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Owned, controlled and edited by Tundra Times, Inc., a corporation of Alaska
natives. 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 secoud class matter under
the Act of March 3. 1879.
Tundra Times, Inc., publisher iHoward Rock, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler);
HOWARD ROCK, editor: Thomas Snapp. assistant editor; contributing editors,
Guy Okakok, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler. -
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Editorial
Courageous Scientist
After expending great effort under adverse condi
tions to educate the public of the menace of radiation, it
must be gratifying to Dr. William O. Pruitt, biologist, to
see the menace finally receiving general publicity. Head
lines emblazoned all over the United States and elsewhere
that the Eskimos in the Arctic were getting radioactive
contamination in much more quantity than other peoples
of the world.
His efforts stemmed from the time when he was
under contract with the Atomic Energy Commission on an
environmental research for the now abandoned Project
Chariot. His stand on the feasibility report on that project
by the AEC, that that agency did not fully evaluate his
data and, instead, used only "what suited their purpose,"
caused him to suffer consequences.
Having learned to like Alaska he built a small log
cabin not far from the University of Alaska where he had
hoped to get a professorship in biology. He applied for
this position but was turned down mainly through the
underhanded designs of the AEC that threatened to with
draw money appropriations to that institution if Dr. Pruitt
were hired.
As a result of this and, of course, the threat of termi
nation of government sponsored contracts, Dr. Pruitt suf
fered economic loss. This caused hardships in his living
which led him to say something like this, "I may not wear
the best of duds and I may have to eat beans but that will
not change my convictions."
It was apparent that he experienced such hardships.
He began to do freelance writing, some of which he sold to
national magazines like Harper's magazine, Beaver, a Can
adian publication, and others. Income from this sufficed to
keep his family going.
During this period, he applied for a job at Montana
University and it looked promising until he received a
letter that he could not have it because of a lack of admin
istrative approval from that institution. This did not hap
pen accidentally.
Those of us who have had close dealings with him,
did not even know that he was planning to move to the
lower 48 states in pursuit of a job at an unnamed institu
tion. Even his closest friends did not know of his desti
nation.
Someone found out a day before he left and asked
him where he was going and Dr. Pruitt said, "Sorry, if I
told anybody where I am going I am sure the university
would see that I didn't get that job too. And I want to
teach and work. I have a family to support."
The fact that the Eskimos were absorbing radiation in
doses that could prove dangerous to them was the very
thing Dr. Pruitt fought to prevent. It was an unpopular
subject and in doing it, he stepped on the toes of powerful
forces like the AEC. This, inevitably, led to adversities but
despite that, Dr. William O. Pruitt, biologist, was vitally
instrumental in making the danger of radiation known to
the general public by writing and speaking on the unpopu
lar and sometimes hushed subject. It took great courage
and unwavering convictions to proceed under those con
ditions.
The general public owes a vote of thanks to Dr.
Pruitt who persevered under dire conditions to inform the
world of a danger that needed serious attention.
This he has done—a humanitarian effort indeed.
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
don« a meritorious act.)
“The way you guys were selling
that muktuk, you should take some
of that stuff to the World’s Fair
back in New York. You’d make a
fortune,” said a man who had
tasted muktuk at our booth at the
recent Tanana Valley Fair.
The Tundra Times staff and its
helpers had the time of their lives
selling tidbits of muktuk to the
public. The public’s reaction to it.
was hilarious.
Besides being hilarious, the muk
tuk booth of the Tundra Times at
the Tanana Valley Fair was highly
successful. Its success was due to
several unselfish people who
worked hard. Vivian Spurgin of
Cantwell put in countless hours
buying supplies and making ar
rangements. These who handled the
booth were: Poldine Carlo, Molly
Galbreath, Martha Teeluk, Ursula
Teeluk, Isabel Sobodo. Sheryl Mayo,
Betty Engles. Linda Badten, all of
Fairbanks; Helga Tansy, Cantwell;
and Clarabell Charlie, Nenana.
Misses Charlie and Tansy are on
the office staff of the Tundra
Times. The girls decorated the
booth with mukluks and pictures
of Alaska. Heinz Niemeyer made
the excellent signs. Laura Wright,
the famous parka designer, hung
her beautiful parkas in our booth.
Dorothy Mazola, Fairbanks, cubed
the muktuk for sale.
lhe man who was vitally re
sponsible for the success of the af
fair was Ernie Hanauer, Fairbanks
upholsterer, who furnished the
furniture, even to the wall to wall
carpet and a refrigerator. Aside of
all this, Ernie Hanauer became the
ace muktuk salesman of the booth.
Before the affair was over, he was
known as the only muktuk sales
man in the world. Someone pro
posed that we should send him to
the TV program, “What’s My Line?”
