ALASKA NATIVES COMMISSION
JOINT FEDERAL-STATE COMMISSION
ON
POLICIES AND PROGRAMS AFFECTING
ALASKA NATIVES
4000 Old Seward Highway, Suite 100
Anchorage,
Alaska 99503
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Witness List | PDF
Version
FATHER ELLIOTT: Yes, sir, if you would tell us your name and where you're from.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN PAUK
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: John Pauk wanted to participate in this meeting here, because he don't speak English. But the people in the village urged to come over here, because he knows about subsistence way of life.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: The first testimony he was going to -- he's going to give out is that he -- the way he was brought up by his parents.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: When he was young man, of course,
as, you know, being young man, he was reckless. And yes, he
does used to drink a lot and he used to drink heavy. But when
he got married, his parents told him, the alcohol is -- doesn't
have no future. The -- if you continue to drink alcohol, his
wife wouldn't be with him.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Because he respected his parents, before the year end, he quit drinking, he quit drinking alcohol. Because his parents told him that if you really, really love your wife, that you're going to stop drinking alcohol, which he did before the year was end.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Because of the respect of -- because he respects his parents, that he quit drinking, and then he was told by his parents, now that you have quit drinking alcohol, and when you start raising children, because you don't drink alcohol, your children will respect you and then they won't drink -- your children won't drink front of you.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Because he followed his parents' lectures, he know now today, when he thinks back, his children respected him. His word was the law in the house. And his children never drank any alcohol while they were with their parents. Now they're all, you know, spread all over, now they do what they want to do.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Nowadays he give a lecture to younger people about drinking and he tells them about his past, how he done it; and if the young people continue to use the alcohol, they will lose respect. And they won't respect anybody anymore, as he used to.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: That's end of his -- part of his testimony, and he'd like to actually tell it to young people.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Now, the second testimony is the problem in she Manokotak area. It's the moose hunting season up there. When the moose hunting season opens in this -- the other area, he'd like to see it open up there too.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: He knows for a fact, lot of people don't go moose hunting, even it's open, because it's so hard to get to from there. For past two years, he's been going some other place to go hunting, moose hunting. In fact, he goes to Aleknagik to go moose hunting, carrying an outboard with him. And he had to pay his outboard, besides his fare.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: This too is part of the testimony which I know we will get to. But the -- every trip's not prosperous. And every trip you take is a hardship to the individual.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: On that first trip he took -- on the last trip he took, like just a while ago, the first trip wasn't prosperous. He had spent a week up there and come home with -- emptyhanded, then he had to go back there following week.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: On the second trip of the following week, he -- on the hunt, he did get a moose. But when he got back to Aleknagik, of course he had to pay his fare, his motor, and then pay extra for his meat too, which is very high. So this year he didn't go hunting, because the cost of the trip.
FATHER ELLIOTT: Help me to understand. He has to take his outboard; how does he get a boat there, or is there a boat there waiting for him? I gather what you're saying is he flies with his outboard to this place, is this it?
MR. ABRAHAM: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Yes, there was -- he's got a cousin at Alekagik and he uses a boat up there.
FATHER ELLIOTT: I see. But takes his own outboard?
MR. ABRAHAM: Mm-hm (affirmative).
FATHER ELLIOTT: Thank you.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: That -- he'd like to see the moose season open in the area because of high costs of living, and the young ones, you know, like -- he'd like to see them hunting too.
FATHER ELLIOTT: What dates is he speaking about for the change?
MR. ABRAHAM: Well, see, it's a closed area.
FATHER ELLIOTT: Yes.
MR. ABRAHAM: You have no hunting season up there.
FATHER ELLIOTT: At all?
MR. ABRAHAM: Yeah, at all, yeah. So he'd like to see it opened, with -- there's some lines I can't -- you know, 17-C, whatever they are. When this area opens, he'd like to see that area open too.
MR. IRWIN: Pete, I have a question. What's the reason for no hunting as -- are the moose stocks so low that they can't, or is there some kind of park or refuge around there where there's -- it's not allowed? Or -- and if it's because the stocks are down, is that something perhaps commercial, big game hunting, or anything like that? Is that bringing pressure, or why is there a problem with the seasons being opened, do you know?
MR. ABRAHAM: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: He says there's plenty of moose in the area, because he's related to Aleknagik area anyway --
MR. IRWIN: Mm-hm (affirmative).
MR. ABRAHAM: -- it's only a few miles apart. So why not maybe just extend the line from there to there.
MR. IRWIN: Okay. All right.
MR. ABRAHAM: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: Another problem he has is down Igushik, why or how the Fish and Game regulates it.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: The reasons why, you know, when -- Igushik area down there, is there subsistence area down there for fish. The people that subsist there wish for the good weathers, not rainy weathers. So I guess the Fish and Game regulates it down there on just a date. When it's raining, blowing, the people don't fish because their fish will be spoiled. That's -- the people grumbles about it.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: I guess, you know, he wonders and he wishes that he tell -- passes on to the Fish and Game.
FATHER ELLIOTT: At Nome, we heard the same kind of complaint, and they were saying instead of setting dates, that they should give a number of days, and when the days were bad so they could not fish, that would not be counted. So instead of setting, we'll say -- I'll make up something, July the 4th to July the 24th; that would be the number of days, 20 days. But if they could not fish on five days, then the season would be extended to allow them to fish the full 20 days. Is this -- I think this is what I hear being asked now.
MR. ABRAHAM: I think that's very close to that. (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: I suggested when he goes home, that he gets the people together and have a petition signed up or suggestion and presented to local Fish and Game over here, how you done it in, you know, in Nome.
FATHER ELLIOTT: And send a copy, please, to the Commission. Send a copy of your petition to this Commission, the Alaska Native Commission.
MR. ABRAHAM: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: For his children at Igushik down there, he -- gather all the fish and dried all the fish, and gather them. And when they do go home back to the Manokotak, they distribute the catch they have among themselves, including him.
MR. PAUK: (Speaking Yupik.)
MR. ABRAHAM: That's all his testimony.
FATHER ELLIOTT: Thank you.
MR. IRWIN: Thank you.
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