Happenings at Anchorage
Native Health Hospital
The following are excerpts from
Hospital Happenings published by
Adult Education Class at Public
Health Service Alaska Native Hos
pital, Box 7-741. Anchorage, Alaska.
Martha Ukatish, of English Bay,
Wrote of an intriguing trip to Elm
endorf Air Force Base to get movie
films:
“When we went there, we had to
have a pass to get through the gate.
There’s a little building in the mid
dle of the road where people can
get passes.
“Mrs. Bullen went in there to get
our passes. We had to wait for her
about ten or fifteen minutes. She
said they asked her everything—
like who she was visiting and w'here
she was from, and so on. She had
to show her license for driving her
car and they took the number of
the car, too.”
J. M. Jr., being human like many
of us, made this condition:
“I noticed that I had made a mis
take in the last paper so I decided
to correct it a bit. When I said we
read in the Russian Church on Sat
urday evening from 6 p.m. till mid
night from the Book of St. John,
it was supposed to be from the Book
of St. Matthew.”
Johnny Meneoff, Jr., Akutan,
whose hobby is photography and
who takes pictures in ten seconds
—with a Polaroid camera, wrote:
“We had an Easter Hat Contest
for the patients on April 9. The best
decorated hat and the craziest, were
j chosen winners.
“Six contestants were selected.
! Two of the six hats were the craz
iest. Whee-whew! The men wearing
them were dressed as ladies, and
what “pretty legs!"
Charlie Ticket. Selawik, who likes
movies, especially Air Force films.
Bob Hope, documentary films, and
who would like a documentary film
on helicopters during rescue op
erations. wrote in part:
“I’m glad also to run the projec
tor upstairs in the Solarium (sun
j room).
“We. the Patient Council, rent
movies for Sunday nights from Koh
li’s Motion Picture Service. They
have good movies. Also, Pictures,
Inc. have good movies.
"A black and white movie costs
1 over $12. Colored films cost from
I $20 to $25.
“I like western movies, war pic
tures, and Tarzan movies. In Holly
wood they have a new Tarzan. His
real name is Gordon Scott.”
Patrick Oniukon, Scammon Bay.
Alaska, wrote about attending mass
: on Easter Sunday and Easter din
| ner:
“At dinner they gave us colored
eggs in our tray. (We also had ham
for dinner.)
“We have an Easter lily down at
our schoolroom. This is the first
time I ever saw an Easter lily.”
READING ABOl'T ALASKA—Many teachers and school children
in the lower states have requested copies of Tundra Times to read
about Alaska. Note the engrossed expressions on the faces of these
grade school students at Marion, Virginia.
—Photo by Colleen Redman
NEWSBOYS WANTED
Would you like to earn money during your sparetime? Then
become a Tundra Times newsboy. Just fill in, clip out, and send
in this blank:
i n
I TO: Tundra Times, Box 1287, Fairbanks, Alaska I
■ Dear Sir:
I would like to sell Tundra Times in my village. I am '
I-years old. Please start me by sending me _ f
' copies, and full details. Sincerely. f
I I
■ Name__
1 Address_'
I-J
Letter to Editor
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Dear Editor:
Would you please enter my sub
scription for the Tundra Times. I'm
not sure of what the subscription
rate is. so would be grateful if you
would bill me for it. Would you
also indicate whether back issues
of the Tundra Times are available.
I’ve been to Alaska before and
may be returning again for study
within the year. I’m very happy to
see a paper such as yours develop
ing: its been needed for some time.
My best wishes for a successful
venture.
Sincerely,
Joseph Sonnenfeld
Associate Professor
! Report Received
Beam on Wales
Made by Plane
Conflicting reports have been re
ceived by Tundra Times concerning
a story appearing in May 6 issue of
a beam that was flashed on the vil
lage of Wales the last of March.
Jonah Tokianna, non-commis
sioned officer in charge of the Na
tional Guard there, said the light
was not from Russians, as prev
iously reported, but from the land
ing of a polar hunters in a plane
on the ice.
“The light came from a light plane
landing, nothing else, because we
watched it from the Navy radar.”
Tokianna went on to say that an ice
fog that night made the light look
very large and bright.
The light was reported to the Na
tional Guard Headquarters at Nome.
About ten of the 135 persons at
Wales saw the light, between 9 and
10 p m.
“Since we are to close to Siberia,
the light was not so unusual,” said
Lincoln Riley. “It’s not the first in
cident here." He said people at
Wales had found crates and boxes
that drifted ashore that indicated
there had been spies.
That person is most cultivated
who is able to put himself in the
place of the greatest number of
persons.—Jane Addams (American
social worker.)
- -.. !
Adler's Book Shop
Out-of-town orders solicited
and filled promptly
Box 1159, Fairbanks
Subscribe to
JESSEN'S WEEKLY
i
Alaska’s Largest
The All Alaska Weekly §
$9.00 by Mail
Box 970, Fairbanks |
Poneer Job Printers
Drama in a Wolf’s Lair
Savage Heritage
(Editor's Note—Martha (Tiny) Sa
ra, author of “Savage Heritage,” is
graduating from Bethel High School
in June as a valadictorian of her
class. She is planning to attend the
summer session at the University
of Alaska. She has applied to enter
East Los Angeles College to study
nursing. That application is being
considered.)
By Tiny Sara
Bethel High School
(Reprinted from Aurora Borealis)
Bidding my mother good-bye, 1
stepped out of the warm, cozy cabin
into the clear, crisp morning of
early winter. I noticed a trail of
blood on the snow which disappear
ed around behind the cabin, I
clutched my 25-35 in my hands and
ran to see what had happened.
