Breaking the Ice

The weather has been warming up some recently and it's actually been in the high 40's and low 50's lately. Still it takes a long time for 5 - 6 feet of ice to melt and clear out of the bay. Well this week, the firm ice pack that I so comfortably rode my bike on to go ice fishing, finally broke up and started clearing out of the bay. I didn't realize how much I missed open water until I saw the frigid blue water and the ripping outgoing tide pushing all the mini icebergs out to sea.

Jamie and I hiked up to an overlook where we could see out to the mouth of the bay as well as the ice still packed pretty tightly around the head of the bay. It was about 45 degrees and around 10 pm when these pictures were taken.

Many of the men and boys have been going out seal hunting for the past couple of weeks. Students actually get excused absences, called traditional leave, to go out and seal hunt to contribute towards part of their subsistence lifestyle. Apparently there is the possibility of seeing a seal or beluga whale in the small bay during this time of year as well. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.












It is so nice to see water again!










This picture has an old cemetary from the village in the fore ground with one of the wind powered generators in the back ground. Kind of mixing a little old with the new. Apparently there are human skulls that can be seen in this graveyard, but I didn't want to go digging to find them. I was worried about being haunted just for taking this picture.





This is a picture of fish drying racks that they make to hang their herring, Salmon, and other fish from to dry them for later use. I recently had a chance to try some cooked dried herring and it was the strongest fishy tasting fish I have ever eaten. I couldn't even finish it, but I ate enough to let people know that I really tried to like it.



Here is Jamie, enjoying a cool north wind on top of the bluff just outside of town.




Well, that is all for now. I have almost survived my first year of teaching out here. I have only 5 more days of teaching to go. It's definitely been a challenging year for me, but I have also had many rewards that have helped me to decide to teach here next year as well.

I'm excited to see many friends down in the lower 48 over the summer.
Thanks for reading.
Dirk

The Prom

You would not have know that you were in a remote fishing village in Western Alaska if you were at the Nelson Island High School prom last week. Of course once you stepped outside the gym, you would slapped back to reality pretty quickly.

Our prom was held for all students in grades 7 - 12. About 65 people attended, which included a lot of people from other villages. For many people, it became a reunion of familiar faces that used to attend Nelson Island School and other people that were from the community.

The students were totally decked out from head to toe. Gents had all their bling bling out on display with a nice button down shirt or vest. A couple of guys even sported a penguin suit. The girls were all dressed up as well, wearing their fancy and elegant dresses.

Jamie and I attended even though I was feeling very sick that day and was tempted to stay home, but I caught a quick 3 hour nap and popped a couple of Alkaseltzer Cold Plus tablets and was good to go until about 2 am. After everyone left, I hung out with the DJ and the two site administrators for some good laughs about how everyone in the village drinks and that if anyone should be allowed to drink, it should be the teachers. That day is a tiny speck far, far down the road of possibilities. Anyway, a good time was had by all.

Thanks for reading,
Dirk

Stepping Out

I decided that this weekend I was going to get my work finished early so that I may enjoy some other more time consuming endeavors. Therefore, I packed up my backpack and headed out for just an overnight. The first trick I had to figure out was how to sneak out of the village without being seen. That proved easier than anticipated. Even the group of kids playing basketball as I passed the outside court, didn't even acknowledge my presence. I just didn't want any kids trying to track me down with snow machines or 4 wheelers to play late night pranks.

I hiked around our back yard mountain ridge to be shielded from the bitter North wind already starting to pick up. My goal was to get away from the village view point, so that I truly felt alone and away from things. Finally I found a camping spot, that wasn't too windy, in the bottom of a huge bowl of mountains that surround me from the north. My second, more challenging obstacle, was trying to get my tent stakes into the frozen tundra. After about 2 - 3 attempts, I quickly revised my plan and moved to a patch of packed snow.

After my tent stabilized as much as possible, using multiple stakes in some corners, I hiked up towards the north ridge to get a better view of the landscape before the slowly approaching darkness overtook the day. The 20 - 30 mile per hour winds brought the overall temperature to about 12 - 15 degrees F. During the night, as the wind picked up, I thought that my tent might blow away with me inside it. With this a forboding possibility, another thought struck my mind. Surviving a storm! Storms out here are no joke. Winds of 50 - 70 miles an hour that could be driving snow, bring the temps down incredibly fast. You can find yourself in -20 degree temps or colder in no time at all. With this thought in mind, I considered peeing into a bottle so that I could drink my urine to stay warm if necessary. In the end, I opted not to.

Morning came and I only lost about 1 hour of sleep to my troubled thoughts of having to chase all my gear across the tundra in the strong winds. Packing up and not losing any gear in the morning wind required much focus and planning. Gear caught by the wind would likely never be seen again. Eventually I got packed up and started my journey back to the village, this time, up and over some of the hills to visit one of my favorite places...the thumb. Climbing the steep back sides of the hills, still covered with much snow, made me wish I had a snow board...and a chair lift of course.

