CunUra Cmicss
Owned, controlled and edited by Tundra Times, Inc., a corporation of Alaska
ratlves. Published at Fairbanks, Alaska, twice monthly, on the first and third
Mondays.
Address all mail to Box 1287, Fairbanks, Alaska. Telephone GL 2-2244.
Entered at the Post Office at Fairbanks, Alaska, as second class matter under
the Act of March 3, 1879.
Tundra Times. Inc., publisher (Howard Rock, Martha Teeluk. and Alfred Ketzler);
HOWARD ROCK, editor; Thomas Snapp, assistant editor; Vivian P. Spurgin, office
C . nager; contributing editors, Guy Okakok, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler.
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Editorial
Ducks and People
Continued from Page 1)
crd. On the other hand, there has been at least a dozen
incidents involving non-natives who hunted or have at
tempted to hunt ducks using boats in the past three years.
Also, there are times when some people seem to
want the natives to revert back to bows and arrows and
spears to hunt ducks, as their idea of natives complying
to the claims of aboriginal rights; that in order to hunt
ducks the natives should discard the modern weapon, the
shotgun. This is vindictive and unfair thinking.
The natives are going through a changing economy
of which they have had nothing to do but which was
forced on them. The new economy, the semi-cash econ
omy, has upset their former hunting economy. Since they
Will never go back to the former they have adopted some
modern conveniences, such as the shotgun. Since their
former ways of living have been drastically changed, it is
unthinkable that they should now change to bows and
errows and spears just because they claim aboriginal rights
to hunt ducks.
The taking of ducks is a heritage that is deep-rooted
among the natives and one that will be needed as an aid
to economy for a great long time to come. The changing
economy will not happen overnight. It will be a long, long
process. Training of skills for natives for modern living,
and the earning power that goes with it are just beginning
to be tapped—a bare beginning indeed.
This process need not be pointed out in detail to non
natives of modern times. The process they have had to go
through to achieve their present greatness took thousands
of years. They should also remember that they, too, had
sprung from one of the most primitive states the world had
ever known. Their emergence into greatness has been a
long and painful one. Let us keep this in mind and remem
ber that natives will have to go through a long process
before they can achieve a satisfactory level of modern
living. In the meantime, their rights and heritages should
be respected.
The heritage of taking ducks, as was said earlier, is
deeply rooted. The vigorous defense of this right by Es
kimos is well known. People in high offices have sided
with the natives on this question.
In Canada, a signatory to the 1916 Migratory Birds
Convention, a legal precedent has been made. Justice J.
H. Sissons of a Canadian appelate court at Yellowknife,
N.W.T., passed a judgment that the 1916 Treaty did not
cpply to natives hunting ducks for food.
Governor William A. Egan of Alaska, has taken a
strong stand in support of Judge Sisson' decision. In a re
cent news release from Governor Egan's office was the
following paragraph:
"The Governor said the decision of the Canadian ap
pelate court is the law of Canada and in his (Egan's) opin
ion the decision should be the law of the United States.
The United States is a signatory to the Migratory Bird Treaty
of 1916 and it is only reasonable that a court determina
tion of one nation involved in such a treaty should be hon
ored by other treaty nations as the policy of those nations."
In the opinion of the Tundra Times, the Governor's
approach to the duck situation is realistic. In the full con
tent of his news release the Governor has shown fairness
and compassion that will be much appreciated by the
natives of Alaska.
NORTH STAR
AWARD
(In each issue, the Tundra
Times will single out for a North
Star award one who has made an
outstanding accomplishment or
done a meritorious act.)
"Everyone has been so good to
us since we got here." This was a
common remark among the 177
flood victims that were quartered
at Barnette and Hunter schools in
Fairbanks, 112 were cared for at
Barnette and 62 at Hunter school.
Most of the flood victims were
from the village of Koyukuk and
the remainder from Galena. The
evacuees needed help and plenty of
it and plenty of it was available
in this inland city.
“Fairbanks really went all out
to help these people." This was an
other common remark heard.
Yes, Fairbanks did go all out to
aid the flood victims; Merchants,
Gray Ladies. Bureau of Indian Af
fairs, individuals, Air Force, ham
operators, Fairbanks Independent
School District, Civil Defense, and
not the least of which was the Red
Cross.
Safeway Stores provided cases
of apples, oranges, and bananas.
Creamer's Dairy donated fresh
milk. The response was tremendous
from Fairbanks people who donat
ed many articles of clothing and
toys for the children of the flood
victims. Many volunteers segregated
the clothing and dispensed it. Many
of the workers spent long hours
manning the 24-hour a day opera
tion while there were problems
caused by the flooding Yukon River.
