Once when he was a young man and before he knew the country between the Kuskokwim and the Yukon Alexander Isaac's uncle gave him some good advice. Before leaving on a trip by dogsled over to Akiachak he told him to let his leader take him in the direction he wanted to go whenever he was on unfamiliar trails. That way he wouldn't get lost.

When Alexander got to Akiachak he stayed there for a day, then a day later he started back home to the Johnson River. But along the way he forgot his uncle's advice and somehow made his dogs take a wrong turn and followed a trapping trail made by some Akiachak people. After awhile he noticed the country looked different and he realized he wasn't on the the right trail. Just before dark he came to a place where there was a blackfish trap and he decided to stop to camp for the night there just in case the weather got worse. He used some of the blackfish from the trap for himself and his dogs, then he turned in for the night.

The next morning while going back along the trail he'd followed the day before he met two guys coming his way probably to check their blackfish trap. Since he had been taught to always be honest, he told them he had used some of the fish for himself and his dogs. The men saw he was lost, so they told him to keep following their trail to a cabin where there was an old man living and he would give him instructions as to where to go from there to get home. He did this and then followed the old man's directions back to familiar country from where he could find his way home more easily.

From that time on he paid more attention to what older people said about taking notice of trail conditions, like the direction the grass pointed after the last storm in winter, and about running dogs on unfamiliar trails.

Alexander Isaac

Once when he was a young man and before he knew the country between the Kuskokwim and the Yukon Alexander Isaac's uncle gave him some good advice. Before leaving on a trip by dogsled over to Akiachak he told him to let his leader take him in the direction he wanted to go whenever he was on unfamiliar trails. That way he wouldn't get lost.

When Alexander got to Akiachak he stayed there for a day, then a day later he started back home to the Johnson River. But along the way he forgot his uncle's advice and somehow made his dogs take a wrong turn and followed a trapping trail made by some Akiachak people. After awhile he noticed the country looked different and he realized he wasn't on the the right trail. Just before dark he came to a place where there was a blackfish trap and he decided to stop to camp for the night there just in case the weather got worse. He used some of the blackfish from the trap for himself

and his dogs, then he turned in for the night.

The next morning while going back along the trail he'd followed the day before he met two guys coming his way probably to check their blackfish trap. Since he had been taught to always be honest, he told them he had used some of the fish for himself and his dogs. The men saw he was lost, so they told him to keep following their trail to a cabin where there was an old man living and he would give him instructions as to where to go from there to get home. He did this and then followed the old man's directions back to familiar country from where he could find his way home more easily.

From that time on he paid more attention to what older people said about taking notice of trail conditions, like the direction the grass pointed after the last storm in winter, and about running dogs on unfamiliar trails.

Alexander Isaac

A Long time ago during the wars among the tribes there were two boys from Takchak who were feared by many tribes. This was because of their strength and skills with the bow and arrow. The boys were known to nail a bear to a cottonwood tree with one arrow. They were also known to bow and arrow a swan for 12 miles, hitting it at one end of the muddy lakes and nailing it to Pilcher Mountain. Pilcher was know to the natives as Chuggerpak, and is located behind the village known today as Marshall.

In those days the river in front of Marshall was like a slough, and the two boys would go up Maserculiq (Willow Creek) to hunt. The sounds of their bows and arrows could be heard in Takohak (six miles away). The vibrations of their bow were powerful enough to kill snipes along the beach as the boys canoed on the slough.

As the years went by one of the brothers went up river above Takchak to camp with his wife. This was the time of the Thunderbird, known to us as Tengmiarpak (meaning big bird). The bird was so huge it could carry a man and his canoe or a white whale off in flight. The Thunderbird's nest is located 15 miles below Russian Mission. Even today the mountain is called Ungluq which means "nest of the Thunderbirds".

One fine day during the summer the wife of one of the brothers was cutting fish at the beach while he was tending his trap. Suddenly a Thunderbird swooped down and carried the wife off. In the past some times children were also carried off to be fed to the baby Thunderbirds.

With anger, the man with the powerful bow (known as Urlurpalik)climbed the mountain. When he got to the nest he found only his wife's head was left over for the two baby Thundersbirds. The man was so angry he took out his arrows and killed off the baby birds. Then the mother attacked. But the boy was quick and warded off the attacks. When the battle was all over Urlurpalik had cuts on his arms from the talons of the bird, but he had managed to kill the mother Thunderbird who rolled down the mountain into the Yukon. While waiting around for the father Thunderbird to return the boy observed many skeletons of bears and people, and even a whale. There were also many remains of broken canoes. When the father Thunderbird arrived the boy was hiding behind a rock. He took out his arrows and shot the father Thunderbird in the breast many times. It flew up north and has never seen since then.

Tanegerpak
Blackberry or Curlewberry
Empetrum nigrum

Found They are found on the mountain side and tundra.

Edible: Yes.

Preparation & Use We pick them in the fall and use them for ice cream or akutaq.

Credit Agnes Aguchak

Interviewed by Cliff K.

Tanya Andrew
Clerk

Tanya Lynn Andrew was born in Bethel in 1978, and she grew up in Bethel and Marshall. She attended school in Bethel and here. She graduated from Marshall High School in May, 1997.

Tanya has been working in the Co-op Store since January, 1997, and plans to work there until she gets a better job or goes to Job Corps. She enjoys her job because she gets to meet new people, and because she likes working with numbers. She got the job because she loved math, and working as a clerk has to do with numbers. She needed experience in high school math before she could get her job, and she also had to have a high school diploma. The job keeps her stimulated because she has to do a lot of stocking, pricing, looking for expired products, and taking care of customers. The best thing about her job is working with the cash register, and the worst thing is when one of the clerks is gone and there are a lot of people who want to buy stuff.

Tanya has a son named Nolan Thomas Andrew and a husband, John. She says, "When I go home tired, John knows it and stays home with me. But when I'm not tired, he goes out."

Rose Lynn Fitka

Tarnaq
Cow Parsnip
Heracleum lanatum

Found They are found in gullies on mountain sides.

Edible Yes.

Preparation and Use In spring and summer, we peel their stems and eat them raw with seal oil.

Credit: Agnes Aguchak

Interviewed by: Clifford Kaganak