NORTH STAR—The Bureau of Indian Affairs ship North Star is shown here laying off Pt. Barrow, unloading goods for that farthest north
community. The more than 400 foot long ship travels into the Arctic Ocean each summer, bringing winter supplies to persons of the area.
BIA Commissioner Phileo Nash was aboard the ship this year. He was forced to ride out several days of stormy seas as the vessel raced
the pack ice and winter freeiup to deliver goods. _ _
TELEVISION SHOW REMINDS WRITER OF 1
TIME HE ADVERTISED WITH OVER PARKA
By HOWARD ROCK
Times Editor
Not long ago, while,watching tele
vision. a documentary film came on
the screen narrated by a woman.
The film told of many, many ways
* of making use of the colorfully
printed material now used as con
tainers for rice, rolled oats and other
cereals, sugar, and, of course, flour.
As I watched how the attractive
fabric was being made into skirts,
quilted pieces, blouses, and other
useful items, a thought came to my
mind at once, “I may have helped
put the flour containers into their
present use.”
Another reminder was back in
1961, when I returned to Point Hope
from the lower states. After a few
days there I found that the women
were using the same colorful con
tainers for parka coverings, or kus
puks. as the Kuskokwim area Eski
mos call them. The women of Point
Hope had made kuspuks for them
selves and for their little daughters
and they looked very nice indeed.
That, of course, brought memories
back to the days when I was a lit
tle boy.
The cotton flour containers in
those days were white. One particu
lar brand of flour had large red
letters printed on one side of the I
sack.
The new custom of using flour '<
I sacks had started at Point Hope
• .'. lien some women found they could
not afford to buy white calico for
their husbands' over-parkas for
hunting. They found, that by boil
ng the containers thoroughly they
j could take off the red lettering.
Flour carne in 50 pound sacks.
After shaking out the flour dust
j out of them, the women unstitched
: them by pulling out the loop stitch
! and they had'a piece of cloth about
j a yard square. They took several
j of these and put them in a tub of
j water along with chunks of yellow
; naphtha soap.
After boiling they were rinsed
and dried. They were then made
into Over-parkas. Mother had taken
up the custom and had made father
one that was very white.
“I would like to have one too.
Mother. Will .you make me one?"
j I asked her one day.
I "I'll make one for you when I
have time,” she had answered.
I was very happy anticipating my
new over-parka that would be just
like father's. Mother took her time
and I would remind her every so
often. The day finally came when
she began to boil three flour sacks
for it.
I never did find out whether
mother was interrupted while boil
ing them or whether she had lost
her patience. The flour sacks were I
| not boiled sufficiently. The large
; red letters could be seen very easily
on my new garment.
“You did not boil my parka long
enough. Mother. I wish you would
boil it some more because you can
still see the red marks," I com
: plained.
Mother had begun to busy herself
with other things and she said
rather curtly, “Go out and play.
Come on, out with you!”
The very sound of her voice was
a command and I went out of our
sod igloo very , reluctantly. I hated
to be seen by my young friends
and the rest of the villagers with
letters showing on my new parka.
There were children playing out.
I started walking slowly but not
directly toward them. One boy. a
best pal of mine, hollered, "Howard,
where are you going?
I didnt answer and he came run
ning to me. When he reached me he
looked me over and said quietly and
soberly, “Howard, you look like
flour.”
By this time several children had
joined us and some of them snick
ered. I was very uncomfortable and
wished I could disappear. Wherever
I was after that, I was painfully
aware of the large red letters on
the back and front of my new
parka.
They read, “Best Flour.’
YUKON DUCKS—Shown here are but a few hundred of the nearly two million ducks that use the 11,000
, square mile Yukon Flat. These were among more than 10.000 ducks trapped on Ohtig Lake south of
Chalkyitsik this summer for banding, as part of the North American waterfowl management study,
i Bands from previously captured Yukon Flats watsrfowl (mostly scaup) have been recovered in all
four North American flyways, and in Europe. For three seasons the banding was paid for from Ram
part Dam study funds. This summer’s work was paid for from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds.
However, results of this summer’s work will be made available to Congress In conjunction with ex
, pec ted debate over the Rampart project. I
'Your Eyes Is
To Read With'
(Reprinted from the Navajo Times)
"Your eyes is to read this with
and your lips is to smile at it. Your
head is kind of round and hard and
your brains are in it and your hair
is on it.
Your face is in front of your
head where you eat. Your neck is
what keeps your head off your
shoulders which are sort of shelves
where you hook your overall straps.
Your stomach is something that
if you don't eat often or too much,
it hurts. Your spine is a long bone
in your back which keeps you from
folding up. Your back is always be
hind you no matter which way you
turn.
Your arms you got to have to
pitch with and so you can reach
the biscuits. Your fingers stick out
of your hands so you can scratch,
throw a curve, and add arithmatick.
Your legs is what you got to have
to get to first base, your toes are
what gets stubbed, and this is all
there is of you except what is in
side and I ain’t seen that.”
Cree Indians Bite
Thin Birch Bark
Reprinted from the Amerindian
An old and unusual native artistry
still flourishes among the Cree In
dians of Northern Saskatchewan
which has possibilities for unusual
adaption to modem use.
This is birch bark biting—de
signs bitten into birchbark to re
semble a very delicate snowflake
pattern.
