Arctic Survival
ANAKTUVUK PASS HUNTERS LET DOGS PACK GAME HOME
By Howard Rock
1 Times Editor
Out of the east, on a beautiful
sunny day at Anaktuvuk Pass, ap
peared a hunter on the slope of a
valley. All one could see was the
upper part of his body showing
above waist high growth of willows.
As he came closer to the village
there could be seen four dogs trod
ding along with him. The dogs were
laden with butchered and quarter
ered caribou meat tucked in caribou
skin saddle bags. The hunter had
killed three caribou and the durable
malemute dogs had carried the en- i
tire quartered carcasses to the vil
lage.
Out of the Past
The hunter had used the modern
rifle to get the caribou but he was
Utilizing an ancient method of trans
porting caribou takes during sum
mer time. The people there had
adapted the malemute dog as a pack
animal. The sturdy dog can carry
UP to 100 pounds of meat.
Trained Dogs
The dogs have to be thoroughly
trained to do this work. They have
to be trained to hold their ground
While the hunter stalks caribou. The
first instinct of the dogs is to dash
after the animals which results in
the stampede of the herd. This dis
rupts the chances of the hunter.
“Some hunters take as many as
ten dogs and take home as many as
Six or seven butchered caribou. I
usually take six dogs and that is a
good average.” said Simon Paneak.
president of the Anaktuvuk Pass
Council.
Simon Paneak, rugged, intelli
gent, and active leader of his peo
ple, is 63 years old. Being no dif
ferent than other older people any
where, Simon lamented. “The young
er generation today does not take
rhe trouble to train the dogs. In
the old days, we always had good
pack dogs. They didn’t run off and
chase caribou herds and stampede
them as they do today. Improperly
trained dogs make it that much
harder to hunt. Good dogs stay
where you tell them to stay no
matter how many caribou there are
around you.”
Vital Animal
Life at Anaktuvuk Pass revolves
around the caribou, the animal that
[ has been so vitally important in I
their survival. They eat and talk
caribou.
As the Taqeoqmiut (salt water
! people, as the Anaktuvuk people
call the coastal Eskimos) at Barrow
or Point Hope talk about whaling
adventures in every detail, the men
of Anaktuvuk Pass talk about their
exploits in hunting of the caribou.
With the intimate knowledge of
the land around them, the tellers of
the adventures can relate stories
j telling exactly where they happened
and how, therefore making them
interesting to their listeners. They
point out landmarks, certain bends
t of rivers, or a huge crag on a cer
tain side of a mountain.
Great Adaptation
These are the people who, per
haps, have made a complete adap
tation to the caribou culture. To
what extent the animal is used there
is remarkable. Besides food, it is
used for shelter, bedding, footwear,
Barrow News
Barrow Men Visit Inuvik;
See Modern Northern Town
By Gl'Y OKAKOK
Barrow Correspondent
I went over to see Lawrence Strat
ton, an engineer. Division of Avia
tion man. There, in Alfred Hopson’s
Cafe, men were appointing people
Who would want to volunteer to go
to Inuvik. N.W.T., above Aklavik.
Stratton, whom I work for, asked
trie if 1 would like to go up to Inu
vik. I told him. “You’re the boss.
I’ll go if that is the way you
W7ant it.”
Few men, already volunteers. 1
were there. I went along with them
Without even going home. We left
that very day. about nine of us.
from Barrow. Mostly all Eskimos i
except E. Rice from University of
Alaska in Fairbanks.
It took us four and half hours
to get there, of course we been j
fighting against the wind. We land
ed and went in to town. The town
must be around ten miles away.
Modern Town
After we all had dinner, Dr.
Kice took us out and looked at the
village. We went around and found
the village well settled—good mod
ern town, streets laid out well and
even sewage system and running
Water very well built.
They told me that in 60 below
Eero last winter, the sewage pipe 1
that runs out to the river, didn’t
freeze and this thing was above
ground too.
Eskimos there in Inuvik, were
Well fixed. Town there in Inuvik,
is clean. The people treated us very
nicely and gave us place to sleep.
Very next day, we took off for
Barrow.
Townsite Survey
Bureau of Land Management boys.
Who are surveying in this town are
sure busy. They said about 90
houses were to be moved, probably
this coming fall. Several people. I
mean owners, don’t like it at all.
[jfcut I think it has to be that way.
The street is already lined up and
! I suppose they have to continue
! yet on letting out the lots. The
boys even work on Sundays so that
they could get more done before
it freezes.
New Runway
Man, oh man, the airport that we j
people wanted all these years is
really going now. Central Construe- !
tion’s crews really going hauling
gravel from the beach. The run- |
way is 150 feet wide and 5000 feet j
long. They have lots to do yet and !
I just heard they are going to have
two shifts going soon as possible.
