Blackfish and berries.

 Today, we went north, out past the end of the old airport to a nice area where one of the teachers has a black fish trap placed.  To the left, you see an example of a black fish trap.  The idea is they swim into the opening and there is a small opening at the other end which leads to a holding area.

Black fish live in swampy, muddy, grass filled area similar to the picture directly below.  People place the traps out in these areas, mark the taps with a something so they find them again, leave them out for a few days before checking them. 

These fish are able to survive under conditions of low oxygen.  I spoke with someone who told me that his son placed two in a regular aquarium and they died due to having too rich a level of oxygen in the water.  These fish are not used to that.


The interesting thing about the location this particular trap was placed, is the grass found in the area.  You can see the grass has rather wide blades.  I mention that because locals pick two or three distinct types of grass to use.

The grass from these plants were used many years ago to weave seats for paddlers in a kayak.  I'm told the woven seats are quite comfortable.  Another, thinner type of grass is wonderful for weaving baskets and such. 

 The picture to the left is a great picture of the local terrain with all its lakes and mushy ground.  There are lots of plants found in the tundra, many are used every day.

At one points kids were playing a weird version of baseball on the tundra and having a blast.  I still do not know all the rules. If I used two words to describe the game, its organized chaos.

In the distance, you see some mountains (hills) volcanic in nature and found between the village and the sea.

 The picture to the right contains a couple of plants.  The ones with the long skinny green leaves around a red stem in the upper half is called Ayuk or Labrador tea.

 The Ayuk is burned to chase away bad feelings and clean the air.  It is made into a tea to help people remain healthy so they often add it to their black tea. It has an interesting flavor.

In addition, the Ayuk is often used to help people get over sore throats or congested chests.  I just use it instead of incense at my house.

The smaller plant in the lower left cornet produces a small black berry called blackberries around here.  Unfortunately, there are not that many black berries available because the birds had a lovely time eating them.

 This is a close up of native cranberries.  There are similar red berries but they can make you sick.  The easiest way to be certain is to pick the red berries off the small plants with round curled leaves. 

The bad berries are found growing either in the middle of plain mossy areas or in the middle of a strawberry like leafed plant.  I find it easy to differentiate but its much harder for newbies. 

The other berries look so different.  Cranberries are usually found among blackberries which make them much easier find.  We found a few blackberries while out picking cranberries.  I'll be going out tomorrow and probably looking for more.

 The students are standing around a black fish trap while being instructed by one of the men.  The village is trying to keep its culture alive so they insist on including it in the school curriculum.

The kids are standing in muddy water. It was interesting watching students walk along the path right next to the grassy area.  It bounced kind of like a rickety bridge until one too many students went across and it broke.

Then the kids started getting a bit muddy.

The picture to the left is of a moss.  I do not know the name of it but its quite valuable to the local population.

One of the young ladies shared the following information with me because her parents are quite traditional.

If you took this moss in your hands and squeezed, you'd see droplets of liquid come out. She didn't know if the liquid was drinkable but said she'd ask her mother for me.

They use it to mop their floors since its so damp.  They gather a nice supply of it during the summer and fall so they can clean their floors as needed.  Once these plants are all gone, they use a regular mop.

Another young girl stated her grandparents dried these moss to use instead of toilet paper if they run out or are camping because the moss is extremely biodegradable.

The picture to the right shows what it looks in the ground.  The other picture shows it once its out of the ground.  These are beautiful plants that grow in clusters in damp areas.

Tomorrow, we are heading out a different direction to go fishing among other things.  I plan to take pictures of the fishing rods which are quite different than most people use.  The most common fish they are likely to catch are tomcods.

I hope you enjoyed today's entry.  I'll post another entry tomorrow with new pictures and lots of new information.  Every year, I learn more things about the culture and I love it.  Let me know what you think.

Mouse Food

 Yesterday, we began Sea Week.  Grades 10 to 12, headed down river towards Hooper Bay to camp out till Friday.  Grades 7 to 9 and the high school students who did not go camping are spending days out in the tundra within walking distance of the village, while elementary students do a variety of activities.

The middle school and high school students took off for the area out near one of the camps looking for mouse food.  We passed many of the landmarks in the village such as the tank farm where fuel is stored and where the only gas station is in town. 

The fuel farm was built about 6 years ago in the area where the school held all cross country races.  The city built the facility over a summer.  I left in May it wasn't there and in August, it was. 

If you follow the main road all the way down to the dump, you'll pass the four wind mills built a few years ago to keep electric prices from getting to high.  The electrical generators are fueled by petrol so the cost can be quite high. 

You can tell this village from Hooper Bay easily by the number of windmills.  We have four while they have three.

 The day started out foggy but the fog burned off, leaving us with a beautifully warm day with few  clouds and a lovely breeze that kept the day from becoming too hot.

The four wheeler tracks go by the river where many of the boats are moored.  The area you see with that single person standing right next to the river is near where some people fish. 

It was easier to follow the tracks than go across country because of all the creeks and small lakes we had to avoid.  Even creeks that look shallow can be filled with several feet of mud.  The mud clings if you slow down.  One young lady stopped to look around and got stuck in the mud. Another girl went over and helped her pull her boots out of the mud so she could take another step.  At one point they both fell into the mud.  Finally, one of the boys worked hard and got both of them out of their predicament.

We paused at a camp site to learn more about collecting mouse food.  The item in front of the tent is a fish rack where people hang cut fish to dry them.  I know the family whose camp this is.
Most families have a fish camp and a berry camp which may or may not be the same.  This area is about 20 minutes away from the village.