The birch bark pieces are about
as thin as rare old parchment and
of a soft beige color. Each piece,
about two and one-half Inches
square, is folded several times to
form a triangle. The maker then
bites half-way into the bark so that
the design comes out in a semi
transparent shaded unit.
Older Indians say that this un
usual work was used to make pat
terns for silk or bead work in
clothing decoration. Among the
Montagnais, the designs were trans
ferred to birch bark containers.
The Indian women wno do the
biting say that they visualize the
pattern, deciding where to hold it.
The teeth are guided by the posi
tion of the finger nails, and the
hands must be moved many times.
This, of course, is not a craft that
can be turned out in large produc
tion. There are fine examples of it
for sale, however, at the Hudson’s
Bay Company trading post in Win
nipeg. Applied to a lamp shade, the
small squares would be real con
versation pieces, or, they could be
placed between plastic for tiles, or
coasters, or under glass in trays.
Letter to Editor
September 12, 1963
Fairbanks, Alaska
Dear Editor:
Didn't we have enough rain this
Tundra Times
Classified Rates
This is a column inch. It has
eight lines. Advertisements are
35 cents per line, $2.80 per inch,
or 25 cents per line, $2.00 per
inch second time and after. Pay
able in advance.
FOR SALE
SMOKED and Salted Salmon strips.
Delicious for eating. Party treat.
Sell for $1.25 a pound, packaged
and shipped. Write Zenia Kol
yaha, Pedro Bay, Alaska.
WHALE EAR DRUMS. Each weighs
about three pounds. $18 each.
Only two legt. W,rite: Tundlra
Times, Box 1287, Fairbanks Alas
ka.
VERIFAX COPIER. Slightly used.
Excellent condition. $100. Contact
Tundra Times, Box 1287, Fair
banks, Alaska.
CRAFTS
MOOSE HIDE MUKLUKS. Calf
skin uppers. Beaver trim. Beaded.
Soft and comfortable to wear.
Write for prices and description.
Alfred Starr, Nenana, Alaska.
MUKLUKS made to order by Mrs.
Francis Lee. Alakanuk, Alaska.
For information call 479-2438 or
write Martha Teeluk Box 748,
College, Alaska.
SKIN MASKS—Impressive crafts
manship. Made from caribou and
other skins. Beautiful decoration
for home. Write for prices. Ro
bert Mekiana or Simon Paneak,
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska.
SOUVENIRS—GIFTS—Hand made
by Martha Teeluk. Call 479-2438
or write Box 748, College, Alaska.
MISCELLANEOUS
Copies of statements made at 1963
Eskimo Inupiat Paitot meeting,
and 1963 Tanana Indian meeting.
Send self addressed envelope
stating which wanted to Tundra
Times, Box 1287, Fairbanks Alas
ka.
STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP.
MANAGEMENT, CIRCULATION. ETC.
REQUIRED BY THE ACTS OF CON
GRESS OF AUGUST 24, 1912. AS
AMENDED BY THE ACTS OF MARCH
3, 1933 AND JULY 2. 1946 AND JUNE
11. 1960 174 Stat. 2081 Of TUNDRA
TIMES, INC., published TWICE
MONTHLY at FAIRBANKS. ALASKA
for Sept. 23. 1963.
ss.
1. That the names and addresses of the
publisher, editor, and assistant editor
are;
TUNDRA TIMES, INC.
Publisher; Tundra Times, Inc., Box
1287, Fairbanks. Alaska.
Editor: HOWARD ROCK
326 First Ave.. Fairbanks. Alaska
Assistant Editor: TERRY BRADY
1012 Fifth Ave.. Fairbanks, Alaska ,
2..That the owner is: iif owned by a
corporation, its- name - and. address must
be stated and als<? immediately there
under the names and addresses of stock
holders owning or holding one Pfer cent
or more of total amount of stock. If not
owned by a corporation, the names and
oddresses of the individual owners must
be given. If owner by a firm, company,
or other unincorporated concern, its name
ond address, as well as those of each in
dividual member, must be given.) Tun
dra Times. Inc.
HOWARD ROCK. 326 First Ave., Fair
banks, Alaska.
ALFRED KETZLER. Box 1, Nenarta,
yVlaska *
MARTHA TEELUK. Box 748, College,
Alaska
3. That the known bondholders, mort
gagees, and other security holders own
ing or holding 1 per cent or more of
total amount of bonds, mortgages, or
other securities are:
ill there are none, so state ! None.
4. Paragraphs 2 and 3 include. In cases
where the stockholders or security holder
appears upon the books of the company
as trustee or in any other fiduciary rela
tion, the name of the person or corpora
tion for whom such trustee is acting; also
the statements in the two paragraphs
show the affiants- full knowledge and
belief as to the circumstances and con
ditions under which stockholders and
security holders who do not appear upon
the books of the company as trustees,
hold stock and securities in a capacity
other than that of a bona fide owner.
5. That the average number of copies
of each issue of this publication sold or
distributed, through the mails or other
wise. to paid subscribers during the
twelve months preceding the date shown
about was 2.098.
/s/ HOWARD ROCK, Editor
Pub.: Sept. 23. 1963
summer without building a dam
lake to saturate the atmosphere?
ALICE STUART