“They’d never guess his profession,”
someone said.
And so to the people mentioned
above, whose willingness to help,
made the Tundra Times muktuk
sale a success and helped give pleas
ure to the public, goes the Tundra
Times twenty-third North Star
Award along with our thanks and
congratulations.
Poem
THE WILD DUCKS
ARE FLYING
By Robert Zimmerman
Over the blue, northern sky,
You can see by the sun's fading
light.
Like moving, black shadows on
high . . .
The wild ducks are flying tonight.
North of the tundra they’re found,
Close by the bright arctic sea.
Tonight they are all southward j
bound,
For the wild ones arc homeless and
free.
There's a whisper of snowfall today.
For the long summer days are soon
done.
And the wild bloom will all fade
away,
Like the leaves in the red, dying
sun.
Over the waving spruce trees,
In the dusk you can hear their
wild cry.
It rings through the cool, evening
breeze.
To the valley, then echoes and dies.
Over the blue, northern sky,
You can see by the sun’s fading
light,
Like moving, black shadows on
high . . .
The wild ducks are flying tonight.
Radiation Danger %
At long last the full impact of the seriousness of ra
diation in connection with the Eskimos of northern Alaska
has come upon the public and the world in general. The
realization of this has come about through courageous ef
forts of individual men and organizations despite threats
of consequences and consequences that were actually ap
plied by powerful forces.
The first realization came to the Eskimos after the in
ception and actual preparation to excavate a harbor by
nuclear explo.sion at Cape Thompson near the village of
Point Hope, through a project known as Project Chariot.
The Eskimos became aware of the danger of radiation
both to themselves and to the animals on which they de
pend for their economy.
They owed their new awareness of this danger to
several unselfish people, especially to Don Charles Foote,
who, in compiling the ecological data and human re
sources for the Atomic Energy Commission, began to see
the adverse effects the project would have. As he worked
with the Eskimos of Point Hope, his reports to the AEC
became increasingly unfavorable to that agency and when
his contract expired, it was not renewed.
As a result of Don Foote's close relationship with the
Eskimos of Point Hope, the natives there began to lodge
vigorous protests against the project. These protests
helped to provide a leg to stand on needed by organiza
tions to carry the fight to high offices in our government.
The sustained fight finally resulted in the apparent aban
donment of the Project Chariot.
The Association on American Indian Affairs, Inc., of
New York, with its learned personnel, such people as the
late Oliver La Farge and the late LaVerne Madigan, led a
vigorous fight against the proposed excavation. Dr. Henry
S. Forbes and many other people of note, joined in the
effort on behalf of the natives in the Point Hope area.
Alaska Conservation Society had a powerful hand in
the battle. Dr. William O. Pruitt was correct indeed, when
he gave that organization much credit in affecting invalu
able aid to the effort.
The resignation of Dr. Leslie Vierick, botanist, under
contract with the AEC, helped to loosen the powerful grip
of intent to detonate a harbor, by saying that he, as a
scientist, could no longer tolerate withholding of the true
findings of the scientists by the AEC.
Dr. William O. Pruitt, biologist, whose fearless ex
pose' of the dangers of radiation on the unique Arctic food
chain, was a vital effort in the awakening of the public
to the real dangers of the nuclear fallout: his vivid accounts
on lichens and sedges that get nutrients out of the air,
therefore soaking in radioactive fallout; that these plants
are eaten by caribou which are in turn eaten by natives of
Alaska and thus become contaminated.
To the above organizations and to the courageous
scientists whose deeds of humanity on behalf of the Eski
mos have counted so much, we of the Tundra Times would
like to express appreciation from a grateful people, the
natives of Alaska, for a job well done under most difficult
conditions and to thank them for their unselfish efforts.
The danger of radiation pointed out by them has now
become a public knowledge all over the world, and with
it has emerged a new problem; that of radioactive con
tamination of the Eskimos who make their livelihood on
the food chain of the Arctic. It is sad indeed, that indis
criminate nuclear testing went on by Russia, as well as
our own country, that created this grave new problem.
The recent test ban treaty was indeed a great victory for
the world. We have at least come to realize how much we
don't know and how much more we should know. Great
ly intensified studies are a must.
We will continue to need the help of organizations
and the scientists to resolve, if we can, the new menace to
the natives of Alaska as well as other peoples of the world.
Legal Assistance
Much needed legal assistance has, at last, been made
available to Minto village and it is most gratifying. Attor
ney Ted Stevens of Anchorage is taking on the job on a
one dollar a year basis, his expenses to be paid by the
Association on American Indian Affairs.
He indicated that the Rampart area Indians can have
his services on the same basis if they so desire.