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Inupiat Paitot 0ena Nena Henash
"People's Heritage" "The ,and speaks»
Vol. 1, No. 1_Monday, Oct. 1, 1962_ Fairbanks, Alaska
Interior Secretary Udall Visits Alaska
Taking Action
On Resolutions
Robert L. Bennett, area director of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is tak
ing action on a number of resolu
tions adopted by the Dena Nena
Henash, a meeting of Athabascan
Indians, at Tanana in June.
One of the resolutions concern
radio facilities for the village of
Chalkyitsik.
In a letter to Alfred Ketzler, chair
man of the Indian meeting, Bennett
said BIA officials had met with the
villagers and arrangements were
being made to install the communi
cation facilities.
Bennett also said he had set the
ball rolling on three other resolu
tions: a home for the aged in inter
ior Alaska, a study of flood control
for villages, and a requested vo
cational school.
The area director is a member
Of a committee, under the chair
manship of Dr. Charles Ray of the
University of Alaska, recently ap
pointed by Governor William A.
Egan to develop a long range edu
cational program for the state.
The resolutions, concerned direct
ly with BIA affairs, were adopted
by delegates from 27 villages at the
Tanana meeting.
Official Sends
Congratulations
By ROBERT l*. BENNETT
Area Director
Bureau of Indian .Affairs
I wish to congratulate the Native
people of the Interior and Arctic
on their publication, “The Tundra
Times.” Proper use of this publica
tion can develop an image of the
Native people as they want to be.
With this publication also comes
the opportunity and responsibility
to report news and mold opinion.
Accurate reporting of news and the
use of the publication as a positive
force for good, can earn the respect
of the public for the Tundra Times.
This does not mean you will
please everyone and that everyone
will agree with you, but respect
you they must if you are forthright
and positive. It is one of the basic
tenents of this great country of ours
that although everyone will not
^ agree with what you say, your right
to say it will be defended. \
So again, congratulations and suc
cess to you on this worthy venture.
EDITORIAL
WHY TUNDRA TIMES?
Long before today there has been a great need for a
newspaper for the northern natives of Alaska. Since civili
zation has swept into their lives in tide-like earnestness,
it has left the Eskimos, Indians and Aleuts in bewildering
state of indecision and insecurity between the seeming
need for assimilation and, especially in the Eskimo areas,
the desire to retain some of their cultural and traditional
way of life.
Noting the need for information to cope with civiliza
tidfcQffHfri informed manner, the Eskimo Inupiat Paitot or
gahC&ftbn at its first meeting in November, pointed out:
(Continued on Page 2)
CABINET OFFICIAL.—Secretary of Interior Stewart Cdall, left,
stressed the development of natural resources In Alaska, particularly
such projects as Kampart Dam, at a special Chamber of Commerce
banquet In Fairbanks Wednesday. Cdall, who has recently toured
the Soviet Cnlon said the Russian people were forging ahead in the
development of hydro-eleetrielty. At right is Chamber of Comsoerce
President Al Seellger.—Staff photo
Second Inupiat At Kotzebue
Twenty-six Eskimo villages have
been invited to send delegates to the
second Inupiat Paitot conference to
be held October 18-20 at Kotzebue.
Each village has been asked to pay
as much as possible toward the cost,
of transportation and living ex
penses of its delegate.
Secretary of Interior Stewart
Udall. Bureau of Indian Affairs
Commissioner Philleo Nash, and
Area Director Robert L. Bennett
have been invited to attend, by Guy
A. Okakok, chairman of last year's
conference.
Since Secretary Udall and Com
missioner Nash had previously made
plans to come to Alaska before the
meeting, it may not be possible for
them to attend.
Each delegate has been asked to
arrive at the problems of his village
and, if possible, to bring them to
the conference in written form.
During the opening session on
October 18 the delegates will relate
village problems. The session will
be open to the public.
Alfred Ketzler, of Nenana. chair
man of the Tanana Indian Confer
ence in June, has been invited to
the conference.
