Adventures in Far West Alaska, by Marge Marshall

May 4, 1998.

We arrived in Emmonak today, and will be here until the end of September. We came by way of Alaska Airlines (Anchorage to Bethel) and Grant Aviation (Bethel to Emmonak). We are in the Yukon Delta Wildlife Refuge, so the land is flat and marshy. The ground is still frozen and so are the Yukon River and the many other bodies of water, small and large. The Bering Sea is too, although we are not able to see it from the village. It is going to be an interesting summer! In case you're wondering where Emmonak is, find a map of Alaska, go to Fairbanks, turn left and go all the way to the Bering Sea; come back nine miles and there it is!

June 5, 1998 - Kotlik.

We're here (from Emmonak) for a few days - Howard is "filling in" for Harriet Brown - so I thought I'd tell about this village, which is south of Nome, across Norton Sound (a part of the Bering Sea).

We have several "firsts" here in Kotlik: our first experience with "honey buckets." And not only are there no roads to the village, there are no streets in it--just boardwalks, on the ground, all in and around the village. Our water comes from a hose for the indoor pipe system. Howard refilled the wooden tank Saturday, with a long hose to the public sauna building, located just south of the church. Harriet has posted a little sign in the bathroom: "Easy on the water. A little water must come from a long way." Part of the homes have water and sewer service similar to that in Emmonak, and the City is working on getting everyone else hooked up.

There are two grocery/mercantile stores, AC Value Center, and the Native store, Kotlik Laufkuk. The folks here are just as friendly as the ones in Emmonak. We've found out how they get along without a bank out here in the Bush: each AC store has an ATM machine! And both Kotlik and Emmonak have an AC store (Alaska Commercial Company).

Kotlik is on a "pass" of the Yukon River; not far from here it goes into Norton Sound, a part of the Bering Sea. From the kitchen, we watch the boats on the river, which is so close we almost feel like we're on a ferry--we just see water when we're sitting at the table. It's about 300 feet across the river to some more houses. The skiffs they use here are wide and flat-bottomed, and the residents are just as comfortable with them as we are in our cars in Kansas City. Barges come along here, so the main channel is deep. The first ones of spring came in Tuesday evening--and they "parked" almost in front of the church, so we had a good view. There were two. One to carry the goods, and the other with a crane to put the goods on the land. They brought the material for a new house for a couple being married soon.

The families are beginning to go to their fish camps. The salmon aren't here yet, but they're going out after herring eggs, berries, duck and geese. There are herring and whitefish, and probably other kinds of fish, but king salmon is the most important. They hang it out to dry, then freeze it to keep it fresh.

Now that the ground is warming, there are the usual bugs, so the birds are here too. Out our window, we can see little birds with shiny blue-green backs, swallows, I think. They sure are pretty. One morning, we saw what I call an "arctic rainbow," because it wasn't arched like the usual rainbow, but just a gently-curved, delicately-tinted band of color on the clouds -- beautiful!

Miss B had some caribou meat in the freezer, so Howard thawed it and made Caribou Stew. It's good, although the meat tastes flat to me. When Harriet returned, I mentioned the taste to her, and she told me she usually mixes some beef into her stew to enhance the meat flavor. I learned to enjoyed herbal tea in Harriet's kitchen - she had several different flavors.

Sunday, after evening church, we'll have a Potluck Supper and fellowship here in the parsonage part of the building (bedrooms are upstairs). Last week, Howard made some of his "famous" Salmon Dip (which he learned to make in southeast Alaska, and has since added his own variations). His recipe is below.

Our trip last Friday by Grant Air was stand-by, so we only had about five minutes to pack. Then one wheel of the small plane got stuck, in front of the Grant Aviation, Inc. office. A minor thing -- one of the men gave the wing a shove and we were free. The flight was about 20 minutes. The pilot watched for moose, so we saw a couple. Mike, the pilot, is on the school board, so he knows people in Klawock, Craig and Hydaburg, where we were last year.