They won’t finish this winter be
cause they will want to put another
layer over this first haul. Stratton
and I have been surveying on some
places. Also from each haul, we been
sending the soil test down to Fair
banks.
The way is looks to us, is, that
our new airport will be a good one
because the gravel they haul to this
is a fine grade.
When you went to work in the
morning, walking to the last dump
is a good exercise and I like it
very much.
North Star Left
This is the first time North Star
ever stayed in so long. Now, after
the wind died down a litle, they
started to unload cargos off her. It
took them about a week to unload.
The sailors on board her really
were happy to leave as they want
to go back home to be with their
families.
Golden Valley
Golden Valley Electric crews are
on their way now as soon as their
property got off the North Star. Now
they are really going. People here in
Barrow want their power in as
quick as possible.
Readers, Be Patient
Readers of the Tundra Times
wherever you are. the next story
I will put out will be something
that lot of you people always want
to know. Only be patient, folks. You
will read it.
baby booties, snovvshoe lacings, tal
low lamps, pack dog saddles, and
many other uses.
It is little wonder that the people
of the Pass have built a culture
around the caribou. The Nunamiut
(land people) consider themselves
somewhat apart from the coastal
Eskimos. In the remote past they
had chosen to live in that area deep
in the Brooks Range where caribou
are plentiful. Building a culture
around the animal was a natural
thing for them to do.
Nomadic People
The people of Anaktuvuk Pass did
not always live in the present per
manent settlement. They were a
nomadic people. This mode of life
had gone on until 1948, when they
finally made steps to establish a
village.
Strangely enough, science seems
to have been one of the motivating
forces in the establishment of Anak
tuvuk Pass. In 1947, Dr. Lawrence
Irving, working out of Arctic Re
search Laboratory at Barrow, made
a trip into the Brooks Range to
study birds and animals of the area.
Birth of the Village
The group, piloted by Sig Wien,
president of Wien Alaska Airlines,
landed at Chandler Lake where they
met Simon Paneak, Elijah Kakena,
Frank Rulland. and their families.
Conversations followed on many
things, including scientific research.
To pursue this, it was apparently
mentioned that if the Eskimos of
the area would congregate in one
settlement, scientific knowledge
could be obtained much more read
ily.
Considerable income from scien
tists did result through the ensuing
years because Anaktuvuk Pass and
the area around it lended itself as
one of ideal locations for scientific
research.
Stabilization
During the conversations, an air
strip was presumably mentioned.
This, along with other subjects
talked about, no doubt, influenced
the Eskimos of the area to choose
Anaktuvuk Pass as the site for a
permanent village. Subsequently, an
airstrip was built by Wien Alaska
Airlines, A Presbyterian church
was erected and later, the State
established a school.
The building of these facilities
had definite stabilizing influences.
The resulting air freight also had
much effect. Families from Tuluak
Lake and other areas began to move
to Anaktuvuk Pass. Soon 70 people
settled in the village.
Of course, the main reason for
the location of Anaktuvuk Pass was
its easy accessibility to the caribou
herds. Large numbers of this ani
mal migrate through the pass.
Apt Research Aids
From the beginning. Dr. Lawrence
QUALIFY?
The Joint Board of U.S. Civil
Service Examiners. Fort Wain
wright, Alaska, announces open
competitive examination for career
conditional appointment for the fol
lowing position: Air Compressor Re
pairer, W-IO.
No written test is required. This
announcement is issued to establish
a register of eligibles from which
future vacancies will be filled.
Further information and neces
sary forms may be obtained from
the Executive Secretary, ..Yukon
Army-Air Force Joint Board of U.S.
Civil Service Examiners. Fort Wain
wright, Fairbanks, Alaska.
CUFF'S BARBERSHOP
423 2nd Ave.
Fairbanks, Alaska
Cliff Cundy
Irving found the Nunamiut very |
cooperative as well as valuable re- !
search aids. He particularly praised j
them for their vast knowledge of
many species of birds. He credits i
them in this manner:
“The Eskimos of Anaktuvuk Pass '
have been very helpful to science.
This is because scientists can go in
there, and live with them in a very
relaxed manner, and learn the
things the Eskimos already know.
They have been most cooperative.”
Rugged and Charming
The people of Anaktuvuk are as
rugged as the country around them
but they are friendly and charming.
They live in close harmony with na
ture that has been bountiful to them
and has generously furnished their
food—the caribou.
Great Hunters
Needing this animal for survival,
the men are probably the greatest
caribou hunters in the world. They
have intimate knowledge of its be
havioral pattern. They know how
the weather influences it. They
know when and how to get it. This
great knowledge of the animal is a
tradition passed down from genera
tion to generation.
The importance of this animal is
evident today at Anaktuvuk Pass.
