Barrow Council Asserts Right to Ducks, Claims No Treaty Violation
In a strongly worded press re
lease, the Barrow City Council last
week stated it considered natives’
taking of eider ducks for subsist
ence in no way violates the Migra
tory Waterfowl Treaty of 1916.
“Until a decision is handed down
on a case now pending we do not
intend to be harassed by any en
forcement agents who, under their
own interpretation of the treaty pro
feed to enforce the regulations on
us,” the council said.
The Council apparently referred
to the ruling of a Canadian judge,
Justice J. H. Sissons, of Court of
the Northwest Territories at Yellow
knife, last December that Indians
and Eskimos have the right to hunt
ducks for food anytime of year.
The release was in reply to an
article in the May 6 issue of Tun
dra Times which quoted Ray Trem
blay. head of the Fish and Wildlife
Service in Fairbanks, as saying
game wardens would follow the mi
grations of ducks and geese north
and would arrest anyone, native or
non-native, found shooting water
fowl this summer.
1961 Incident
In late May of 1961, two federal
game wardens appfrehended two
Barrow men for taking waterfowl
out of season and a few days later
in protest 138 Barrow men, each
carrying an eider duck, converged
on the wardens and asked to be ar
rested too. I
The incident touched off a long ■
controversy which ended with the
government dropping charges but
issuing a warning that any further
incidents would be prosecuted.
Later, certain high officials quiet
ly gave Eskimos sanction to hunt
the ducks for food but cautioned
them they should not give the game
wardens cause to arrest them.
Harassment
“There is no point in the Wildlife
Service making more mass arrests
to harass the citizens of this State I
in their ‘pursuit of happiness and
the enjoyment of the rewards of
their own industry,’ as provided |
for in the very first article of the
State Constitution, merely to drop
the charges after the arrests, ns was ’
done in the first instance two years
ago," the Council wrote.
Assurances
“We have been assured by the
Washington office of the Fish and
Wildlife Service that no enforce
ment of this treaty would be under
taken pending further action by
the signatories of the treaty to rec
tify the difference of the parties in
volved. We can only assume then
that the local office of this agency
are creating their own directives
and proceeding to enforce them.
“Such action on the local level
can only create embarrassment to
the head office in Washington.”
Force Issue
“Inasmuch as one boy was ar
rested two years ago, besides the
138 mass arrests we stand firm in
our belief that one or a few arrests
is not going to solve the problem,
but that it is up to the agency to
proceed with trial and force this
issue to a decision one way or an
other.
Way of Life
“Until then, we will continue to
pursue our way of life and exercise
■our equal rights as guaranteed by
the State Constitution, which we
feel is being infringed upon by the
untimely enforcement of this
treaty.”
The release., signed by Senator
Eben Hopson,' council president,
Eorrest Solomon, Tom Brower, Al
fred Hopson, Wyman Panigeo, Ar
nold Brower, and Johnny Nusung
inya, council members, was read
and approved at a council meeting
Monday, May 13. It was sent to the
AP, Juneau, with copies to several
newspapers throughout the state.
According to Senator Hopson, the
letter was also read at a general
village meeting Tuesday after which
general approval of it was voiced
•- _
Buekland Club
Makes 1,000
Sewing Kits
According to Nunachek, the Buck
land Day School publication:
The Mother's Club of Buekland
has been busy making up 1,000
Eskimo Sewing Tool kits ordered by
the Alaska Native Arts and Crafts
(ANAC) in Juneau. The kits were
finished and delivered at the end
of March.
ANAC paid the club 35 cents a set
for them and will also distribute
them to stores all over Alaska where
tourists and servicemen might buy
them. The club hopes to realize a
profit of about $200 for four months’
work.
The Buekland Sewing Kit con
sists of a bone skin-sewing needle,
an Eskimo thimble, and a length
of spun sinew for thread. These are
fastened in a seal-skin packet. The
set can also be worn as a lapel pin
or it can be used as a “good luck
charm.”
Joran Paullin. principal teacher
at Buekland, thought of the idea of
making things to sell. Addresses of
businesses for possible outlets were
listed.
Pastor Elsie Thomas helped the
club make the first samples. Leland
Paullin and David Thomas made
the first bone needle. Rita Thomas.
Lulu Geary, Jessie Ralph, and
others, were quick to follow. Every
one had fun working on the interest
ing project.
When several samples were com
pleted. the Mother’s Club sent some
to ANAC and to stores in different
areas. The Club member’s were
pleasantly surprised when they re
ceived favorable reaction to their
product.
The Buekland Mother's Club is
planning to use some of the money
they earn to benefit their village—
they hope to help pay for a light
plant which the village greatly
needs.
with applause.
According to sources in Washing
ton. D.C. there was planned to be
no more strict enforcement this
year than there was last year. No
incidents were reported last year.
Canadian Case
Senator E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, in
a news conference in Fairbanks on
Friday, pointed out that the Alaska
Congressional delegation and offi
cials in Washington, D.C. were
awaiting the appeal decision in the
C a n d i a n duck case. A favor
able decision there setting a legal
precedent, he pointed out, could
easily solve the touchy and contro
versial question without the need
for renegotiating the treaty.
The five-member Northwest Ter
ritories Court of Anpeals will hear
the appeal case at Yellowknife in
September or October and will
either affirm or reverse Justice
Sissons' decision.
If there is a split decision Chief
Justice Bruce Smith, of Alberta,
will probably send the case to the 1
Supreme Court of Canada at Ot
tawa.
JUNE 5-7
Many Guests, Delegates to Attend
Second Tanana Indian Conference
Delegates from twenty-two In
terior Indian Villages and a dele
gate from the Fairbanks Native As
sociation have accepted invitations
to the second Tanana Indian Con
ference June 5-7.