I eventually made it back to my humble abode, unpacked my gear to dry, and fixed myself a hot breakfast. I hope you enjoyed my little outing as much as I did. It felt good to get out of town and away from phones and the rest of village life. Like disappearing for a short time.

Thanks for reading,
Dirk

Winter basketball

Well, the temperatures have finally cleared 0 degrees farenheit for more than a week and the kids are really getting shifty in their seats. To add to the high ampage of energy building in the early teenage bodies, they had to sit still and quiet for most of this week and take their SBA's (student based assessment tests). Therefore, when the idea of going outside to play basketball entered my mind, there was really no question. "All right kids, grab your coats!"

The outside basketball court isn't your traditional court to begin with. It is basically a giant deck with a basketball hoop at either end and a low wooden bench on one side. Now add about 2 feet of snow and you have yourself a real interesting basketball game.

Basically, it is just shoot around for about 20 minutes, but the kids come up with interesting games and rules that give the game an additional twist and make it more fun.

I like these activities, because it allows the kids to get rid of a little energy before I have to make them sit and listen for another two hours through Geography and Science.




The snow is starting to melt quickly, but I'm told that there will still be snow around in late May when I leave to fly home. I'm also told that the snow machines stay out until then as well. I've already seen people driving snow machines around on the dirt and mud. "We don't need no stinkin' snow"

On a different note, I'm looking forward to getting a short, nearby camping experience in before I fly home. Getting away from this developing country we call Toksook Bay and getting back to the wild Alaska that people say still exists. That may be my next blog entry. Stay tuned!

Dirk

NYO Toksook Invitational

I know that I made a weak attempt to explain the Native Youth Olympics (NYO) earlier on in my blogging history, but I have more pictures which will hopefully shed some light on these unique cultural games. Last weekend we had 12 schools from the Lower Kuskokwim School District visit Toksook for this invitational meet. That's about an extra 120 students in the school than we are used to. Yikes!!!
The meet started off on Friday afternoon with the Kneel Jump. Basically athletes kneel at the line, similar to standing broad jump, and then try to jump forward off their knees as far as they can, without falling backwards. Sorry no pictures of this. The next event was the wrist carry. This event looks even more painful than the kneel jump, if you can imagine that. Athletes wrap their wrist over a thick dowel rod. Then they grab their forarm below the wrist and lift their entire body off the ground while two other students, any would be volunteer, carry them down to the other side of the gym and back again, or as long as the athletes can hang on. It just doesn't look enjoyable.
The next few events are difficult to get good pictures for, especially with my picture quality challenged camera. The two foot high kick (kick a ball or small stuffed animal skin about the size of a grapefruit suspended in the air with two feet and land on two feet again), the one foot high kick (kick a suspended ball with one foot and land on that same foot again), the toe kick, and the Alaskan High Kick. These last two events are other ones that just look difficult and dangerous. Let's start with toe kick. Athletes stand behind a line (standing broad jump). There is a dowel rod lying on the floor in front of them, maybe 24 inches to 80 inches. They have to jump out and kick the dowel rod, just with their toes, so that the stick rolls straight back and the athlete still lands with both of their feet together. Look at the picture on the right and you can see a blur of a jumper with toes just touching the stick. If an athlete jumps successfully, the stick gets moved farther out. Our state champion can toe kick over 80 inches.

The next event is the Alaskan High Kick. This is an event that you might have some trouble with the first time. Athletes have to kick a stuffed animal skin (ball) suspended at a certain height while holding a foot with one hand and using the other hand to elevate the body. I guess a picture may help with this image. This picture of Simeon here is showing winning technique. Simeon is an 8th grader that took first in the high school competition. His technique and ability is pretty amazing. If athletes are successful at kick the ball, they still have to land on the foot they kicked with and not fall over.

Now that brings us to one hand reach. One hand reach is similar to Alaskan High Kick in a couple of ways. One reason is that you have to support yourself on one hand and you can't fall over. The main difference is that you have to reach for the suspended stuffed animal skin (ball) with the other hand instead of a foot. It requires the most balance and concentration, I think. This student from the village of Oscarville was the winner by a long shot. She had great technique and was fun to watch.

Other events at the games were the Seal hop, Eskimo stick pull, and the Indian stick pull. The seal hop is another entertaining and torturous event that most people would not even want to try. This event is unique because athletes actually compete at the same time. Its a race of endurance. Athletes have to start behind a line in the down position of the push up position with their chest just above the ground. While staying the down position, they have to use their arms and toes to hop forward repeatedly until they collapse form exhaustion. The whole time athletes are hopping, their backs have to be straight and their hips and but have to stay even with their shoulders. They guys have to hop with their first knuckles curled under their hands where the ladies get to hop on their full palms. I've tried it and it is tiring. It also causes blisters and raw skin on your knuckles, but it is a great workout. The two stick pull events are not quite so interesting to watch, but the idea is still very unique. Here is my friend Deanna with an already greased up stick that is used for the Indian Stick Pull. She got to make sure the stick had enough grease on it and I got to judge who won each match. It's a dirty job, but somebody has got to do it. Thanks Deanna!