Mom and I had been home alone
for almost two weeks now and
had about another two weeks to go
until Dad and my brother would
come back. They had gone to super
vise the reindeer roundup along
the Kilbuck Mountains. I had want
ed to go too but my brother in
sisted the roundup was no place
for a girl. It wasn’t a very big
roundup so they'd only be gone
about a month.
Furious Battle
There had been scared, anxious
barks from our 13 dogs during the
night, followed by terrible sounds
of battle. We were terrified, but 1
grabbed my rifle and ran toward
the door. Mom ran after me and
stopped me because she said I
could get hurt out there in the dark.
I went out anyway.
All I could think of doing was
to open the door and shoot up into
the air in hopes that I could scare
away whatever was out there. For
a moment there was silence, then
a huge timber wolf ran by the side
of the cabin, across the meadow,
and disappeared into the trees. It
was so monstrous in size that I
turned around, ran into the cabin
and barred the door. When I told
mcm, she told me to wait until
morning to find out the damages.
Marks Of Battle
We kept the dogs tied up about
50 yards from the side of the house
in a small grove of young spruce
trees. The snow was all trampled,
limbs were torn off and blood was
all over the snow.
At the sight of me the dogs bark
ed happily. All except one—for a
young male was lying frozen in the
snow, his neck savagely slashed
open. It almost made me sick. He
had b^en tied on the outside of
the circle. Two others tied closest
to him showed signs of a struggle
also. They had scratches and cuts
on their heads and bodies.
Inseparable Friends
After moving all the dogs closer
together, I untied my leader, Rebel.
He was a big, gray, two-year old
with a paw span of three inches
and odd, identical white markings
on both ears. He must have been
part wolf because one summer his
mother, ran away and come back
in the fall to have a litter of pups.
She killed and ate all of them, but
we managed to save Rebel, We
had to shcot her. Rebel and I
understood each other perfectly,
and would never go anywhere with
out the other.
We followed the tracks into the
meadow until they entered the for
est. I hesitated, turned around and
looked at the cabin so beautifully
peaceful against the tall, dark
spruce trees and the blue snow
BACK ISSUES
Back issues of the Tundra Times (ex
cept Vol. 1, No. 1) are available. 25c
per oopy up to 4; thereafter 20c each.
Tundra Times, Box 1287, Fairbanks.
capped peaks of the Kilbuck Range.
A feeling of loneliness crept over
me and I felt that we were all
alone in the world, as if no other
living things existed.
Rebel Strays
An anxious bark from Rebel
brought me back to reality. I turn
ed in time to see him bound into
the forest. I called after him but
he was already out of sight.
The snow made tracking easy
and I followed as best I could until
I got tired. A wind started the trees
swaying and I knew if I was any
where near the wolf he'd sense it
before I did. The thought scared me
but I kept on following.
Rebel’s trail led me to a little
rocky ledge which was swept clean
of snow by the wind. Here his trail
ended abruptly. I looked for signs
of his tracks in the snow around
the ledge, but he seemed to have
disappeared into thin air.
Unearthly Bark
But then I heard a bark which
sounded like it was miles away,
like the kind you hear in the night
when all are asleep, which seems
to come from another world.
I jumped off the ledge and land
ed to see a hole in the rock about
4 feet high. The hole was invisible
from the top of the ledge. A little
snow around the inside of the cave
which had escaped the wind show
ed two sets of tracks. One was big
ger that the other, but I recognized
the smaller ones as Rebel's. »
The Lair
Falling to my hands and knees
I peered in. It was darker than
Rebel's nose in there. Quickly I cut
a spruce knoll and smeared pitch on
it and lit it. I hoped it wouldn't
burn out too fast.
If it wasn't for Rebel I never
would have gone in there. Once in
side, there was enough room for a
man to stand up. I held the torch
by my left arm against my side and
my rifle in both hands ready to
shoot. As I advanced slowly the
torch made eerie shadows on the
wall and I could hear my heart
pounding in my head. I had to find
Rebel! And alive!
I'd never been in a cave before,
but I thought there couldn’t have
been a creepier one. It had a
strange smell and the ground was
soft—it wasn’t the kind I’d like to
fall on either. It must have been
used for centuries by animals—may
be even humans.
My Heart stopped as I heard low
growls coming frcm a bend in the
cave. I must have been unconsious
ly praying because I remember say
ing, “Amen". Then all was silent.
I wanted to give up and run. but
I had to see what had happened to
Rebel.
Strange Sight
Silently I crept around the bend
to where I could see. The sight that
I beheld told my brain it wasn't
true! There in the middle of the
wolf's lair was Rebel and the giant
timber wolf gently sniffing and
nuzzling each other.
An involuntary “Oh!" escaped my
lips. Taken by surprise, the wolf
jumped back, but for only a se
cond, then he growled savagely
and started slowly advancing to
ward me. Rebel, somewhat con
fused looked from me to the wolf
and then with a mighty lunge,
sprang at the unsuspecting wolf's
throat. The fight was over in min
utes. Unhurt, Rebel sniffed the
carcass and then licked the wolfs
face.
Faithful Dog
In the flickering light of the
torch, I saw to my surprise the
odd white markings on the wolfs
ears which were characteristic of
my brave Rebel. He came to me
with big sad eyes and we looked at
each other for a long time he
searching for some kind of sonsola
tion, and mo asking for forgiveness