Cuntrra ^Ctmrs
Indian ^kMMVA* ■ ■
Pena Nena Henaah The Land Socak* I ^
Aleut
Unungang Toonooklakuks The Aleuts Sneak
V-LN° 9--Monday, Feb. 4, ,963_ Fairbanks, Alaska
Radiologist
Soon to Inspect
X-Ray Machines
Sidney D. Heidersdorf, director
of radiological health for the State
Hoalth Department, says that X
rays should be a greater source of
worry regarding radiation than
fallout.
He says the average U.S. citizens
Rets more radiation from being X
rayed than he gets from natural
background fallout,
Heidersdorf was sent to Alaska
by the U.S. Public Health Service
to set up an over-all radiological
health program for Alaska.
It will involve environmental sur
veilance. x-ray equipment inspec
tion, and control and evaluation of
hazards associated with radiation.
He will make his headquarters
at the Douglas Marine Station, a
part of the Institute'of Marine
Sciences of the University of
Alaska.
The health department is in the
process of negotiating an agree
ment with the University of Alaska
for mutual use of a beta counter
and other equipment at the Douglas
station. A gamma spectometer will
also be purchased, perhaps jointly.
This equipment will be used to
analyze samples for radiation.
Heidersdorf, 26, received his
bachelors degree in physics from
Loras College, DeButte, Iowa, and
completed a year's study in 1958
59, at the University of Washington
Graduate School in Seattle in ra
diation physics. He completed three
TWO-COUNTRY LIFE SPAN
Great-Great Grandmother, Age 110,
Remembers U.S. Purchasing Alaska
By Thomas Snapp
Times Staff Writer
Mrs. “Dolly” Komakhuk, 110
year-old Eskima great - grand
mother, now living in Anchorage,
remembers when the United States
purchased Alaska from Russia.
In fact, she remembers the time
before the Russians came to north
ern Alaska.
Mrs. Komakhuk was born near
Council, just a little north of Nome,
sometime in 1852, the exact date is
not known.
Amazingly, she was mother to
five children, and now has 80 grand
children and 48 great-grandchil
dren. One great-granddaughter is
now seventeen.
In the not too distant future, per
haps the smiling Eskimo woman
may have her first great-great-great
grandchild.
According to Mrs. Komakhuk,
shortly after she was married, she
remembers the excitement among
her people when Russia sold Alas
ka to the U. S.
Prior to that time she said her
people traded with the Russians at
what is now St. Michael's. When the
Russians sold Alaska, Mrs. Komak
huk says they were afraid the trad
ing would be discontinued.
At that time she said her people
were mostly hunters, trappers, and
fishermen.
“We had only wood traps,” she
said, “and fishing nets made out of
caribou sinew and seal hides.”
Jade Matches
“Only matches we had were jade
rocks,” she said, “and we had jade
knives.”
Since Mrs. Komakhuk does not
speak English fluently, information
was given to Tundra Times through
her 59-year-old daughter, Mrs. An
drew Kalerak.
Mrs. Komakhuk lives with a blind
daughter, Mrs. Grace Alexin, 69,
in a little apartment on Tudor Road,
very near to the home of her other
daughter, Mrs. Kalerak.
Although well past the century
mark, Mrs. Komakhug is still frisky
and gets about. She makes Eskimo
yo-yos and dolls and does other
sewing.
Life Secret
Mrs. Komakhuk gives as the rea
son for her long life the fact that
she only eats meat, berries, muktuk,
fish, and wild potatoes.
In the early days, Mrs. Komak
huk says her people used fish traps,
some big, some only about 5 feet
(Continued on Page 6)
GOVERNOR EGAN INAUGURATED—A crowd of more than 1,500
heard Governor William A. Egan give a blueprint for the develop
ment of Alaska in his inaugural address last Monday in Juneau.
Thousands of others heard his address via radio. The capital city
of Juneau was jampacked with visitors from all over the state for
three days of colorful festivities and the opening of the 3rd State
Legislature. —Tundra Times Photo
months training at the Hanford
Laboratory in 1959.
In the fall of.1959. he joined the
U.S. Public Health Service and was
assigned to the Division of Radio
logical Health, State of New Jersey.
For the past two years he has
been an instructor in radiological
health at the Robert A. Taft En
gineer Center in Cincinnati and the
Radiological Health Laboratory,
Rockville. Maryland.
