ALASKA. LOCALISMS. -byLieut ©nant Clyde Grady, 7th Infantry.
Chinook wind; A warm wind from the south, and in the states it is the
name applied to warm, dry wind which blows at intervals down the slppes of the
Rocky Mountains•
Kayak; This is a very common Eskimo name or word. It is a li^it huntin?
boat used in the Arctic coast of America. It is made of sealskins principally,
stretched over a wooden frame,and in the middle of the boat there is an opening
to receive one hunter. The Eskimo is very adept in the handling of this skin
boat. He wraps himself in sealskin and binds it tightly around the hole to pre
vent the water from entering. He then can turn himself and the boat completely
over and set himself aright again. It is just the same as looping the loop with i1
an airplay®, except the boatman does his looping sidewise. This is one of the
favcpA&% sports with the natives.
Biddarka or Biadarka: According to the Century Dictionary this word appear
to be of Russian origin, and is defined as the sealskin boat of the Alaskan Eskimo
Mr .Henry W.Eliot, in his book "Our Arctic Province", writes as follows of this
boat: MThe"Bidarkan is a light frame work of wooden timbers and withes very tight]
lashed together with sinews. It is covered with untanned sealion skins,which are
sewed on over it while they are wet and soft. When the skins dry out they contra^
and bind the frame and are as taut as the parchment of a well strung bass drum.
-Then the native smears the whole over with thick seal oil, which keeps the water
out of the pores of the skin for quite a long period and prevents the slacking of
the taut binding of the little vesel for twenty four to thirty hours at a single
time. Then the Birdaka must be hauled out and allowed to dry off in the wind
when it again becomes hard and tight. Most of them are made with two man-holes,
some have three. The otter hunters always go in pairs, or in other words, use .
two-holed bidarkas."
Oomiak; Eskimo origin* This is a very large boat ranging in length from
twenty to thirty feet* This craft is often manned by women, and from this fact i
frequently referred to as the women's boat*
Below; Alaskans usually refer to a visit to Seattle, Vancouver and towns
in the neighborhood as ”going below”.
Cache: This word was first used by Canadians in the Hudson Bay country and
means to store away in concealment a store of provisions or other things. It is
pronounced like cash. A cache is often built in trees out of reach of d«rs and
wild animals. Wolverines are the worst enemies of caches. It is also applied
to underground cellars where food is stored for the winter, or it may refer to a
summer building that is open and screened* In Alaska it is of very frequent use
in general terms it means to take care of something for another*
Bedrock; It is commonly used to designate solid rock lying under loose
such as sand and gravel. In mining sections it means no pay until the ”Clean-up
Clean-up; Gold obtained from washing gravel in sluice boxes,that is separc
ting the gold from the gravel*
Dust; Sirall particles or grains of gold- In the mining camps this is caU
"Sourdough" money when used to purchase supplies. The term Chechacko is applied
to money coming from the outside. One often hears at the grocery stores,fare thjs
Sourdough or Chechacko potatoes?". (To be continued next week) . *
LEiSKFDQETMTTS. - by Captain M.C .Martin, 7th. Infantry.
Everyone is born with the necessary tools with which to paint a life portr^ •
In the end it is the completed picture which will be judged and not the quality c
the canvas, paints and brushes. With the poorest of tools some will turn out a
terpiece while others equipped with the finest of tools sometimes utterly fail*
Time and again you have seen men throw down their tools in in disgust and lookin
enviously at the man next to them cry,"What a fine picture I could paint if * hac
his tools"*. That shows human discontent and is the cause of much unhappiness.
Some of us are too ready to give up, thinking that others are equipped with beit
tools than we, little realizing that our own tools are better suited to the paj
of our own life portraits than those of our neighbors. With our own deeds we y.
our portrait on the canvass* of life. IJkke it honorable and worth while. Don't si
for the tools of the other fellow, but make the best of what you have and stride
prtduce a masterpiece.