Cuntira Cttntfi
Owned, controlled and edited b\ 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 second class matter under
Ihc 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
manager; contributing editors, Guy Okakok, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
6 months $ 2.50
Regular Mail, State . 1 year 5.00
Mailed to Other States . 6 months 3.00
1 year 6.00
Air Mail to States .. 6 months 6.00
Less than 6 months, 36c per issue . 1 year 12.00
EDITORIAL
Radiation Maze
The people of Alaska, not the least of which are na
tives of Alaska, are being made to live in a maze of con
fusion regarding radiation.
The subject of radiation has been bandied about in
such a way that the people are all mixed up about the
whole thing. How long will this confusion continue?
While contradictory reports are being thrown about j
in all directions, there are worried people who do not
know what to think of the situation. One day the people
are told not to worry,- that present radiation, that has been
accelerated by nuclear testing, is not enough to harm any
one; that people are being harmed much more by X-ray
machines.
But at the same time people are told, if present rate
of radiation continues, it might be harmful genetically to
future generations.
Others tell that the rate of radiation some people in
the north are absorbing is far more than what is considered
a safe level.
The result: the people are made to worry and in the
next instance they are told that there is nothing to worry
about.
In the light of this confusion there would seem to be
a great need for a clear cut clarification of radiation effects
in Alaska and other areas of the world.
The people need to be thoroughly educated to this
menace. At the present time, the half knowledge of radia
tion people are getting is not doing them any good. Giving
the public the real truth about radiation would be a great
service; the confusion that is being handed out at the
present time is no less, a great disservice.
Some of the European countries, Norway and Sweden
particularly, have been making extensive studies of , adia
tion in regard to human beings and animals. So have some
scientists in the United States and Canada.
The trouble is there has not been any attempt to
coordinate these studies up to the present time. It is reason
able to assume that by pooling their learnings the scientists
could take a great step toward clarification of the radiation
menace.
One stumbling block has been the inability of scien
tists to coordinate their studies of radiation. The physicist
has his own viewpoint of radiation, the biologist has
another, and medical science has still another.
it coordination of these sciences can be achieved, it
is reasonable to assume that a thorough knowledge of
radiation can be reached, one that will enlighten the con
fused public in Alaska and elsewhere.
Indications have been that radiation is a grave long
range problem in Alaska and other areas of the world. If
steps are taken towards honest evaluation of the serious
ness of the problem, a great service will have been done
f6r the benefit of the people In radiation affected areas
of the world.
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.)
“I was born and raised here in
Fort Yukon. I raised my twelve
children and I am now' helping to
raise my nineteen grandchildren,
including my adopted 16-month old
baby boy." Mrs. Hannah Solomon
said in her article she wrote for
j the current Tundra Times.
It W'as so pleasantly obvious that
Hannah Solomon has enjoyed be
! ing with children all her life. In
doing so she is obviously living a
! full life, giving love to her chil
dren and grandchildren. While do
ing that, she is also reliving plea
sant memories of the past when
she was a child.
To further enrich her life she
has the respect of her people. This
was clearly shown by the people
of Chalkyitsik w'ho invited her to
spend the holidays. In writing about
it she said,
"Now and then someone would
stand up and give a speech in my
honor. I was so thankful for what
they did for me.
“It was so nice to see how those
nice people worked together in a
small village."
While Hannah is obviously very
busy raising her children and
grandchildren she is also finding
enough time to have good times
with them.
She w'rote, “Ilm getting older
every year, but I still like to get
out and dance among my children
and grand children.”
And so to Mrs. Hannah Solomon,
happy mother and grandmother,
goes the Tundra Times ninth North
Star Award along with our con
gratulations.
ESKIMO POEM
Keshoma
By HOWARD WEYAHOK
How cold the sward about you, Ke
shorna,
Glinting frosts, swirling drifts of
snow,
Driven by unfeeling wind!
Then a brief respite of a single
moon, whence
The great sun traverses the sky
around.
Defying the accustomed horizon,
Nourishing, therefore,
A cluster of forget-me-nots
That burst into a soul-stirring blue
Upon your simple Arctic grave.