Many special guests including
James Gamble, of the U. S. Senate
Committee on Indian Affairs, Wash
ington, D. C. and Graham E. Hol
mes, Assistant Commissioner of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (Legisla
tion), are being invited to attend.
Other invited guests are:
Robert Bennett, area director of
the BIA in Alaska. Lester Oliver,
tribal chairman of the White River
Apaches, and William Paul, presi
dent emeritus of the Alaska Native
Brotherhood.
Theodore Hetzel, of the Indian
Rights Association, Philadelphia,
William Byler, executive director.
Association on American Indian Of
fairs, Ross Miller. Industrial Devel- 1
opment, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Alaska.
Frank Anderson, BIA economic
development officer. Fairbanks Dis
trict; Neal Jenson, Housing Devel
opment Officer, BIA. Juneau; and
Nuchalawoyya
Festival Set
For June 7-9
Nuchalawoyya. an Indian word
meaning, “between the rivers,” de
scribes the town of Tanana at the
Junction of the Yukon and Tan
ana Rivers. Tanana will be the
scene of the second Nuchalawoyya
celebration, a three-day affair,
starting on June 7.
Tanana. the historic meeting place
of the Athabascans, is now making
preparations for the gathering. The
purpose of the celebration is to re- i
new old customs and traditions J
that were performed long ago at j
similar gatherings. Highlights of,
this years festivities will be native |
dancing, canoe racing, arts and
crafts display, and competitive i
events.
Over $500 in prize money has been j
raised by the people of Tanana for
various events. The largest prize
will be awarded to the best native
dance group.
Nuchalawoyya is an ancient custom
that had died out some 41 years
ago. It was revived almost a year
ago in June and it was a fine suc
cess. Nuchalawoyya is to be an an
nual affair hereafter.
Tanana is an ancient site where
different Athabascan tribes con
gregated each year to trade, dance,
and tell stories.
This year’s festivities will start
with an authentic native potlatch
starting Friday evening. June 7. Vil
lagers from all over the Interior
Alaska have been invited to attend
the three-day event. Cafe and lod
ging facilities will be available
throughout the celebration.
F lor craft, Inc.
Floor Covering Specialities
Carpet — Linoleum — Tile
Plastic Laminates (Formica)
WE INSTALL EVERYTHING WE SELL
520 Church St., Fairbanks, Alaska
Phone GL 2-1423
Roy Peratrovich, BIA tribal opera
tions officer.
Roscoe E. Bell, head of the State
Division of Lands, Anchorage; Col- |
onel Kenneth Sawyer, chief of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Delegates from the following '
places have indicated they will at- 1
tend: Nenana, Chalkyitsik. Holy
Cross, Tanana, Nulato, Gulkana.
Venetie, Koyukuk. Nickolai, North
way, Kaltag, Canyon Village, Beav- i
er, Koyuk, Dot Lake. Mentasta Vil- j
lage. Tanacross, Minto, Arctic Vil
lage. Betties Field. Metlakatla, and
Birch Creek, and Fn^banks.
The 3-day conference will be de- j
voted chiefly to working on solu
tions to native village problems, ac
cording to Alfred Ketzler, chairman ,
of the Dena Nena Henash.
The conference will be held im- |
mediately preceding and in con
junction with a 3-day celebration,
the Nuchalawoya, an ancient fes
tival revived last year.
Housing for 25 delegates has been
arranged for in private homes at
Tanana and bunks for men will be
set up in an old NC building there.
A woman's club will serve meals ^
for about $4 per day per person.
Pt. Hope Gets 3
Boivhead Whales
POINT HOPE, May 11 — Four
bowhead whales have been taken
to date. The first one was killed
on April 29 by Nicholas Hank's
I crew. Three more have been taken
I since then; one by Mark Kinna
I veak's crew ancl Laurie Kingik's
crew killed one.
It is hoped that more whales will
be taken since the whalers have
about two and one half weeks
more to hunt. Around the end of
May, ice begins to break up at
Point Hope.
Indian Secretary
Adept at Repairing
Antique Machine
One of the staff members of the
Tundra Times noticed that the edi
tor's typewriter keys were getting
so clogged that O's and E's were
getting indistinguishable.
The secretary was told to get
some plastic type cleaner. This was
applied on the keys but old ink
had caked so hard on the ancient
typewriter keys that it was im
possible to lift it out of the O's,
E’s, D's, C’s, and B s.
The editor commenced to pick
out the caked ink out of the letters
with a penknife. While he was pick
ing on the E. his penknife slipped
out of his fingers and fell into the
bowels of the ancient typewriter.
It fell in such a way that it was
impossible to extricate. The editor
shock the machine but the pen
knife would not budge.
“I know a whole lot about type
writers; let me get it out,” said
the assistant editor.
He started to unscrew this and
that. He turned the machine this
way and that way. He tilted it back
wards and one of the spools of
ribbon fell out and unwound over
the desk and on to the floor.
“This is sure a complicated ma
chine. I wonder what year it was
made?" he asked.
After all sorts of contortions and
dropping of screws, he finally got
i the penknife out. And then he start
I ed putting the machine together.
He started having trouble because
, some of the screws were in very
j inaccessible nooks and corners.
Screws fell hither and yon. The
editor tried but he turned out to
be more inept.
I The secretary, an Athabascan In
/ d/an girl, finally said, “Can I try
( it?:
“O K.” said the editors
Tile secretary, using deft fingers
promptly got the machine together,
finding a part of the machine that
had been put on backwards by the
editors.
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