Inupiat Paitot Dena Nena Henash
“People's Heritage” “The Land Speaks’*
TUNDRA TIMES_
“The Eskimo-Indian All-Alaska Newspaper"
Owned, controlled and edited by Tundra Times, Inc., a corporation ol Alaska
natives. Published at Fairbanks. Alaska, twice monthly._
Address all mail to: Box 910, c/o Jessen's Weekly. Fairbanks Alaska._
■ Tlrttdra Times. Inc., publisher .Howard Rock. Martha Tecluk. and A'fr^Ketzlcrl ;
5SJ2 sa e8SMrsar-w»^_
SUBSCRIPTION KATES
sss'jajttLiii—==«s
.. . 6 months 6.00
Less than 6 months, 36c per issue .- 1 y®*r
WHY TUNDRA TIMES?
(Continued from page 1)
; "It is suggested that a bulletin or newsletter be pub
lished and circulated every so often to villages about what
is'being done within the Inupiat organization. This organ
ization should be well established, not to be allowed to
die. All the native villages should be informed what has
been accomplished for the good of those villages.
Since the Inupiat meeting, the Athabascan Indians of
the interior Alaska organized at a meeting this past June
at Tanana. Therefore we have decided that this newspa
per shall serve them as well as other natives in Alaska.
There are two main reasons for the appearance of the
Tundra Times.
First- It will be the medium to air the views of the
native organizations. It will reflect their policies and pur-j
poses as they work for the betterment of the native peo
ples of Alaska. It will also reflect their aims . . . their hopes.
\\ will strive to aid them in their struggle for just deter
mination and settlement of their enormous problems.
Second: It will strive to keep informed on matters of
.interest all natives df Alaska, whether they be Eskimos of
the Arctic, the Athabascans of the interior, and other In
dians and Aleuts of the Aleutian Islands.
We have also realized that an unbiased presentation
of issues that directly concern the natives is needed. In
presenting those things that most affect natives, we will
make every effort to be truthful and objective.
Aside from the more serious purposes, the paper will
print articles on what it believes to be an extremely im
portant subject, the culture of the Arctic. We will cover
whaling, hunting and fishing, the Eskimo dance, the dog
team, the family unit, legends, celebrations, both ancient
and current, customs of the past and present and other
things that fall in the category of the Arctic culture We
will include articles on the culture of the Indian and the
Aleut.
Politically, the Tundra Times will follow a firm policy.
It will not support any political party. Its policy will be im
dependent. It will be non-partisan in airing the views of in
dividual candidates. Occasionally, the paper in its editorial
columns, may favor a candidate or certain elected official.
If this occurs, it Will be because of his stand on native is
c„pc rather than the political party td which he belongs.
A reminder: Natives of Alaska, the Tundra Times is
your paper. It is here to express your ideas, your thoughts
and opinions on issues that vitally affect you. When you
have a subject that you feel needs to be writen about, pass
that subject along. If you have something to offer, such
as a good photograph, you think would add to the paper,
pass that along too.
Each offering will be carefully considered and much
aDoreciated. They will aid the success Of the paper.
And in a financial way, you cab help too. Support
it by purchasing the products or services Of Our advertisers.
This does not necessarily mean that you must follow the
offerinas of our politics! advertisers. Your considered
judgment will, and must, be your guide on polhhtt*
ters. Subscribe to the paper and ask Others tb subscribe.
With this humble beginnfngwe hope; not for any dis
tinction, but to serve with dedication the truthfuf presenta
tions of native problems, issues and interests. The paper
asks your kind reception and wishes for success and God
speed.
NORTH STAR
AWARD
(In each issue, the Tundra Times
will single out for a North Star
award one who has made an out*
standing accomplishment or done
a meritorious act.)
Last April 26 an Army H-21 heli
copter crashed near Bethei, kilims
“ight persons aboard and injuring
two others.
Robert Ayeralri. an Eskimo of
Bethel, found the crash scene and
gave first aid to the survivors. He
out the two men. M. Sgt. James
T. Active and Sgt. 1. C. John Fannin.
Tr. on his dog sled and took them to
an abandoned rhack.
There the men were sheltered
until they could be moved to Bethel
fro treatment. Active^ a member of
Company As, 2nd Battalion, 2t7th
Tnfarrtry, Alaska National Guard,
was injured seriously. He was taken
from Bethel for treatment at the
Air Force Hospital at Elmendorf
AFB>
Fannin, a member of the Scoot
Unit's AVmy Advisory Board, was
injured less-seriously and has since*
been returned to duty.
This week Sgt. Active, still re
cuperating from his injuries, was*
transferred from Alaska to Letter
man General Hospital in San Fran
cisco.
Ayaralri's action in locating and
giving aid to the two plane surviv
ors is to be commended. And so to
Robert Avaralri. of Bethel, goes
Tundra Times first North Star
award along with our congratula
tions.