It's getting warmer here, I'm wearing only three layers when I'm outdoors, including my parka. Friday evening, I turned the heat up for the bedrooms upstairs, not realizing that I was heating the church part too, so all the Yupiks were hot and laughing at me. I was quite comfortable, myself! I'll get acclimated soon. My warm-blooded husband already is. Yesterday was our second day of sunshine in a row, so we went out walking. The wind was still cold though, because it comes across the ice in the Bering Sea. It sure enough is spring, because some little flowers were in bloom. Yellow, but not dandelions.

It's getting to be like heaven here -- at least the part about "there'll be no night there"!!!! The sun sets, but it doesn't really get dark. And it's another three weeks until the longest day of the year! Between sunrise and sunset, the sun makes a circular path, instead of across the sky like it does in Kansas. That's why the days are so long -- you'll recall what we were taught in school, "The shortest path between 2 objects is a straight line," or something like that.

Howard's Salmon Dip (or Sandwich Spread)

2 pints cooked, boned salmon
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz. chopped chilies
       (those little green peppers on the Mexican shelves at the grocery store)
8 oz. mayonnaise
1 medium onion, chopped
4 oz. dill relish or ground dill pickles
Seasonings, to your taste:
     Black pepper
     Garlic powder
     Mrs. Dash
     Johnny's Seasoning
     Cavender's Greek Seasoning
     Jalapeno peppers, ground up

Use hand mixer to mix together. Use on crackers, chips, bread, or Pilot Bread (giant round crackers which are popular in Alaska).

Enjoy!

June 16, 1998.

We're back in Emmonak, and summer is here, at least for the day -- the sun is shining and it's about 66 degrees. The trees and grasses are greening nicely, so it's looking good. The first commercial "fishery" for king salmon was last night, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. -- not that many are here yet, as the annual migration is just beginning.

Howard is outside working -- more paint arrived today, so the men will begin painting the church again. They're changing the color from gold to a bluish-gray, trimmed in a light gray. Then they'll begin rebuilding the entry to the church, so that it will be roomier. We are living upstairs over the church -- our quarters are quite comfortable.

We have three stores here in Emmonak; about a half-mile west of the church is the AC store, where the ATM machine is; southeast of us, along Kwiguk Pass of the Yukon River, is the Emmonak Corporation Company Store (Company Store, for short), and sort of across our backyard is Kwiguk Trading. All are nicely stocked, so whatever we need, we can get. Prices as a whole are somewhat higher than in Kansas City, but considering the costs of transportation, are pretty reasonable.

There are several artisans here, and we've been admiring some beautiful woven and beaded jewelry items at Kwiguk Trading. I want to get a kuspuk to take home (and I did). It is an Eskimo tunic, often made of cotton fabric, and worn with pants. It has a ruffle at the hem, apron-like pockets, and usually a hood. The design is similar to that of a parka. They are made in several lengths; the older the woman, the longer the kuspuk. Before travel became so common, one could tell what village the woman was from by the design of her kuspuk.

Camp Agaiutim Nune (the Place of God) will open early in July, so the first supplies will arrive by barge next week. It will be a great time for the young people. Juniors, ages 9-11, will be there July 6-10; Seniors, ages 12-18, will be there July 13-17; and the whole family will be there for campmeeting Sunday-Tuesday, July 19-21. Camp A.N. is located about 20 miles above Emmonak on the Yukon River. Most of the time Howard and I will keep busy managing things here in Emmo (say "EEE-moe") -- but we hope to get up there on Sunday, July 19, so that we too can get in on the camp-time experience. We'll come home before bedtime though -- sleeping bags and I are not compatible! (smile)

August 6, 1998.

Quyana chuknuk (thank you very much) for your interest in our web page. (kwee-AH-nuh CHUCK-nuk is how it is said in Yupik). No longer do we have 24-hour daylight, and it's kind of nice to see some darkness, even though it's not until about midnight. I'm hoping to see the North Star next time it's clear -- it will probably be straight overhead!

Today we spoke by phone to our son, David, in Ketchikan. His ferry assignment this week is on the brand-new Alaska Marine Highway vessel, the Kennicott. He was excited about it, and rightly so. I had hoped to see it in October when we visited Southeast, but it was not to be.