Mice collect roots they store in their burrows for winter.  At this time of year, people walk the tundra looking for soft places and mouse holes.

They search around the area, digging to find the roots.  You can see the hole in the picture filled with roots called "tear drops".  We ate some raw.  They look like small onion bulbs but do not taste oniony.

People do not take it all.  They always leave some for the mice so they can survive the winter.  These are really good in soup or lightly steamed in Eskimo Ice Cream.  This is a very popular vegetables.

While out there, several boats filled with high school students and their chaperones heading out to camp out.

As they passed, we waved at them and they waved back.  I had an awesome time but several of the students complained they were bored.  They were the ones who sat on the ground, listening to music.  The ones who participated had a wonderful time and said they had so much fun.

Just before 3 PM, we herded the kids back towards school.  Another teacher and I brought up the rear with the stragglers who wanted to take as long as they could to get back.  At 3:30, we were just getting back to town.  I told them school was out and have a good day.

Tomorrow, we will go out and go fishing native style.  I'll gather more pictures for you and share those.  I hope you enjoyed today's pictures.  Let me know what you think.

Three Day Weekend.

It is that time of the year again.  School has begun in many states.  In some places, frost is starting to tinge the morning grass.  Yet today is a major holiday for most people except retailers, emergency workers, airlines, and a few businesses.  We celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September but for most of us, it’s a three day weekend.  Its original meaning lost in the mists of history.  

It began long before our grandparents were born as a tribute to the American workers for their contributions to the economy.  It began back in the 1880's in New York City but there is some dispute as to who actually suggested the first celebration.  However the first legislative recognition came in Oregon in 1887.

Over the next few years, other states joined until 1894 with 23 states already celebrating labor day, the federal government officially recognized labor day as the first Monday in September. It has been celebrated since then. 

Most people are unaware of its origins.  Where I work, everyone sees it as a nice three day weekend to go hunting, fishing, or just catch up with life in general.  I am one in the last category of catching up.  Other people took off into Anchorage to take care of things since we don't often get a long weekend while others hopped in a boat to go off to camping to enjoy the time off.

We don't hit the malls because the closest one is about two hours away by air. So unless I want to spend about $800 for just air fare to get to Anchorage, I am not going running there to take advantage of sales.  Besides, the best deals are in October when the PFD comes out.  For nonAlaskans, PFD is the Permanent Fund Dividend given to every Alaskan resident.  It should be around $1000.

Even if I wanted to go to another village, I'd have to pop in a boat to go to Hooper or Scammon.  The advantage to Hooper is that they have the AC store. AC stands for Alaska Commercial a chain of stores found in some of the bigger places in Alaska.  Its been around for a very long time.

Otherwise, most people are just going to go out on day trips to fish, pick berries or greens, or just enjoy the weekend.  I might take a nice trip around the perimeter of the village, heading out to the tundra before heading back in via the old airport.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend filled with relaxation.  Let me know what you think. 

Happy Labor Day

My Best Friend

Too Cute

9 Ways to Keep Hands Soft In Winter.

  I realize for most people, the idea of looking for ways to keep your hands soft in winter is still too early but here in Alaska, the temperatures are dropping and plants show frost in the morning.

Most years, we don't get snow until October, it sometimes comes in September. Even if its not snowing, it can be quite cold so I start looking at ways to keep my hands soft during the winter.

So here is a collection of suggestions designed to eliminate super dry hands.

1.  Wash your hands less because soap, even moisturizing soap can be drying.  I usually end up washing hands in hot water but I use lots of heavy duty moisturizers to keep my hands softer.  If you do wash hands use warm, not hot water.

2. Increase your Omega - 3 intake through the use of supplements.  I use Ultimate Omega by Nordic Naturals as recommended by my eye doctor of all people.  He suggested increasing it to two tablets over the winter.

3.  Add baking soda in your wash water because it neutralizes the acids from the foods which can dry out your hands.  What works better is to wear gloves to protect your hands.  It has been suggested you put some oil on your hands before putting them in the gloves to add moisture to your hands.

4. Wear gloves, hat, and scarf when going out into the cold to protect your skin from its drying effects. 

5.  Run a humidifier during the winter so as to replace the moisture lost due to most heating systems.  The best place to run a humidifier is in your bedroom where you sleep.

6.  Don't forget to continue drinking water during the winter.  Its too easy to replace glasses of water with hot tea or chocolate.  I often heat water and flavor it with a bit of lemon juice.  I still get the moisture but I get the hot drink at the same time. 

7.  Remember to exfoliate your skin during the winter.  By getting rid of dead skin cells, it makes it easier for the skin to be moisturized.

8. Look at using a good body butter, hand cream, olive oil, or coconut oil to keep hands soft.  I keep lots of coconut oil around because it keeps my hair in good shape over the winter.

9.  Here in the village, everyone takes a steam which is where they heat the rocks on top of the stove, then spill water so a huge flash of steam fills the room.  We stay there until we can no longer stand it before running out to the changing room where we sit, talk, and drink water until cool.  We return to the hot room and repeat the process until the room and stones have cooled.  At this point,you wash, exfoliate, clean your hair, and apply oils all over your body including hands.  By the time I'm done, my skin and hands are so soft and nice.

I hope these ideas help you keep your hands soft.  I prefer soft hands to having crocodile hands.  Have a good day.