William Parham who directed the
whole operation had this to say,
"The people of Koyukuk lost every
thing. The water got up and swept
their food caches away. The Red
Cross has sent 77 mattresses and
154 blankets and that is not enough
as yet. The people of Koyukuk
want to relocate their village so
this won't happen again. We are
going to assist them.”
About 11.000 pounds of food, bed
ding. and other supplies, have been
sent to the flooded villages. Wil
liam Parham is going into the vil
lages soon “to see where we have
missed.”
Perhaps the service that count
ed the most in ministering to the
flood victims was the immediate
personal side of the operation pro
vided by the Red Cross and the
volunteer help who aided them.
About 29 registered nurses, nurses
aides, staff aides, and Gray Ladies
from Fort Wainwright helped out.
Many volunteers from Fairbanks
came to help.
One of the most heartwarming
part if the operation was done by
Miss Anita Seibel. who supervised
the Red Cross shelter operation.
With all the countless hours she
put into her work, she found time
to help prepare a surprise birth
day party for a little 9 year old
boy. “Along with the cake, we are
going to give him surprise pack
ages,” she said.
And so to many warmhearted
people whose most unselfish ser
vices provided comfort and solace
to the unfortunate flood victims,
for their great help in time of need,
goes the Tundra Timeh seventeenth
North Star Award along with our
congratulations.
WEATHER REPORT
(In Basic English)
Reprinted from Petticoat Gazette
By F. B. Jacobs
‘It rained,
then it snowed,
then it blowed.
No.
it rained,
then it blew,
then it snew.
Oh,
what if did was to rain,
together with other weather."
Editorial
Independent Policy
The Tundra Times is finding out that an erroneous
picture is being passed around in Alaska that the paper is
"Association-sponsored." This is a totally inaccurate im
pression that some people are getting because of un
founded rumors.
The paper while it has the good will of many organi
zations, both native and non-native, is not sponsored by
any of them. The paper tries especially to maintain good
relations with Alaska native organizations such as Inupiat
Paitot, the Dena Nena Henash, the Alaska Native Brother
hood, Village Councils, the Associatioh of Village Council
Presidents and with national organizations, such as many
national church denominations, the National Congress of
American Indians, the Indian Rights Association, and the
Association of American Indian Affairs.
Financially, the Tundra Times was started on a "no
strings attached" private grant generously provided by a
Massachusetts doctor, Henry $. Forbes, who believed,
along with the planners, that a paper was needed for an
information media for the natives of Alaska. He realized,
along with the rest of us, that a newspaper would play a
vital role in this time of unsettled problems faced by na
tive people of Alaska.
The Tundra Times is striving to become self-support
ing and hopes to become so by October, 1964. The paper
as stated in its editorial masthead is a non-profit native
corporation.
Although Dr. Forbes is an officer of the Association
on American Indian Affairs, Inc., he has never attempted
to influence the policy of the Tundra Times nor has he, or
any member of the Association, tried to impose their
policy on the paper.
Upon hearing the current rumors, Dr. Forbes wrote:
"Reports have reached me that the Association of
American Indian Affairs have some control over the man
agement or policy of the Tundra Times. You may quote
me as saying that this is not true. There has never been
any attempt by the Association to exercise control or to
interfere in the slightest degree. The Association has
merely offered its good will but has contributed no funds
to the paper. Signed: Henry S. Forbes, member, Executive
Committee of AAIA."
The good doctor, once in a while, suggests, not re
quests, improvements in the physical appearance of the
paper. He complains a little about the faintness of the
print. He does not interfere with the editorial policy of the
paper.
The editor and his assistant editor, Thomas A. Snapp,
are solely responsible for the contents published. They are
not influenced in any way as to what the contents of the
paper should be.
Whatever is published in the Tundra Times have been
results of extensive, often exhaustive, studies and research
the editors feel are necessary to bring out informative and
true accounts of situations that concern the natives.
The editors are grateful to the doctor and to others
who have supported the paper by their good will but who
have kept strictly out of the editorial policy of the Tundra
Times.
EDITORIAL
The End of Chariot
The apparent abandonment of Project Chariot as a
nuclear excavation experiment is an event that does not
seem to warrant any great measure of rejoicing by those
who fought against it, as far as this writer is concerned. It
is not an empiy victory by any means. But we also can be
thankful that the proponents, on the whole, did not turn a
deaf ear to those who strived to stop it.
We doubt very much that there was anyone in Alas
ka, including the Eskimos, who would want to hold back
a potentially valuable experiment such as the Project
Chariot. Cape Thompson being quite near to populated
areas, gave rise to vehement objections, mostly from the
village of Point Hope located 30 miles northwest of the
proposed detonation area.
The people feared harm to their food-getting areas.
• _i- .^fe fre l?umb,y 9rat®ful to organizations and many
individuals whose help was -extremely vital in the fight
against the project at Cape Thompson.