Have you ever heard of a beluga whale? We have! We have also TASTED mangtak, little pieces of raw beluga whale! It is considered a delicacy in both Kotlik and Emmonak, but Howard and I just think of it as an interesting experience (smile!) Another experience we've had is eating "dryfish," king salmon dipped in brine and dried, then frozen. It's a bit like salmon jerky, but with more moisture. Herring is also dried, but we haven't tasted it.

We've been eating moose too. We've seen some moose antlers near some of the houses, and they're larger than deer antlers, so I asked the hunter how big a moose is. He said that they're tall, sometimes more than 6 feet! He went on to say they're about the size of a cow, except their legs are twice as long. To get the moose headed his way, he imitated the male's grunt and beat the bushes with a piece of antler. That brought the moose charging toward him, and he shot it. Sounds scary to me!

The 1998 camping season at Agaiutim Nune (the place of God) is now history. We had quite a workout, being the "go-between" for workers, supplies and campers arriving and leaving from Emmonak. We also handled the VHS radio, E-mails and phone calls. By the end of July everything was packed away until next year, here in Emmo. That sounds much simpler than it is, because all transportation to and from the camp is by boat. The Camp Director made 37 round-trips to Camp A.N., a total of about 1,480 miles. In addition, several families from Kotlik, Alakanuk and Emmonak used their own boats. Howard and I visited the campsite on July 19, and the weather couldn't have been better. We were impressed by the whole setup, and we enjoyed being with all the families who came in for the campmeeting services. It was a blessing for us to hear some beautiful songs in the Yupik language.

OUCH! We found out what they do out here in the Bush when there is a dental emergency, you fly into Anchorage for treatment! On June 22nd, I began having some pain at upper right, and by Friday night, I was really suffering. So I took the Grant Air flight to Anchorage on Sunday evening, had the offending tooth pulled on Wednesday, July 1st, and returned to Emmo on July 2nd. I really appreciated our friend's help in getting to the three dentists it took to diagnose and treat the problem! However, a nice side benefit was the marvelous view of Denali (Mt. McKinley) from the the plane.

Grant Aviation, Inc. Grant Air serves as one of the "lifelines" to the Yukon Delta. They make daily flights in and out of Emmo, and often schedule charter flights as well. One can fly direct to and from Anchorage five days a week, as well as to Bethel and many of the small villages on the Yukon River, Norton Sound and the Bering Sea. Without Grant, Camp A.N. would have had a difficult time getting everyone and everything in and out! The "Grant-mobile" is what I call their brown van which hauls passengers and luggage to and from the airfield.

Little did we realize, when we were married in Lyons, Kansas on June 23, 1952 that we would be here in Alaska 46 years later. It was cold and rainy, so for our celebration, Howard and I put on our mudboots and heavy coats and sloshed the half-mile to Family Restaurant and shared a good steak. I could just hear Mom Seaton saying, "If you kids HAD to do that, you wouldn't like it!" And you'd be right, Mom -- we CHOSE to come here and we aren't complaining!

August 23, 1998 - the "Wild Ride."

Howard Marshall I'm quoting here from an e-mail Howard sent to some of our friends and family in the Lower-48: "I really need to give you an account of one of our trips down the Yukon River from Emmonak to Alakanuk. 9 miles on the river. We had a Prayer Seminar last week, with Carl Malz, a world traveler in 54 different countries, as teacher/leader of the sessions. On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights we had 4 to 5 boatloads of Yupiks from Alakanuk come to Emmonak for the services. Rain, wind, and rough water. They would bundle up their little ones in covers, rain gear and the like, as well as themselves. It was humbling to see them go through so much to come for church with the Emmonak people. The services were wonderful because of the enthusiastic singing and times of heartfelt prayer.

