In Eskimo, English
Ptarmigan Widow Gets Proposals
For each subsequent Issue of Tundra Times, the Department of Lin
guistics and Foreign Languages at the University of Alaska will submit
contributions from its research section on Alaska’s native languages.
The following is a revision of a text recorded by Francis Barnum, S.J.
and published in 1901 in his book Grammatical Fundamentals of the
Innuit Language.
aqezgiraurluuk nulirqelriik wita
Liinilriik. attaucimi-guq ernermi
uinga sLuurtaaryartuLiinilria. ak
kanun sLuurtaaryartuliinilria. ak
mai qayagpagtuq muragmek cali
Lu nemerkamek aqfatesqLuni. maa
ten-guq nuliirra annuq, carraq una,
irua azmartLiinilria.
tua-Lu-guq tauna nuliirra itqan
rakun qakemna am qayagpagtuq
muragmek cali-Lu nemerkamek
aqfatesqLuni. maaten-guq nuliirra
annuq, carraq una, taLia azmart
Liinilria.
tua-Lu-guq am itraarluni imna
nuliirra tamaantartuq nemmi,
uini-Lu umyuaqeksaunaku akka
nun. tua-Lu-guq penggarLuni anel
riim maaten uini tangrraa, carraq
una, uqsuirtLiinilria.
tua-Lu-guq paluqtaq gaalerkun
qiaaqanrakun ciguq gaalerkun uy
angLuni uikasqLuni. tua-Lu-guq
taum arnam pia uikngaitniluku.
tua-Lu-guq cali tuntuq gaalerkun
uyangLuni uikesqLuni. qanran
taum aqezgim pia, “kanaagatuuva
kaavet piyunritamken.”
tua-Lu-guq palugtaq gallerkun
UyangLuni cali uikesqLuni piyaaq
Lia cali piyugpeknaku muragnek
qangqurlarniluku. tuamta-Lu-guq
kanaqLak uyangcami piuq uikesq
Luni cali. tua-Lu-guq taum nqez
gim pia piyunritniluuku tupiigar
nek nerlarniluku.
tua.Lu-guq iggiaayuliq uyangLuni
piuq cali uikesqLuni. tua-Lu-guq
aquezgip gaalerkun uyanqcami qan
nek tuqquucilarniluku. tua-Lu-guq
aqezgiq gaalerkun uyankcami qan
ertuq, “wi uikaqarpenga. kangqu'r
nek neqengqertua.’’
tua-Lu-guq tauna- aqezgim nuli
irra gaalerkun anluni. tengvalLag
lutek tuai nulirqumaurlutek. tuai.
Once there were two poor old
ptarmigan who were married. One
day, they say, the husband went
out to slide. After sliding for a long
time, he called for her (his wife)
to bring him some wood for splints
and some binding material.
Going out of the house, his wife
was surprised to see this “little
thing” (ptarmigan) with his leg
just broken. Just as she was going
back into the house, the one out
side again shouted for her to bring
him some splints and binding.
When she went out this time, his
wife was surprised to see the little
thing's arm broken. This time when
she went into the house she stayed
there without thinking about her
husband for a long time. Becoming
concerned, she went out and saw
that her husband's head had been
broken off! She went in and cried.
Just as she started to cry, a little
bird peeked through the window
and proposed to her. The ptarmigan
told him she would not marry him.
Then a reindeer peeked in and
proposed. Answering him the ptar
migan said, “I don’t want you be
cause your legs are much too long!”
Next, a beaver proposed through
the window, and again she refused
saying the beaver always gnaws on
wood. Also peeking through the
window, a muskrat proposed to
her, but the ptarmigan refused him
because he always cats the grasses
used for making matts.
When a hooting owl proposed,
she refused him because he always
kills her relatives. Finally another
ptarmigan says through the win
dow, “I should be your husband! I
feed on willow catkins!”
So the ptarmigan’s wife went
out the window, and together they
flew away and remained married
for a long time.
BIA Receives Oil Lease Bids
On Tyonek Indian Reserve
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is
now receiving bids at its Anchor
age office on oil and gas leases for
32 pieces of land, comprising about
27,000 acres in the Tyonek (Mo
quawkie) Reservation.
The sealed bids will be opened at
2 p.m., April 3.
The people of Tyonek claim the
land but according to the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, the ownership of
the land has not been legally estab
lished.
Until legislation has been enacted
by the Congress with respect to the
ownership and use of the land, all
proceeds from the lease sale and all
income from leases issued will be
held in escrow.
The leases will be executed by the
Secretary of the Interior or his rep
resentative and the right is re
served to reject any and all bids.
The leases will be drawn for a
term of ten years and in the event
oil or gas is produced in paying
quantities, the rate of royalty will
be 16 2/3 per cent on all leases.
Until recently the Moquawkie In
dian Reserve was not eligible for
mineral leasing. The Interior De
partment reversed its stand and
opened the area for leasing because
it believed that drainage from sub
surface oil wells in adjacent areas
leased by the state is causing the
value of the reserve to be depleted.
Representative Ralph Rivers has
said he will introduce legislation
for congressional determination of
! the rights of the Indians of Tyonek.
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Scientist Charges
A.E.C. Deceived
Alaska Eskimos
A distinguished audience of sci
entists were told in New York City
recently how the Atomic Energy
Commission disseminated erroneous
information to Eskimos in Alaska
about the proposed Project Chariot.
And they were also told how a
handful of Alaska scientists banded
together and fought an uphill battle
to see that the true facts were
brought to light.
This was the substance of a
speech by Dr. William O. Pruitt, of
, College, formerly a teacher at the
University of Alaska and research
scientist on Project Chariot, a plan
to perform an underground nuclear
experiment near Pt. Hope.
