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Pena Nena Hcnash The Land Speaks
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Vol. 1, No. 7_ Monday, Jan. 7, 1963 Fairbanks, Alaska
ANCIENT RIGHT UPHELD
Eskimos Tell
Of 6-Day Ordeal
On Drifting Ice
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer
“We just kept moving to keep
from freezing. We had hope of be
ing found but that's all," said John
Angusuk, one of three Eskimo men
frorri King Island who spent six
days on a dangerous ice floe in the
Bering Sea.
About 2 p.m. Saturday, 38-year
old Angusuk and 43-year-old Ignar
tius Kannyap were rescued from
the floe by a helicopter but the
third man of the trio, 55-year-old
Frank Kayvanuk died of exposure.
The three men were cutting up
an oogruk on the ice near King
Island on December 31 when the
shore ice broke loose and the hunt
ers drifted out to sea. They were
spotted by a large four-engine Army
plane shortly before 2 p.m. Satur
day.
"We saw the first plane go over
just before sunset on Thursday,”
said Angusuk.
"I took my hunting bag and
sweater and put them on top of
my spear and waved to signal the
plane, but it didn’t see us.”
During the six-day ordeal, the
hunters lived on parts of a seal
which they got. “We ate the liver,
the intentines, and a little of the
meat. We had only part of it, just
what we could carry,” Angusuk
said.
Angusuk and Kannyap were res
cued near St. Lawrence Island. The
older dead companion was located
about a mile and a half from where
the two were found.
“We knew our only chance was
to keep going. Frank couldn't keep
up with us; he started stopping
(Continued on page 6)
PT. BARROW DITCH INCIDENT—Federal game warden Harry !
Pinkham (right) is shown in the process of confiscating 138 ducks
from Eskimos at Barrow on June 2, 1960. When Pinkham and
another agent, John Kiingbeii, arrested two Barrow men for taking
ducks and geese out of season, 138 Barrow men descended on the
game wardens each carrying an eider duck. After several months,
charges were dropped by the Justice Department with the w'arning
they would be prosecuted if they took ducks out of season again.
—Photo by the Rev. John Chambers
Probation Begun
On Aleut Island
The Aleut Community of St. Paul
Island has recently passed an ordi
nance setting up probation for the
Community Court there.
"The ordinance was formulated to
combat the abuse of alcohol,” ac
cording to Smile V. Gromoff, presi
dent of the Aleut Community.
(Continued on Page 6)
Editorial
1963
As we natives go into the New Year of 1963 we
should take stock of our capabilities and make pledges or
resolutions to do things for ourselves.
One of the first things we should do is to think hard
on the problems that face us and make serious efforts to
think of ways and means to solve them.
We are finding out that we must make the first
moves at possible solutions to our problems before we
can hope to get any assistance.
In these times we cannot afford to do nothing and
expect our problems to be solved. Assistance, from what
ever source, will not come to us unless we make definite
initial moves.
The little village of Buckland has recently set a fine
example of what can be done if a village makes up its
mind to do things for itself.
Most villages have many problems. One of the fore
most is the economic problem. To make a definite move
toward solving this problem is to do what the village of
Buckland did; make a thorough survey of possible re
sources each village or town thinks are feasible in and
around their areas. To do this is to pave the way for avail
(Continued on Page 2)
Paper Gets Gift
Tundra Times, at Christmas time,
was more than pleased to receive a
fine cash contribution from Mrs.
Arthur Hays Sulzberger, recent
publisher of the New York Times.
Singer Starts Fad
Eskimo Makes Gold Parka for Elvis Presley
FAMOUS PARKA DESIGNER—Laura V. Wright is shown happily
sewing on one of the parkas that have made her known all over
the world. She has made parkas for senators, movie performers,
priests, and the latest parka order which Mrs. Wright has received
is from none other than the famous singer and recording star,
Elvis Presley.
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer
Mrs. Laura V. Wright, well known
Eskimo designer and maker of
parkas, recently received an order
from Elvis Presley for a gold vel
i veteen parka.
i And the order has started a fad
! particularly among teenagers for
! parkas similar to the one being
: made for the noted movie and re
cording star.
The famous rock ’n roll singer of
j Memphis, Tenn, saw Wright Alaska
parkas at the Seattle World's Fair,
I worn by hostesses at the Alaska
j exhibit, and promptly ordered one.
The parka which Mrs. Wright is
now making for Presley is of gold
velveteen with gold satin lining. It
also has brilliant gold ornamental
trimming. It measures 19 inches
across the back, the chest is 4012
inches, and the sleeve length is 35
inches.
Since receiving the order for the
| parka. Mrs. Wright of Fairbanks,
says she has gotten a tremendous
number of telephone calls and per
sonal inquiries.
Mothers Excited
“Even some young mothers are
excited about it," she said.
To illustrate, Mrs. Wright told
this little story.
A couple came to buy a parka
for their teenage daughter. The
tContinued on Page 5>
Canadian Judge Rules
Natives Taking Ducks
Does Not Violate Treaty
**y i nomas Miapp ^
Times Staff Writer
Eskimos and Indians of the Arctic j
have at long last won an important !
legal decision upholding their an
cient right to hunt ducks and geese
for food anytime of year.
A Canadian judge has ruled that
the Migratory Birds Conventions
Act of 1916 has no application to
natives hunting for food and does
not curtail their hunting rights.
In effect, J. H. Sissons, judge of
the Territorial Court of the North- I
west Territories, has set a legal pre- '
cedent which attorneys say may
be cited in similar cases in Alaska.
In a 13-page decision, the judge
wrote:
From time immemorial, the In
dians and the Eskimos of the north
and their wives and children have
in the spring taken migratory birds
for food and will continue to do so
and this has been and is necessary |
for their survival and well-being.
“The effect on the bird popula
tion is negligible . . . but it would
not matter if it were otherwise.” |
Hungry Indian
The case upon which the Cana
iian judge made the history-mak
ing decision involved an Indian
man, Michael Sikyea, who lived
lear Yellowknife. 11
When the hungry Indian man '
raised his gun and sighted a duck,
he didn't realize that the simple
act of shooting it would cause re
percussions throughout Canada, and
eventually Alaska.
But he was promptly arrested by
a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
man and was charged with shoot
ing a duck out of season. He was
brought before the magistrate at
Yellowknife and was fined $10 and
costs.
Case Appealed
The master could have easily
ended there. But it didn't. The de
cision violated an ancient aborigi
i nal right of natives to hunt and
fish for food.
The case was appealed and heard
by Justice J. H. Sissons of the Ter
j ritorial Court of the Northwest Ter
I ritories.
| Justice Sissons, a confirmed
| northerner, has traveled the length
| and breadth of the North in his
job. He knows how the Indian and
Eskimo think, knows their tradi
tions, and how the influx of the
white man's civilization has in
fluenced them.
Decision Reversed
Justice Sissons reversed the lower
court’s decision, found Sikyea in
nocent, and ordered the fine and
(Continued on Page 5)