On February 18. Heidersdorf will
inspect the X-ray equipment at
Mt. Edgecumbe High School and
later will inspect X-ray equipment
at the native health hospitals.
Subscriptions
At Half Price
| Do you know of persons in out
| lying Alaska villages who. would
really appreciate receiving copies
of the Tundra Times? If so, you
can subscribe for them for a year
for only $2.50.
The first ten letters bearing the
earliest postmarks and mentioning
this offer will be eligible. The
other half of the subscription cost
will be paid by Ernie Hanauer, of
the Upholstery Shop, 122 Hall St.,
Fairbanks.
INAUGURAL PARADE—Color guards unfurl their flags as they
march through Juneau's streets lined with thousands of Alaskans
during the Inaugural Parade for Governor William A. Egan last
Monday. Scout battalions of the Army National Guard from Nome
and Bethel were among many military units in the state to partici
pate in the parade. —Photo by Mike Dalton, courtesy of the Fair
banks Daily News-Miner.
Scientists Say No Danger
Exists Now to Alaskans
By Thomas A. Snapp
Times Staff Writer
Four scientists have told the Tun
dra Times that there is no imme
diate danger from Eskimos eating
caribou but have agreed that ra
diation research needs to be step
ped up in Alaska.
The four are: Sndney D. Heid
ersdorf. head of radiological health
for the state of Alaska, Dr. Leslie '
Vierick, of the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game, Dr, Lawrence
Irving, of the Arctic Research La
boratory, University of Alaska, and
Dr, William Pruitt, biologist, form
erly employed on the A.E.C. Pro
ject Chariot Study and a former
member of the faculty of the Uni
versity of Alaska.
Of the four, Heidersdorf, who
j was assigned to Alaska about a
month ago to set up an over-all
radiological health program, says
that the radiation level is higher in
Eskimos who subsist mainly on
caribou than on those who do not ,
' but he says that the present level
in no way endangers health. I
He says a person who has had a
number of X-rays will have more
radioation in his body than Eskimos
who eat caribou and says that a
person who wears a watch with
a luminous dial may get more ra- I
diatinn exposure but he describes
people do from eating caribou.
He points out that there is al
ways a risk, genetically speaking,
with the slightest amount of ra
diation exposure bue he describes
it as “about a million to one.”
The genetic risk of Eskimos who
eat caribou has now risen slightly
to “about a million to two,” but
the risk is in no way a danger to
health, he said, because it is so
small.
Dr. William Pruitt, biologist oE
college, who has recently written
an article about the radiation prob
lem in connection with caribou
for Beaver magazine, differs sharp
ly with Physisist Heidersdorf on
the increase in risk.
He described the increase in risk
instead of “two in a million” to a
j “thousand in a million.”
Dr. Viereck and Dr. Irving would
not comment on the pros or cons
of the radiation question but did
say that the hazard was serious
enough to warrant concern and
study.
Essentially this is the problem,
j Caribou and reindeer feed mostly
I on sedges and lichens. Sedges and
j lichens do not get their nutrients
from the soil through roots but
through dust wihch they absorb
from the air.
As they absorb the dust for food,
they take in much more fallout than
most other plants and according to
technical journals they retain al
most 100 per cent of it.
The caribou and reindeer then
eat the lichen and sedges and the
radiation passes on to them. Ac
cording to recent studies released
by the A.EC. caribou in Alaska
have more than 20 times the amount
(Continued on page 6»
Pt. Hope Votes
To Welcome Plane
PolarBearHunters
Not long ago the village, council
of Point Hope had a meeting and
discussed pros and cons of the plane
hunters who come to Point Hope to
hunt in the month of February.
After they studied in detail the
advantages and disadvantages of
their coming all 20 people who were
present voted in favor of the com
ing of plane hunters.
They pointed out that the time
they use to hunt polar bears was
before February before the plane
hunter’s arrival.
They pointed out that no one
hunts them now. One leader said,
“Now we play cards. We use to stay
out hunting them all day.”
Point Hope News reported;
"Everyone is happy to see them,
come. A recent meeting o£ 20 men
of the village showed that all 20
were in favor of bear hunters com
ing and they hope more will come,
as this helps the economy of tha
village.
“They voted to ask Fish and Wild
life to study polar bears.”
Point Hope is located on the
westernmost point of Alaskan main
land. It has a population of about
350 people.