Cttnlira Citncfi
Owned controlled and edited by Tundra Times. Inc., a corporation of Alaska
natives. Published at Fairbanks, Alaska, twice monthly, on the first and third
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Tundra Times, Inc., publisher iHoward Rock. Martha Teeluk. and Alfred Ketzleri ,
HOWARD ROCK, editor; Thomas Snapp. assistant editor; Vivian P. Spurgin, office
manager; contributing editors, Guy Okakok, Martha Teeluk, and Alfred Ketzler.
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Editorial
Rampart Confusion
(Continued from Page 1)
than one billion, three hundred million dollars to build the
hydro project.
But perhaps the most disturbing thing happening now
is that the native villages in the would-be-inundation area
have been given such a tragically short time to make pro
tests. Just a month. It's not easy for some natives 1o pre
pare documents that are considered acceptable, because
some of them are not educated enough. When the Bureau
of Land Management in Fairbanks decides that papers are
not in proper form, it just puts them aside and considers
them as "just pieces of paper."
It's hard to see, although we have some ideas about
it, why the proposal for withdrawal has been made when
studies of the project area are not yet completed. We had
thought that the report of the third study of the proposed
project would be forthcoming in August as we have heard,
and thought that that would be when the withdrawal ap
plication of land in Rampart area would be made. We also
thought that the August date would give natives ample
time to draw up their protests.
Well, it hasn't worked out that way. When the Fed
eral Register came out on March 21, it said views of the
proposal were to be submitted to the Fairbanks BLM of
fice by April 20, just 30 days after the announcement, and
that a public hearing would be called at a convenient time
and place "if circumstances warrant it."
According; to BLM office in Fairbanks, there will be
no hearing held if only a few protests from natives arrive
by the 20th of April, or, there will be no hearing if the
protests do come but are considered improper in form.
In view of all this, natives in proposed dam area, and
interested organizations, should submit protests before
20th of April. Time is very short.
Another course of action might be to ask the Bureau
of Land Management for an extension of time to file com
ments and objections.
Thus far, most of what has appeared in the press
about the proposed Rampart Dam has been based on in
formation supplied by proponents of the project, mostly
on its economic development potential for Alaska and en
gmeering aspects.
Very little has been printed on the adverse effects to
human and wildlife resources, to the people and animals
in the proposed area to be flooded. Both the good and the
bad effects of the project must be considered before
reaching a conclusion and it is extremely difficult to make
a conclusion one way or the other before all the facts
are in.
Many natives have expressed opposition to the pro
ject, however, in light of the facts available at this time.
Many of the villages that would be affected have had for
a great number of years native claims pending with the
federal government. These villages insist that the claims
be settled before they are asked to uproot their homes to
make way for progress.
The Tundra Times urges all native villages affected to
send in any objections they may have to the project at once
and urges the government to extend the time limit so
that all villages may have the opportunity to do so. It is
without doubt the desire of both the native and non-native
people of Alaska that hearings on the withdrawal be held
In Alaska, no* just in Washington, D.C.
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.)
Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Lathrop, a
husband and wife dental team, were
awarded the Superior Service
Award by the Secretary of the De
partment of Health, Education and
Welfare, Arithony J. Celebrezze,
last Thursday, April 11, at the na
tion's capital.
The Lathrops are now assigned
to the Public Health Service Alaska
Native Hospital at Kotzebue,
Alaska.
Doctor and Mrs. Lathrop have a
team of dogs with which they travel
•V*X*X*X'X*X*X>X*X*X*V*V*X*X*
Although it was kept secret
until presentation. Dr. and Mrs.
I^throp received the top service
award in the country, the Oveta
Culp Hobby Award, named after
the first Secretary of the Depaart
ment of Health, Education and
Welfare. They received a medal,
certificate, and $200.
to visit the outlying villages in the
Kotzebue hospital service area.
In their travels they visit remote
villages w’here water and lighting
facilities are nonexistent. To do
their work, they hold clinics by lan
| tern or candle light, since the ma
' jority of their travel is done during
the winter when daylight hours are
limited.
The Lathrops were first employed
by PHS in 1952 as a dental-dental
assistant team at the UHS Alaska
Native Hospital at Barrow, Alaska.
In 1954 they were transferred to
Kotzebue.
Air travel is a popular mode of
travel in modern Alaska, but the
Lathrops hitcvhed their team and
traveled approximately 600 miles
along the Arctic coast, stopping at
Wainwright, Point Lay. Point Hope,
Kivalina. and finally to Kotzebue.