Dr. Pruitt spoke at the “Confer
ence on Scientific Information Prob
lems of the Nuclear Age," Feb. 16,
sponsored by the Scientists Commit
tee for Radiation Information. The
conference was held at the New
York Academy of Scientists and
Rockefeller Institute.
Representatives from interested
groups from all over the. country
attended and cited the need for
more and more accurate informa
tion on radiation, pesticides, and
human population problems.
A clearing house to supply infor
mation to interested groups and in
dividuals was formed called, “Sci
entists Institute for Public Informa
tion.”
Many famous scientists in attend
ance were named to the board of
directors including Margaret Mead,
famous anthropologist, Dr. Hans
Bete, famous physicist, Dr. The.
Dobzhansky. famous geneticist, and
Dr. Rene Dubos, famous physiolo
gist.
Pt- Hope Man
Gets Polar Bear
Laurie Kingik of Point Hope,
hunting by dogteam 45 miles away
near Cape Lisbourne, shot a large
polar bear on February 21.
“This was the first bear killed by
a resident of Point Hope in three
years, although trophy hunters have
killed a large number from planes
based at Point Hope each year.”
Point Hope News reported.
“Mr. Kinkik was away from the
village for one week on this trip
and reported that he saw only the
one bear but many tracks.
“Records at the Pt. Hope Native
Store show the following bears
killed by local residents in other
years: 1959—17, 1958—25, 1957—23.
“Don Foote reported that about
70 were killed by Pt. Hopers in
1954-55. He reported 35 for 1955-56.
“A large number of polar bear
hunters are expected to visit Point
Hope during March and April to
| hunt bears by plane” the News con
I eluded.
A.A.I.A. Says Task Force
Land Policy a 'Disaster'
The Association on American Indian Affairs sharply criticized the
Department of the Interior’s Alaska Task Force Report released recent
ly by Interior Secretary Stewart L. L’dall. It charged that the Task
Force Report “seriously jeopardizes” the future welfare of Alaska
I'.skimas, Indians, and Aleut citizens. The Association recommended that
; Interior’s Task Force return to Alaska “This time to consult with the
native peoples on what land they actually need to survive.”
Mr. VVilliam Byler, the Association’s Executive Director, issued the
following statement:
“The Federal government's new-*
ly announced policy on native Alas
kan land claims, seriously jeopar
dizes the rights, property, and fu
ture welfare of the native peoples
of Alaska.
“In the Alaska Statehood Act of
1958, Congress granted Alaska the
right to select one hundred mil- j
lion acres of public land, which the
State could then sell into private
ownership. The State is bent on
seizing lands used and occupied
for centuries by its Eskimo, Indian
and Aleut citizens. It proposes to J
open these lands to homesteading,
recreational development and min
ing and timbering operations, with- j
out compensation to the native own
ers.
“The Inupiat Paitot and the Dena
Nona Henash native organizations
have appealed to Secretary Udall to
withdraw from selection by the
State any lands subject to native
claims, until Congress defines the
natives' rights to their land. Peti
tions to Secretary Udall are now
being circulated in the native vil
lages.
“However, the Alaska Task Force
Report favors withdrawing only
'small acreages in the immediate
vicinity of the native villages’ and
thus clears the way for the State
to expropriate the native-owned
land.
“It leaves it up to Congress to
I decide whether it will halt the land
' seizures and establish a tribunal to
consider native land claims. The
Congress is under no compulsion to
act on a matter it has ignored for j
nearly 80 years, and in light of the
Task Force recommendations it is
doubtful that it will.
“The Department of the Interior
has chosen to see the Alaska land
question in terms of acreage in
stead of the needs of the people.
By drastically limiting its with
drawals to the lands immediately
surrounding the village, it fails to
guarantee the villagers enough land
to secure their livelihood today and
in the future.
“As a tacit admission that the
natives cannot possibly survive on
‘the small acreage’ the Task Force
Report favors establishing, but for
a limited time only, the ‘privilege’
of hunting and fishing in the larger
areas to be taken over by the State.
By placing a time limit on the use
of these lands, the Department ack
nowledges what our history has re
peatedly demonstrated — a hunting
and fishing economy is doomed
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once the land passes out of nativa
ownership.
“In the organic Act of 1884 Con
gress promised to the natives of
Alaska that they would not be dis
turbed in the use of the land then
occupied or claimed by them. This
promise becomes meaningless if the
land is to be despoiled and render
ed useless to the native peoples.
“The Department might have re
deemed itself by urging that the
Alaska natives be granted a fair
share of the mineral wealth be
neath the lands they thought were
theirs. This it has failed to do. It
might have urged that the natives
be compensated for the land taken
away from them, and that they be
given the option of buying their
lands back. This it has failed to do.
“Their land sold off, their tim
ber and mineral wealth enriching
strangers, and their game facing
eventual extinction, these hardy
and once self-sufficient people will
be made paupers in a decade or so.
Isolated in their native villages or
| in the white man's urban slums, a
few may find employment with the
men who are despoiling their land,
and the rest will seek relief from
the State and Federal governments
that have dispossessed them.
“The Association on American
Indian Affairs recommends that the
Task Force go back to Alaska this
time to consult with the native
peoples on the amount of land they
actually need to survive and pros*
per.
“Secretary Udall's new AJaskan
policy can only be viewed as a dis
aster for the 43.000 American citi
zens in Alaska who pride them
selves on their Eskimo, Indian and
Aleut heritage.”
Bahai
World Faith
Announces
Annual Celebration
NAW-RUZ
(New Year)
March 21
Carpenters' Hall
315 Fifth Ave.
The Public Is Invited
to a
BUFFET DINNER
Followed by an Address on
Spiritual Springtime