
they had the previous night, but before the night was over they had
made the two most beautiful pair of kameksaks anyone in the region
had ever seen before. Before leaving they held up the pair of boots
to admire them for the last time. On both pair could be seen the
beaded message, "Quyana."
While the couple were watching the
bootmakers work they dozed off and slept for awhile. Just as the two
little people were getting ready to leave though there was a loud
double Raven croak……and the old couple woke up to
see a great shining black Raven standing outside the open door. They
shuffled quickly over to the door and got there just in time to see
the bootmakers hopping onto the Raven and taking off straight into
the shining face of the full moon.
As the Raven was flying up in the
air, he turned his shiny neck around and bell-croaked four
times down to the old couple……..Then he raised his mask and
shouted, "Angniq Aluussistuaq. Merry Christmas, everyone, and a
Happy New Year!"
Christmastime Tales
Stories real and imaginary about Christmas, Slavik, and the New Year
Winter, 1996 |
Christmastime Tales II
Stories about Christmas, Slavik, and the New Year
Winter, 1998 |
Christmastime Tales III
Stories about Christmas, Slavik, and the New Year
Winter, 2000 |
| Summer Time Tails 1992 |
Summertime Tails II 1993 |
Summertime Tails III |
| Summertime Tails IV Fall, 1995 |
Summertime Tails V Fall, 1996 |
Summertime Tails VI Fall, 1997 |
| Summertime Tails VII Fall, 1999 |
Signs of the Times November 1996 |
Creative Stories From Creative Imaginations |
| Mustang Mind Manglers - Stories of the Far Out,
the Frightening and the Fantastic 1993 |
Yupik Gourmet - A Book of
Recipes |
|
| M&M Monthly |
|
|
| Happy Moose Hunting! September Edition 1997 |
Happy Easter! March/April 1998 |
Merry Christmas December Edition 1997 |
| Happy Valentine’s
Day! February Edition
1998 |
Happy Easter! March/April Edition 2000 |
Happy Thanksgiving Nov. Edition, 1997 |
| Happy Halloween October 1997 Edition |
Edible and Useful Plants of Scammon
Bay |
Edible Plants of Hooper Bay 1981 |
| The Flowers of Scammon Bay Alaska |
Poems of Hooper Bay |
Scammon Bay (Upward Bound Students) |
| Family Trees and the Buzzy Lord |
It takes a Village - A guide for parents May 1997 |
People in Our Community |
| Buildings and Personalities of
Marshall |
Marshall Village PROFILE |
Qigeckalleq Pellullermeng ‘A
Glimpse of the Past’ |
| Raven’s
Stories Spring 1995 |
Bird Stories from Scammon Bay |
The Sea Around Us |
| Ellamyua - The Great Weather - Stories about the
Weather Spring 1996 |
Moose Fire - Stories and Poems about Moose November,
1998 |
Bears Bees and Bald Eagles Winter 1992-1993 |
| Fish Fire and Water - Stories about fish, global warming
and the future November, 1997 |
Wolf Fire - Stories and Poems about Wolves |
Bear Fire - Stories and Poems about Bears Spring,
1992 |
|