They are probably the only non
native people to make this long trip
by dogteam—and they made it in
February, one of the coldest months
of the year in the Arctic.
And so to Dr. and Mrs. Robert
L. Lathrop, dental health team, who
have'given valuable health service
to the natives in the Arctic, goes
the Tundra Times fourteenth North
Star award along with our congratu
lations.
POEM:
Rubbing Noses
(Editor's note—This editor has
never witnessed a nose-rubbing
affair between an Eskimo young
lady and an Eskimo young man in
his life, although an Eskimo him
self, he has had ample opportun
ity to do so. Besides, he thinks
that such demonstration of deep
affection would fall far short of
expressing one’s love for the fair
sex, or vice verse. Even to the
Eskimos in Alaska, rubbing noses
seem rather silly and totally in
adequate as a sign of deep affec
tion. However, he has seen it
done between a mother and her
baby, a practice that does seem
much more sanitary than the
mouth-to-mouth kissing. The fol
lowing rhyme was penned by a
person unknown to this writer.
Here it is for what it’s worth.)
By Anonymous
Why is it that Eskimoses,
Instead of kissing, rub their
noses?
It It, they lay, thit practice
To keep their notes from
freexfng.
Guest Editorial
No Muzzling Please
It has been comforting to hear from various parts of
Alaska protests against a suggestion made in the Alaska
Legislature that persons on the public payroll should not
be allowed to speak their thoughts freely—especially when
those thoughts are on the opposite side from those of the
leaders or party in power. The argument in the House
referred to Rampart Dam and indications of opposition to
the dam from a person connected with the University of
Alaska, but that isn't the point.
Actually, we're face to face with the problem of in
terpreting the right to freedom of speech. University
people should be free to pursue knowledge and opinion
sincerely wherever it might lead, for only in this way can
the truth become known. If persons speaking appear to
be wrong, the answer is not to muzzle them but to dis
agree with them in open discussion. Rampart Dam, which
so many Alaskans urgently desire (while others don't)
won't be helped by efforts to conceal opposition or to
muzzle anyone who might wish to speak against it. As
facts become available they should be brought out for full
and open discussion by anyone who cares. Freedom of
speech is a basic American principle.
We can understand there are situations where speak
ing out is not the wise, courteous or loyal thing to do—for
example, if you are the assistant, say, to a government
official who is urgently pushing a project, you would not
issue public statements against his project while expecting
to hold yo.ur position. An administrator should be able to
expect loyalty from his staff, and if disagreement by any
staff member becomes fundamental he should either keep
quiet about it in public or resign. But barring this restricted
circumstance, freedom of speech is the American way and
should be encouraged for a healthy society.
It has been said here that state employees can t pub
licly disagree with administration policy—even though its
remote from their specific responsibilities—without losing
their jobs. We don't believe this is true. If there are in
stances of such attempted "muzzling" beyond the range
of reasonably expected loyalty, it is the job of all citizens
to serve notice that such infringement of freedom will not
be tolerated.
-THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, JUNEAN
Friendship
Most of us have friends; we have observed friends;
we have heard of friends and we have read about them.
Full reality of friends never fails to ring a bell on the good
side of our system.
Friendship is an innate quality in all of us. It comes
to fore in many ways. We seek it. We don't always do it
consciously. We find it, sometimes without knowing how
it happened. Innate feeling of friendship is stronger in
some of us, and less in others. Even a tiny seed of it can
be developed into a full blossom of happy friendship.
Friendship can be sensed instantly. Other times, it
takes awhile to cultivate. Each one of us are born with a
varying degree of it and it is largely up to us to cultivate it.
It's a shame some of us do not try to develop friend
ship as much as we should. Instead we allow it to stagnate
in our systems. When it is allowed to stay dormant, one
can sense it and sensing it in a person makes you want
to say, "Too bad."
A man can have his coffers filled to the brim and be
despised because he did not bother to assert his friendship.
A poor man can be despised because he did the same
thing.
This writer has seen friendship between an Alaskan
Indian and a white man. He has seen friendship between
an Eskimo and a white man. Friendship that was true—
man to man.
To see that kind of friendship is an experience that is
more than heart warming. One cannot help but want to
say, "Good for you. Keep it up."
All of us should take a cue from that. How much bet
ter we would get along! We need to get along in friendli
ness. When we don't do it, we find ourselves with tenden
cies toward enmity. Enmity is ugly and uncomfortable.
Still some of us tolerate it because we have by-passed
friendship.
Yes, there is a seed of friendship in everyone of us,
no matter who we are. It is there to enrich us every day
of oi/r lives.