"Well, on the Saturday before, Phil, one of the laymen who has helped keep the Emmo church open without a pastor, took Carl and me to Alakanuk to put up some advertising flyers. It was cold and rainy but not too bad. Phil had asked, 'Pastor Howard, why don't we have the final service at Yupik Assembly of God in Alakanuk on Wednesday night?' I suggested it to Carl Malz and he agreed it would be a good idea. Well, all day Wednesday, we had strong winds, rain and rough water. I left the decision up to Phil, since it was his dad's boat, and with Phil growing up in the Delta, he knew the river and the water. He decided the women should stay behind, so the three of us left Emmonak a little after 6:30 on Wednesday (19th). Made good time, even though the water was rough, rough, rough. The boat bounced over the waves and we made it, still dry because we dressed in rain gear. However, on the way home after 10:00, it was getting quite dark, and while we were riding the swells, we hit one of them and Carl and I were 'baptized.' Phil shouted, 'I'm sorry' and laughed. I told him later he was not sorry - he enjoyed it thoroughly and did not deny it. (smile)"

September 29, 1998.

The time came to say "Goodbye" to the Yukon Delta churches. We are glad we were able to come; we've made some very good friends. When we decided to come out here to the Bush, Emmonak sounded so remote, but now that we've been here, we know that it is a place with its own special and unique characteristics, as are Kotlik and Alakanuk.

Howard visited Yupik Assembly of God in Alakanuk several times, usually traveling by boat. But I went only once; we "hopped" the seven miles in a Grant plane, then came back by boat. We each got to ride on a 4-wheeler (ATV)--it was fun! Howard also visited Sheldon Point, which is closer to the Bering Sea. He saw some swans glide gracefully down onto (you guessed it!) Swan Lake.

Different types of berries grow on Sheldon Point, so people from Emmonak and Alakanuk go there to gather them. We had "Eskimo Ice Cream" a couple of times; the Yupiks call it agudak. They cream shortening and sugar together, then stir in whitefish and berries, then freeze it. It's rich but good. I didn't ask if the whitefish was raw; my guess is that it was steamed or baked.

December 6, 1998.

Well, I've been promising to finish our 1998 "Alaska Story" for about a month now, so I'd better get at it! I'm finding that it's a bit difficult to summarize an experience that has made such an impact on us.

After Howard, and I left Emmonak, we spent about a week in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Nenana, Alaska. The town of North Pole is just outside Fairbanks, so we visited Santa Claus Land. In Anchorage, we were pleased to be able to visit Far North Bible College. From Anchorage, we flew to Ketchikan to visit our son David and his family. Ketchikan is a neat place and I always enjoy visiting the beautiful city. It's a bit hard for me to get around there, however, because there are so many steps. I have bad knees and Ketchikan is built along the waterfront and then up the side of the mountains. I told Howard if I was a talented photographer, I'd take really good photos of a lot of the outside stairways and then call the collection "Halfway to Heaven," because they have enough to reach just about that far if they could be stacked end-to-end!

I seem to be good at "Spoonerisms" - I think that's what it's called when you mix up words - and I found a good one. A friend gave us some snapshots he took in Nome, because we haven't been there. Several were of a herd of animals grazing on the beach, type unknown. As I was telling someone about them, I accidentally described the creatures as "reinbou," so of course the other choice was "carideer." Well, anyway, no one we spoke with was sure as to whether they are reindeer or caribou, because their antlers are not clear in the pictures. 14-Dec-99: I've learned that reindeer are caribou which have been domesticated, so they are essentially the same. One can tell the difference between a male deer and a male caribou by looking at the creature's forehead. The caribou has a "shovel" horn pointing forward; the deer doesn't.

From Ketchikan, we made a side-trip to Prince of Wales Island to visit many of our friends from '96 and '97 in Klawock, Craig and Hydaburg. A special treat in Hydaburg was to see the new Totem pole which was erected a few months ago. The Totem is unique in three ways.

1. It's the first new one in many years.

2. It's the only original one ever erected in Hydaburg--the others were either moved there from older villages or are copies carved to replace totems which decayed.

3. It's the first Totem ever carved for one Native group by a member of another Native group. Tsimshian Master Carver Stan Marsden, who lives in Craig, presented the Friendship Pole to the Haida elders. The pole is tall, 36'4", to be exact.

[These details came from Cathy St. John's article in the
Ketchikan Daily News of August 22-23, 1998.]

We bid goodbye to Alaska on October 29 and arrived home in Kansas City to a nice welcome from family and friends that evening. It was great to get home -- but we left part of our hearts in the Yukon Delta!

Will we go back? Maybe. Stay tuned for further developments!