The training of young caribou hunt
ers is going on there as it had since
ages of the past. They have to be
good, if not great hunters. They
have to fit into the Eskimo philos
ophy, “be a great hunter and you
will have the respect and acclaim
of your people.”
This hunting philosophy of the
Eskimos is firmly established in the
lives of the Nunamiut. Their very
existence is geared to the taking of
the caribou. To them, it is life tcday
and life tomorrow. It’s a culture—
a way of life.
Uncertain Future
Today, life at Anaktuvuk Pass
faces an uncertain future. An om
inous pall of radiation has become
evident. The fallout, mainly from
the Russian and U.S. nuclear test
ing. is affecting the people through
their main source of food, the cari
bou. This animal eats lichens, the
plant that gets nourishment out of
the air and with it, the radioactive
fallout.
Serious and Delicate
It is obvious, that if the people
keep eating the caribou, the radia
tion count in their systems will con
tinue to increase if nuclear testing
is kept up by the world powers.
Perhaps science can solve the prob
lem. Perhaps the world powers will
refrain from further testing. Per
haps a workable plan can be con
ceived that will be beneficial to the
people. Something will have to be
done because at the present rate of
radioactive fallout, the entire Arc
tic food chain is being endangered.
The situation at Anaktuvuk Pass
is a delicate matter, one that has
the ingredients to destroy the spirit
and will of the people if it is not
handled with care. It is not the
problem to be left alone until some
harm has been done to the people.
Confusion
There is another deplorable situa
tion in connection with radiation.
There is a persistence of conflicting
evaluation by scientists about the
seriousness of the effect of radio
active fallout on human beings.
Some say it is not serious and oth
ers say it needs immediate atten
tion.
This sad situation is indeed a dis
service to the people who are di
rectly concerned with the probable
adverse effect of radiation. Little
people are confused as well as the
governor of Alaska, William A.
Egan, who recently remarked,
“Whom are we to believe?”
The Anaktuvuk Pass problem
calls for honest evaluation instead
of silly, childish bickerings of our
learned scientists who persist in
saying, “‘Tis not neither.” and “‘Tis
too.”
It seems to be about time when a
fatherly hand is brought to bear
upon the scientists and make them
cooperate. There is no room for
bickering when an apparently dan
gerous situation exists that threat
ens the great Arctic food chain.
Ironically, this threat is caused by
one of science’s great discoveries—
the splitting of the atom and its
dangerous side product, the radio
active fallout.
Aleut Goes AWOL; But Service
Saw Duty Above Army Needs
FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska —
Alaskan tribal customs and the de
mands of the Army conflicted for
a few days this month. The Army
once again proved it does, for all
its size and machineliko efficiency,
have a heart. Allowances were made
and the Aleut private emerged un
scathed from his conflict of duties.
Private Vincent Kvasnikoff is the
son of the chief of the Aleuts living
in the isolated fishing village of
English Bay, Alaska. He had re
turned to his home to visit his
mother, father and 12 younger
brothers and sisters after complet
ing his basic infantry training at
Fort Ord. California.
When Kvasnoikoff’s leave time
expired, he dutifully returned to
Fort Richardson to await military
transnortation to his duty station,
Fort Hood, Texas.
While in Anchorage, Vincent re
ceived an emergency radio call
from his father, Chief Sarjus Kvas
nikoff. Chief Kvasnikoff had re
turned to his village after two
weeks at sea in a small boat fish
ing for salmon. He found his wife,
Juanita, seriously ill.
Unable to leave the village and
his children, Chief Kvasnikoff
called on Vincent. As eldest son of
the chief, it was his duty to his
tribe and to his family to return
to English Bay where he was
needed.
When Kvasnikoff Sr. brought his
wife to Anchorage to the native
hospital he stopped at the Bureau
of Indian Affairs office and ex
plained his son’s predicament to his
advisor, Lado A. Kozely, Kozely
telephoned Captain John Tamraz, U.
S. Army. Alaska troop information
officer at Fort Richardson.
The Chief explained to Captain
Tamraz that Vincent’s next problem
was lack of money to get away from
English Bay. Mrs. Kvasnikoff had
within a week recovered enough to
return to the village and the family
could again spare Vincent. But the
extra trip from Anchorage to the
village had drained his resources.
Captain Tamraz, and his boss,
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas R.
Wheeler, again took the initiative,
found what the commercial air far*
was from the village to Anchorage,
and started a fund. Within the hour
enough money had been donated to
commercially fly the Aleut private
to Anchorage.
Telephone calls and wires front
Alaska to Fort Hood were relayed,
establishing that Kvasnikoff was
absent without leave (AWOL>, but,
because of the special circumstances
was entitled to emergency leave
time.
Almost a month late Private
Kvasnikoff left this week to report
for duty at Fort Hood. Tribal and
family difficulties resolved, he is
once again free to turn his attention
to his military duties.
J