Natitw .
Sung by Jimmy Killigvuk,
Translated by the Editor
_._I
(The following old, old Eskimo
songs were sung by Jimmy Killi
gvuk of Point Hope. In translation,
it was not possible to recapture
completely the tempo and rhythm
of the songs. On special occasions,
particularly between Christmas
and New Year’s, ancient interpre
tative songs are sung for Eskimo
dancing. Killigvuk, now 71, remem
bers the coming of the first per
manent non-Native person to Pt.
itbpe.)
The Song of the Seal
A medicine man was hunting north
When the days grew long in
spring,
As he walked along he heard a
voice sing
Behind a big ice ridge.
It sounded like a man singing a song
And here is the song that he sung:
“I am sitting here
Enjoying the sun
Where it’s warm
On the lee of the ridge.”
When the song was done the
medicine man
Went around the ridge of ice
AVid there—there was no man at all.
A seal slipped down quick in the
sea!
Eskimo Woman’s Love Song
Were I am sitting,
And I am sitting still;
And I see two kayaks coming.
Here I am sitting,
T am sitting still
And two men are coming
To court me.
And here I am a ne'er do well
[ And I’m not very good looking.
Humanitarian . . .
On July 20* 1962, Miss LaVerne Madigan, executive
director of the Association on American Indian Affairs,
met with a sudden accident and passed away. She was,
perhaps, the greatest champion of the Natives and fearless
fighter for their rights.
The news of her death was a shock and a numbing
blow to her friends among the Natives as well as non-Na
tives. The sense of loss of a great student of Native matters
was most keen. The immediateness of this feeling left in
some of us a great void.
LaVerne Madigan, as she was known professionally,
was born in New York. Her mother, Georgia Farrell, who
survives her, lives there. Her father, Di\ George Madigan,
has been dead for many years. She is also survived by her
husband, Harald Bordewich, an electrical engineer, and
her young son, Fergus, who is 14 years old.
Miss Madigan was educated at New York University
where she received her BA and MA degrees. She majored
in Classics (Greek, Latin), and English.
As executive director of the AAIA, the largest private
organization dealing with Indian problems of the lower
states, it was inevitable that she and the Association would
deal with the problems of Alaska Natives.
After Alaska became a state, she made a thorough
study of native problems with numerous visits gathering
first-hand information from the Natives. She met with vil
lage councils and talked at length with native leaders.
After her first field trip in the spring of 1960, she
wrote that one of her main purposes was "to find out ex
actly what the areas of our ignorance are in order that we
may know what we have to learn before we can form
an Alaska policy . .
"The Association needs a^jolicy on Alaska. No one has
one now; and if an issue were to come up, the Natives
could lose important rights and property while we look
frantically for a set of principles on which to stand. I stress
the fact that the Association needs a policy, and the first
hand knowledge of the Natives and the region on which
sound policy must be based."
Later Miss Madigan accelerated her field work In
Alaska when she received direct appeals from native peo
ple in Alaska for help. For instance, in March of 1961
when the president of the Pt. Hope Village Council, David
Frankson, wrote her expressing concern and fear for his
people's way of life if Project Chariot were to be carried
out, Miss Madigan in company with Dr. Henry S. Forbes,
now chairman of the Alaska policy Committee of the AAIA,
came to Alaska to make an on-the-spot study of the situ
ation.
About the same time, Guy Okakok began writing
questioning the issuance of hunting and fishing licenses
by the new state of Alaska. And then the duck controversy
flared into an issue and the Association received much cor
respondence asking assistance.
Miss Madigan and the Association came swiftly to our
Jd. She began a research program on Project Chariot with
direct inquiries to Atomic Energy Commission officials. She
also met with Representative Ralph Rivers who asked for
the Association's help in connection with the duck contro
versy.
Her untiring work helped immeasurably to uncover
the true facts which ultimately led to the resolving of both
the controversial Project Chariot and the duck controversy
in favor of the natives.
Upon request by natives for a conference of village
leaders, she assisted in making possible the first such con
ference ever held in the Arctic at Barrow lest November.
The value of that meeting has been great' in that it, for the
first time in the history of the Arctic, pointed out in a bold
manner that many widely separated Eskimo villages have
common problems.
It was further brought out at the Tanana Indian Con
ference in June that many problems of Interior Alaska In
dians are the same problems as those of the Eskimos.
It has often been said that when one recognizes his
problems, half the battle is won. In our conferences and in
this paper we hope to bring out our problems even more
and work toward their solution. .
The channelling of her knowledge and the applica
tion of it in conferences is a firm foundation that she left
to her friends, the Natives of Alaska. This seed of neces-j
sity to which she so greatly contributed will be a constant
reminder in our struggle to attain just recognition and final
settlement of our historic rights and claims. *