Native land and hunting rights,
economic development, and the need
for educational facilities will be
among the topics discussed at the
conference.
Two controversial issues, the right
to hunt eider ducks for food and
the proposed Project Chariot, a
proposal for a nuclear experiment
at Cape Thompson, were aired at
last year’s Inupiat Paitot.
Both issues have since been re
solved in accordance with the stands
taken by last year's Inupiat Paitot
conference.
John A. Carver, Assistant Secre
tary of Interior, was present at last
year’s conference.
Historic Rights ond Cloims
Settlement Is Number One
Problem Declares Official
Secretary of the Interior Stewart
Uclall in Fairbanks Wednesday cited
the settlement of historic rights
: and claims as the most important
I oroblem facing Alaska natives to
j '’ay.
He went cn to cite improving
1 Alaska's educational system and de
i veloping job opportunities as two
I ather most urgent native problems.
Secretary Udall, in company with
Gov. William A. Egan, cited the prob
lems at a heavily attended press
conference shortly before he spoke
before a special Chamber of Com
merce banquet given in his honor.
He said the problem of settling
native rights and claims “has been
delayed too long and it is time to
look it squarely in the face."
Long Delayed
“I do think it is something that
must be decided and I hope we have
the fortitude to look at the problem
in the face and come up with some
kind of solution.”
“I'm not prepared to make a def
initive statement on it today,” he
said.
| Udall said he didn’t know whether
the solution of the problem would |
be reservations, but quickly added
I there were several alternatives. |
He said that the Interior Depart
ment wanted to explore the alterna
tives and see if it could come up
with a recommendation to make to
; Congress.
Defends Association
The Secretary of the Interior de
fended the Association of American
Indian Affairs as a long established
association interested in fighting
for Indian rights.
“Oliver LeFarge, the president of
the association, happens to be a
friend of mine,” Udall said.
The Association has been inter
ested in major policy questions con
cerning Indian people in our coun
Secretary of the Interior Ste
wart Udall, in Fairbanks Wednes
day said he would not be able to
attend the Inuplat Paitot meeting
in Kotzebue October 18-30 but
that Eskimo people could be as
sured he would send In his place
•ne of the top persons In the In
terior Department.
“This Is a rather hasty trio; I
wish I could stay longer; but Con
gress Is in Ks last days and 1
must get home” Secretary Udall
said.
“I hope the Ksklnrae hare a gee#
Inuplat Paitot meeting.”
try for a great many years and from
time to time have appeared before
Congress on these questions, he said.
"The Association has made stud
ies and printed publications."
“It is trying to help see to it that
justice and fair play prevails and
we do a better job. I consider it a
constructive organization.” he said.
Education, Jobs
Udall said that the problems of
expanding educational and job op
portunities would require the coti
(Continued on Page 5)
Tape Recording-an Eskimo Fad
By THOMAS SNAPP
Times Staff Writer
From Barrow to Pt. Hope, one of
the most popular fads to sweep the
Arctic in recent years is tape re
cording.
Eskimo people from age 2 to 90
have been absolutely enthralled in
the magic machine which will allow
them to record for nosterity their
language, their legends, their events,
their music.
Many visitors have been utterly
amazed at the number of tape re
corders in the remote Eskimo vil
lages.
Point Hope, with a population of
350. has about 25 tape recorders or
about one machine for every 15 per
sons there. Many other villages—
Kotzebue, Noatak. Kivalina. Bar
row. and Wainwright—have a large
number of them.
The wide popularity of the tape
recorder among Eskimos is prob
ably due. in large part, to the fact
that their language is not written.
But through the medium of tape !
it can be recorded.
Strangely enough, the fad does
not slacken but grows each year
by leaps and bounds.
(Continued on Page 3)
POPULAR TREND—Mrs. Martha Teelah, new of College, formerly
of Kwlghk la the Lower Yukon, to one of many Eskimos who have
taken quite a fancy to tape recording. Mrs. Toelnk to a student at
the University of Alaska.—Staff photo