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Yup'ik Raven This collection of student work is from Frank Keim's classes. He wants to share these works for others to use as an example of culturally-based curriculum and documentation. These documents have been OCR-scanned and are available for educational use only.


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If I Were A Fox

Splash! Mud and water rained over me followed by a loud bang! I looked with great surprise to see a man in orange shoot at me. I sprinted for the willows. Pausing near a thicket of trees, I listened for the hunter with my heart pounding with fear. Blood pumped through my ears so hard I heard a thumping noise along with the noise of the hunter following me through the trees. I ran and ran until he was no longer in sight, and until I couldn't hear him anymore.

When I stopped at the entrance to my den and sat down on my left hind leg, I saw that my right leg was hot with blood. I licked the wound, tasting the blood of my own flesh. The taste sent hunger pains to my stomach. The wound was sore and it ached terribly. The fastest I could move was a slow limp. The wound grew very sensitive and began to swell. And each day I grew weaker and more hungry. But I searched for food each day anyway. And food came once or twice a day, and I never got thirsty.

When the cold weather of January came, it stung the wound each and every time I would unshield it to catch a bite to eat. But time passed and I grew stronger and stronger as the days grew warmer and warmer. The way I walk though, was scarred on me for life from the bullet that almost took my life. Every day now I head for a place where there is a lot of dead stuff to munch on. During the evening is when I go to this place. I eat anything from flesh to bread. There are just about all the flavors I could think of. Some of them burn, some are sweet, and some taste like crap. They come in white flexible material that tears with ease, although I try to avoid this kind of food most of the time.

One day while walking across the tundra to the place I loved, "Zoom!" a snowmachine ran over me at a speed of more than 50 mph. It took away my breath, but I got up and ran off the road only to pass out there a little while later. After that, nothing has been the same anymore. Now, I live an eternal life here in the 5th dimension of earth. Electrons and other charged particles collect on me when I move around, allowing animals to sense me when I come close to them. Eternal life isn't as exciting but I am glad to be here.

by: Gary Kameroff


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