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Nick's New Experience:Nick's New
Experience
On the 7th of January after Russian Xmas, the day after church services, Nick Isaac, his wife, Oxie, two children, Dennis and Katrina, traveled to Kwethluk with his dad, Alexander, and brother, Jacob, on another snowmachine. Dennis and Katrina were wrapped in sleeping bags in the sled. They first rode up to Ohogamiut, then across the river through portages, sloughs, lakes, hills and through a valley until they came to the tundra. They used the old dog team trail his father knew. It took them eight hours to go over and another eight hours to come back. They stayed in a village called Akiachak and went across to Kwethlukto attend church services. During the morning and evening they attended the church services at Kwethluk. After they were over Nick took a maqi, and he said the men at Kwethluk wanted to cook' a Yukon man. They stayed in Kwethluk for one night and the next day they went back over to Akiachak. Nicks cousin John W. George was kind enough to bring Nick and his family to Kwethluk and back to Akiachak with his truck. When he was in Kwethluk he became a Sub Deacon. He said this was done in the morning before the Divine Liturgy. He had to approach the Russian Orthodox Bishop with two Sub Deacons one on each side of him. The Bishop laid his hands on Nick's head and read prayers. Then he cut pieces of his hair in the form of a cross and made him read from a chapter in the Bible called the Epistles. In Akiachak Nick and his family went starring. He said they were so strict there the kids weren't allowed to go in or out of the houses. They were to be quiet and behave. Only the elders, singers and strangers ate at the table and the rest of the people ate while standing or sitting on the floor. There were a lot of singers there, and it made him feel like he was in heaven on earth with all the voices. Everyone was into singing. Nick said he would like to go over to the Kuskokwim for Slavik again sometime. "It's a real good experience because it's different and the singers are LOUD," he commented. By: Nick Isaac
Interviewed by: Carmen Pitka | |
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