CunUra CtmcS
Owned, controlled nnd edited by Tundra Times, Inc., a corporation of Alaska
natives. Published at Fairbanks, Alaska, twice monthly, on the first and third
Mondays. ___
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the Act of March 3, 1879. _
Tundra Times, Inc., publisher (Howard Rock, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler);
HOWARD ROCK, editor; Thomas Snapp, assistant editor; Vivian P. Spurgin, office
manager; contributing editors, Guy Okakok, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler.
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EDITORIAL
Education Plan
(Continued from Page 1)
eration of the State and BIA, as the State gradually takes
over the entire school system in Alaska. This will take quite
a -while but the mechanics of it have been laid on the table
for an orderly consolidation.
Back in November, 1961, at the first meeting of the
Inupiat Paitot, the assembly called for a regional high
school at Kotzebue, feeling that Mt. Edgecumbe was too
far away for Northwestern Alaska students because,
"more and more we have come to realize our loved ones
get too far away from us and lose control of their ways
when they return home."
The Governor's Committee has expressed sentiment
on the importance of home ties and has called for regional
high schools to be built in Kotzebue, Barrow, and Unala
kleet. High schools of 210 capacity have been approved
for Kotzebue and Barrow and the building of them will
start next year.
The call for contractual or cooperative arrangements
between secondary schools has unusually fine merit In
cases where spaces are not available for natives in BIA
schools, this would enable students to attend high school
away from home and board with approved families, fi
nanced either by the BIA or by the State with a Johnson
O'Malley contract.
There shouldn't be any doubt that the Over-all Educa
tin Plan will have approval of the natives of Alaska. The
education plan will provide equal educational opportuni
ties to all children with adequate facilities in all areas of
Alaska. With conscientious administration ,the long-range
plan should be a boon to Alaska as a whole.
EDITORIAL
Committees Needed
The need to form negotiating committees in villages
in the proposed Rampart Dam area has been pointed out
by the chairman of the Dena Nena Henash, Alfred Ketzler.
Tundra Times joins Ketzler in his concern for this need. If
they are not yet formed, we would like to urge the vil
lages in that area to get this very important matter done.
Such committees can play a vital role in pointing out
the villages' problems that will arise if the dam is author
ized. The problems will have to be evaluated and studied
before such an eventuality if and when it occurs. This
means, if they are not yet formed, they will have to be
formed as soon as possible. The committees can act as
spokesmen for their respective villages and act in liaison
for their people in meetings with services such as the
Corps of Engineers.
The Rampart area will be visited by many important
people in the near future. For instance, the main proponent
for the dam, Sen. Ernest Gruening, will be in that area
toward the end of this week. Commissioner Philleo Nash
is said to be making another trip to Alaska sometime
during the summer and is expected to visit there.
All these people, and others, will want to hear what
the Indians have on their minds in connection with the
proposed project.
It is emperative that the negotiation committees are
formed at the earliest possible date. To fail to do so might
result in being "left out in the cold" when settlements of
claims and damages are to be resolved.
NORTH STAR
AWARD
(In each Issue, the Tundra
Times will single out for a North
Star award one who has made an
outstanding accomplishment or
done a meritorious act.)
What a fine spectacle the Eskimo
Olympics was this year! The crowd
pleasing quality of it was very
much evident, and Fairbanks has
staged another obvious tourist at
traction for its future. Who do we
thank for this fine spectacle? Many
people are involved in this unique
production. Local businesses have
extended their fine services. Many
people have put in countless hours
toward its success.
In a production of this magnitude,
names will have to be mentioned,
those who worked hard to make it
a success that it was. Bud Hagberg
and Frank Whaley, of Wien Alas
ka Airlines, had much to do with
the inception and production of the
Eskimo Olympics. Hagberg is the
president of the Olympics Commit
tee and Whaley is the production
manager.
The Eskimo Olympics was first
planned back in 1960 and the first
performance was staged in July,
1961. The initial Olympics was a
success and the second in 1962 was
even better. The 1963 version was
an unqualified success. We feel it
was all of that and more.
“It is creating terrific interest in
the outlying districts.” said Frank
Whaley. “Here in Fairbanks, we
have had to turn people away all
three days of the performances.”
And no wonder: beautiful Eskimo
and Indian queens, fine Eskimo
dance teams from Nome. Barrow,
Kotzebue, and Fairbanks, hi-kick
ers, seal skinners, spectaculor no
lukatuk (blanket toss), and other
events.