How slight and frail you were,
But you faced with humble courage
The unkind elements, that were
your lot
And, thus, emerged triumphant
With a generous share of love
For your fellow man.
I was blessed with deeper love
You bestowed upon me Keshoma.
Love, divinely tender;
Love that seemed caressed with a
touch of heaven.
Recollections fail me now.
You uttered no words of endear
ment;
But I remember well a gentle hug,
Adoring light within your eyes
That told of love more than ten
thousand words.
How cold the sward about you Ke
shorna.
Glinting frosts, swirling drifts of
snow
Driven by unfeeling wind.
However cold your resting place.
My heart within me whispers,
“Your rest is blessed in quiet peace,
Because you gave so well your love
To your fellow man and me,
A son to you, Keshoma.”
EDITORIAL
Invaluable Knowledge
In the great struggle of man to survive in extreme
cold temperatures and unpredictable treachery of the Arc
tic, he has had to learn to take care of himself when faced
with unexpected emergencies. The northern people have
learned to expect these dangers and have figured out, in
most cases, how best to save themselves when caught in
life and death situations.
Recently, the dramatic illustration of this unfolded on
the churning icefields of the Bering Sea when two of three
hunters from King Island survived in extremely cold
weather for six days and nights.
This happened in January, one of the coldest months
of the year in Alaska. Three hunters were carried away by
ice that broke and drifted from King Island and subjected
them to the six-day ordeal. Two of the three men survived
but the third, unfortunately, died of exhausion. He was the
eldest of the three. Being 55 years old, his age was against
him.
The men were subjected to great obstacles during
the six days. Daylight was very short and it was very cold.
They had to be on the move almost constantly to keep from
freezing to death, which meant that they had to be on the
move during the nights of their ordeal.
Upon finding that it was impossible to get back to
King Island they made a dash for St. Lawrence Island over
a hundred miles away. They knew the general direction
by day and they also knew the general direction by night.
As they had been trained to do, they consulted the stars.
On the fifth day and after covering some hundred
miles, the aging energy of the oldest man began to waver
and he died of exhaustion.
It is almost unbelievable that a man his age lasted that
long during the terrible ordeal. He was a few hours away
from rescue at the time he died. Had he been younger,
he, no doubt, would have been saved along with his two
intrepid companions.
In the dash to save their lives they had to be on the
constant alert along the way. No doubt, the shifting, churn
ing icefields presented one of the major worries. To fall
into a suddenly opening chasm of frigid water meant cer
tain death. They had to be constantly on the alert for this
danger especially during the dark of night.
Along with these formidable obstacles were, of
course, the terribly cold temperatures. This forced them to
snatch sleep for only ten minutes at a time. It was too dan
gerous to sleep any longer than that.
There have been a great many stirring and dramatic
episodes of survival down through the ages in the inter
ior and northern coastal areas of Alaska and Canada.
These have not been accidents. The natives, through neces
sity, have learned to cheat the treacherous Arctic that gives
no quarter in dealing out many-sided, deathly dangers.
Through necessity the people have sharpened their
alertness for danger to a high degree. When caught in dan
gerous situations, they are trained to take stock of the sit
uation allowing as little room as possible, better yet, no
room at all, for panic to overcome them. To allow panic
to take over is asking for a one way ticket to tragedy.
There is a great lesson most of us can learn from the
Arctic people's ability to survive under extreme conditions.
This fact should not be allowed to go unnoticed or with a
casual shrug of the shoulders.
It is inevitable that more and more non-natives will
come to Alaska in the future. They will be comparatively
safe in the confines of cities, but if they find it necessary
to be in outlying areas it will not hurt to have a system of
some sort to brief them on ways of survival in the Arctic.
If the armed forces had not done so before this time,
it would seem imperative that they make thorough studies
of ways of survival in the north, not from just anyone who
happened to have had experiences for a limited number
of years in the north, but from natives who have had ac
tual experiences and who have thorough knowledge of
conditions in the north country.
Older natives, who are wise in the ways of the north,
should be consulted. Their knowledge of survival would be
invaluable to those who are serious about learning this im
portant necessity in the Arctic. Much could be learned from
the Indians and the Eskimos of Alaska and Canada.