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Native Pathways to Education
Alaska Native Cultural Resources
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Indigenous Education Worldwide
 

Yup'ik RavenMarshall 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.

 

 

 

 

!Frostbite!

 

One day in March of 1991 we went to Kalskag for the annual winter carnival and city league basketball tournament. We also went over to visit my wife's relatives and watch some dog races. Besides me, there were my wife and our two children, Dennis and Katrina. At Kaiskag we met up with our son, Joseph, who was 15 at the time. He had hitched a ride to Kalskag with one of his friends.

A couple of days later we got up early and prepared for the long ride home. Then Oxie's grandpa came by and commented, "This weather is hunting someone." I thought, "Oh, he's just trying to keep us here for an extra day or two." The sky was overcast but there was only a slight wind, so I piled my wife and kids into the sled, tied it down, then started my old Jag and warmed it up.

After we came out onto the tundra it started to snow. It was the type of wet snow that sticks to your face. I thought about turning back but I had to get back to Marshall to go to work the next day, so I didn't.

Between Kalskag and High Portage, about 15 miles, there's nothing but lakes and flat tundra. Somewhere along the way I lost the trail, but I kept going. One time I stopped and looked at my compass, then headed north, which I later found out was 90 degrees away from the direction we were supposed to go.

We headed back following our trail, but about a mile later I lost it in the storm. I took my compass out again and started heading south. About an hour later my snowmachine stopped. I tried to start it, changed the spark plugs, but the darn thing still wouldn't start. When the wind calmed down I took the carburetors apart and cleaned them, put them back together and tried to start the machine again. But it still wouldn't start, so I told my wife we'd have to find a place to camp. About a hundred yards away there was a small island of trees, and we unhitched our sled and dragged it toward them. A few minutes later the storm stopped and it started to clear up. When we looked around we saw the small mountains behind Kalskag.

Joseph decided to walk back to Kalskag to get help. After trying to convince him not to go, he finally left, and we stayed behind and made camp. I built a fire and prepared spruce bows for bedding. I used a tarp for our tent and, since we had sleeping bags, prepared a place to sleep. After eating, I got some wood together and kept the fire going all night. The next morning it was very cold and clear, so we decided it would be best if we walked toward Kalskag. We started walking, and I had to force Katrina to walk once in awhile to keep her warm. I warned my wife and Dennis not to eat snow even though they were thirsty. About two hours later we were picked up by searchers from Kalskag. Joseph was then taken to Bethel to be treated for severe exposure. I had a big patch of frostbite on my face that looked like a map of Alaska. But the main thing is, we survived!

 

By: Nick Isaac

Interviewed by: Carmen Pitka

!Frostbite!

!Frostbite!

Fair Weather Hunting

- Nick Fitka Sr./Carmen Pitka

Blown off the Airstrip

- Palassa Fitka/Chris Fitka

A Fun Slide/A Big Wheelie

- Frances Evan/Garrett Evan

Stuck in a Snow Storm

- Leo Fitka/Chris Fitka

A Week In Togiak Bay

- Florence Peter/Tanya Peter

A Bad Blizzard

- Natalia George/Theresa George

Excitement on the Yukon

- Ellen Alstrom/Fred Alstrom

Walking Back to Marshall

- Joseph Peter/Tanya Peter

Lost In The Ocean

- Juliana B. Fitka/Gerilyn Fitka

Lost On The Flats

- Liza Busch/Ben Peteroff

Circling Marshall

- Nus Turet/Olga Moxie

Lost in a Blizzard

- Frank Coffee/Carmen Pitka

When Angeline Said Her Prayers

- Angeline Coffee/Fred Alstrom

Deep Snow

- David Evan/Ben Peteroff

Dave's Snowy Trapping Trip

- David Fitka/Fred Alstrom

The Whiteout

- Lena Sergie/Gerilyn Fitka

A Rough Ride to Boreal

- Roberta Fitka/Tanya Peter

Big Waves

- Jacob Isaac/Olga Moxie

We Forgot!

- Annie Hunter/Theresa George

Frostbite!

- Nick Isaac/Carmen Pitka

The White Out

- Terri Manumik/Gerilyn Fitka

!TORNADO!

- Richard Olsen/Chris Fitka

Two Days in the Fog

- Andy Boots/Tanya Peter

Paul Survived to Tell the Story

- Paul Boots/Theresa George

White Out!

- Frank Keim

 

Authentic Student Stories

 

Stories by Parents
and Community

 

Stories by Elders

 

Stories by the Elementary

 

Creative Student Stories

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

 

 
 

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Last modified August 24, 2006