Well, This is probably one of the longest blogs I've posted. I hope you have enjoyed following me through an NYO meet. It' s a spectacle to watch, but it is taken very seriously up here. Each event is based on a specific tradition from their cultural history, many of which I don't understand or haven't learned about yet. I don't think that any of these events will ever make it to the World Olympics, but then again, have you ever watched curling?

Thanks for reading,
Dirk

Eternal Johnny Cash

So the most recent exciting event that I took part in was the Nelson Island High School talent show. This is the kind of event where all the students are embarassed to perform so they don't sign up, but they all love to watch people. Here in lies the problem. With no one signed up, there is nothing to watch. A couple of students get the picture, so they eventually sign up for something. There were quite a few adults that signed. I just signed up in case there weren't enough acts to get the talent show going in the first place.

There were a couple of small dance groups (Yup'ik dance that is). A couple of parents and other staff members did a little skit. One teacher played some Beethoven on his cheeks (not butt cheeks) and then played his harmonica while his Australian Shepherd dog howled with distaste.

And yes, I played some guitar. And what other inspiration should I have other than Johnny Cash, so I came out strong with a little Folsom Prison Blues. I've sang it enough in Kareoke competitions and I've been practicing it on guitar, so I figured I could hold my own.

Well, I finished the intro and started stumming and all of the sudden all the young students and some adults in the bleachers started clapping, which kind of threw me off at first, but I went with it. I gotta admit, that the guitar solo didn't go quite so smoothly and some students were able to recognize that I kind of screwed it up a little. Most people thought it was great though. Well, after the show was over, TJ (our principal) talked with the judges and got up to hand out the prize money. Third place got $25, second place got $50, and first place walked away with $100 cash. I knew that people really enjoy Johnny Cash in this region of Alaska, but I didn't expect to walk away with Benjamin Franklin in my pocket.

Some of the student acts were really funny and good, but apparently Johnny took the show. TJ admited that I kind of stole the show as well, which was a good thing. Anyway, the man in black isn't dead in Toksook Bay by any means. I don't remember Johnny having to look directly at his strings when he was playing though. Students are still coming up to me and calling me Johnny Cash, which I humbly admit that I'm just an imposter. They still enjoy it.

Until the next big adventure....
Thanks for reading,
Dirk

Yup'ik Dance Festival

There are many advantages to living and teaching in Toksook Bay. It is a beautiful area, but it is also one of the largest villages in the Yukon - Kuskokwim Delta, so if there are any large cultural events, they are likely to happen in Toksook. In the fall there is the Blackberry Festival and in the spring there is the Yup'ik Dance Festival. Now it doesn't compare to the Portland Beer Festival or other large events down in the lower 48, but remember where I am. I live in the most rural part of the United States, so when 300 - 350 people from other villages come to celebrate Yup'ik Dancing, it is a huge ordeal. The total population of Toksook is only 600 people, so imagine Portland increasing its population by 50 % for a big event.
There were about 6 - 8 villages that came to celebrate, visit friends, and dance for three days. Walking up to the highschool the first sign that tells you something is going on is about 30 - 40 snow machines (mobiles) parked outside the school in a pretty free frawl manner. All the people that come to Toksook usually have friends or family they stay with. The village also pulls together an incredible amount of merchandise and supplies that are given to the visiting dancers on the last day of the festival.



There is everything from gas cans, coolers, material for Qaspaqs (traditional woman's dress), animal pelts, food, and general supplies. Someone made a nice wooden sled to give away. Sleds are used kind of like a trailer that you pull behind your snow machine. There was even a nice wood stove that could be used inside a house or steam house.









The dancing is the main event though. People are dancing from about 1 - 2 pm until about 12 midnight every night. Yup'ik dancing is set up in a very specific and cultural format. Typically, the men are in the front, kneeling and the women stand in the back. The drummers are in the very back of the dance group. They are also singing the words to the song as well as keeping the beat with their drums. Generally a song will start out soft and quiet. Dancers will go through the motions rather lethargically. The drummers will either call out "Pumya", which means again, or they will just keep drumming and start the song over. Songs will usually be repeated about 3 - 6 times and each time, the drumming and singing gets louder. The dancers respond by becoming more active. Men bob up and down on their knees and women start really bending their knees with the rhythm. I saw one man getting into the beat so much that he was actually jumping into the air from his knees to the beat.


This man was the most animated dancer I have ever seen. He had the whole crowd laughing hysterically with his exagerated motions. He was incredibly athletic and amazing to watch.


Well, keep saving your money and maybe you can witness this incredible event yourself next year. Until then, stay tuned to dirksan for more updates from the frozen winter lands of Alaska.
Enjoy!