Eskimo Olympics, a overwhelm
ing success that it was, was made
possible by many hard working
people, but we will have to point
out that its success would not have
been possible without the two men.
Bud Hagberg and Frank Whaley,
whose untiring efforts and faith in
the venture made the spectacle a
reality.
And so to Hagberg and Whaley,
who persevered under difficulties
to make the Eskimo Olympics a
great success, goes the Tundra
Times twentieth North Star Award
along with our congratulations.
POEM
Fox Pups
By Robert N. Zimmerman
Fox pups—red-brown, noses sharp,
small ears erect, tiny tails already
bushy—
yap. romp up the grasscovered hill.
Midnight sun burning low in the
sky.
Yellow rays slanting down the
valley.
Dust across the grass.
And over it all the air, desolate and
fresh,
reminding me always of Alaska.
I hurry on up the hill, trotting
sometimes.
Where is the den? The mother?
Turning, watching yapping, running
. . . they romp farther away,
through the green grass.
I call, whistle, follow.
One stops and looks, then another
. . . but on they run, nearly
tumbling.
Along the thicket of thin sapling,
near the hill crest, they are gone
—suddenly.
I am alone. Yellow sun above the
hill
and dust on the sloping grass.
Night-time in the summer,
the cool air,
and the valley of fields and forests
sweeping off below.
EDITORIAL
Laborer's Credit Union
Native men in outlying villages are finding it diffi
cult to travel to working areas when they are called by
Laborers' Union to go to work. The reason is lack of money
for transportation. This season, there has been a consider
able number of native men who were unable to come to
Fairbanks due to lack of funds. It is regretable that this
situation exists, especially when work is available and the
men are willing to work.
We had two men from Kiana in the office the other
day and one of them told us that the only way he could
come to Fairbanks was by saving some money from unem
ployment compensation checks and by borrowing the rest
[from friends.
Situations like the above need to be remedied and we
have been exploring some ways of financing the workers.
We have discussed some types of revolving funds and a
few other ideas without arriving at a concrete plan.
Recently we talked with Robert L. Bennett, Area Di
rector in Alaska for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and posed
the problem to him. He came up with a possible solution
that might very well work and it would be done by the
native workers to help themselves instead of relying on
some other source for help.
Ho said, "Why not a Native Worker's Credit Union?"
We certainly think this plan is worth thinking about. Its
operation could be handled by the natives themselves by
organizing into a credit union. An amount of money could
be created with contributions by the native workers who
are now working in the Fairbanks area and banked. Certain
agreed upon amounts could be deducted from members
pay check and money accumulated would then be available
for borrowing by other members at a small interest.
All this means—when a native worker in some village
in the outlying area does not have funds to come to Fair
banks, and if he belongs to the Native Worker's Credit
Union, he would be able to borrow enough money for his
jfare and living expenses for the interim period between
j his arrival and his first pay check. He could then pay back
the money he borrowed, either from the initial pay check
or carry it over to the second pay check.
The repayment of the money borrowed and contri
butions to the fund, would insure a member the funds
he would need if he doesn't have funds to travel to his
place of employment the following year. The money he
would need would be available to him upon making an
application for it.
A Native Worker's Credit Union could also be oper
ated by natives as a type of corporation. Officers would
be elected from the membershiip. Credit Union members
would buy shares at, perhaps $10 a share. The money
would be banked as usual and would be available for
borrowing, but the shareholders would be paid a dividend
each year according to the number of shares he holds.
We think the plan has merit and should be pursued
Jwith seriousness if the native working men are to take
every advantage of available work. The native workmen
know very well how severely handicapped they are when
they are unable to get money for transportation when
work is available.
We would like to put a bug in the ear of someone like
Ed Orbeck, President o fthe Laborers' Union in this district,
or others, to help the native workmen organize the Na
tive Worker's Credit Union. Perhaps, some airlines person
nel could put in a suggestion or two, since the airlines are
involved in the transportation of the workers from outlying
areas.
At any rate, native workers need help in obtaining
money for fare to travel to work areas. We believe native
working men could help themselves by organizing a credit
union of their own.
Responsibility
Starting next year, two 210-capacity high school
plants will be built, one at Kotzebue and one at Barrow,
The two communities will have to look hard into
their social problems and improve them. They will have to
keep down rampant drunkenness and moral lassitude. The
reason being, they will be hosting children of other par
ents out of town.
It is imperative that the two communities buckle
down and take the responsibility of keeping their towns
in good upstanding order.