My Son Son Avron Atchak getting a new bike for the summer. Very excited for the boys for this summer. This store is one of my favorite go to place since I was 20 years old.
Even though Windy.com tricked us yesterday saying it was going to be calm we had the most enjoyable outing to Kokechik. These young man that were trained by their dad Albert are already experts maneuvering through rough waters and how their youngest can actually hit a target in in very wavy waters. It holds true that when you teach a son young he will never forsake your teachings when he is old. In rough waters we seen a seal so our captain turned off his motor and we heard the male bearded seal make its mating call and the whistle that followed after, it was right near us but we lost it because it was too rough. Look at the beauty of the sweetest seal meat preferred by our Cup’ik elders from long ago .
These pictures are always my favorite Spring Time pictures of bird hunters. The excitement the day before when we start planning, where to go and the excitement when birds are heading towards you while you are hunched down hiding. In about couple weeks the yearlings will start arriving like they do for other bird species. Having spent decades being out in the tundra and enjoying springtime fresh goose I learned that yearlings even now have the softest meat ever if you know how to spot them . It’s very common to find sand pipers where the previous year flood lines were because that’s where their food are now . They’ll be feeding from those for several months while the coast is still frozen all the way to the time they start egging which is next several weeks from now.
Took a quick ride earlier and I came back home to this. My Son Son Avron not only caught these today but out on the tundra he plucked them and came home and prepared these for me to cook. I was so so happy he did these for me . Past few days just been telling him how much I appreciate him and how much he’s done so much for me, encouraging him. Then half hour later my other Baby Bya did the same thing but with Ptarmigans, him and his girlfriend. I was thinking of my couple sisters in the City since I really don’t eat too much Ptarmigans. One time Ann, a lady told me story she used to collect Ptarmigans everyday in Bethel near the road that had telephone lines, the birds would hit the lines and die the previous night. If I knew where that lady is I’d send her bunch of already plucked ptarmigans.
Under the Shadow of the open water near Nuvuk Jr. and I were waiting for King Eiders to fly towards us yesterday morning. The open water gives life in so many ways in form of seals, whales, walrus, sea birds, all forms of fish and anything else. The word Imarpik is closely related to a meaning which describes full of everything, which made us ponder who was the inventor of the word from ancient Cup’ik. I learned from old Eskimos that even at a very tender age they knew what kind of a person a young will become when they get older, so if they like hunting or wilderness or outings you must nurture it and bring them out. Even Scripture says to train up a Child where he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Which is Proverbs 22:6, that’s todays Sunday thought.
There’s a snow machine in this video . The Snow is sinking the snow machines making traveling slow. Last week and beyond we got so much snow it’s making traveling slow. We can still go almost anywhere but gotta make sure you have enough gas. I wish I could’ve taken pictures of all the birds I’ve seen today but I didn’t, like Comorant, King eiders, Common Eiders, Black Brant, Pintails, seagulls. Afterwards I felt I should’ve tried getting a Comorant for their super hard tail feathers which could be used for spears. The sounds are changing near the imarpik and inland and it’s getting more exciting.
Day 2 of trying to get King Eiders but they are flying along the ice edge away from us. King Eiders are fast flyers about 90 to 120 miles an hour seems like. I know they’re that speed because my friend followed them on his very fast snow machine when they were flying on land. I brought my Son Jr. to see how they fly and recognize them . The Hooper bay dunes are slowly being approached by the imarpik, seems like in just short few years the dunes that protect Hooper Bay will disappear. The high winds today from the east is causing thousands of Metraqs pass but we’re hoping the ones mixed with young ones will fly on a calm day.
Breathing the imarpik air is healing to the soul and the body according to ancient elders worded much differently than mine. After several still born deliveries the old men and women instructed the young couple to bring the woman and the new born close to the imarpik and let them breathe the air to give the infant a chance at life and she grew to become a healthy woman. This is a century old true story of what the ancient Eskimos knew about the healing properties of just breathing the air near the coast. We seen several times several king eiders and their cousins the Aangngikvaks, also seen few geese. They’re here!!! Seen few of them too right near Chevak.
This plant survived the hurricane force winds in October the flood, rain, the extreme cold weather during January and February when tens of moose froze to death along the coast. Although it may have lost its color it’s still standing and in its roots there may be life. When I saw this beautiful plant it instantly reminded me of the cold winter we had to endure but here we are watching the turning of a page to spring. Years before during springtime I happened upon a salmon berry still intact and upright but like this plant it had no color. As we get ready for more warm days and longer daylight, the return of everything fresh like birds, seals, even new plants we usually gather let’s try and share what’s still edible with our friends and family so we will not throw anything away.
Just learned the Famous Jim Barker crossed over to the other side. For nearly 30 years Jim professionally photographed many of my masks and sculptures and dolls. Around that same length of time I had Yolanda Fejes as my agent in artwork who sold my work in places unimaginable and other countries. Jim was a professional photographer who was very much in fond of the late Rosalie Paniyak also. In the Bethel area and YK Delta Jim was always interested in the Yup’ik and Cup’ik people often doing photography contracts for museums and book writers alike. He came here to Chevak several times to photograph artists like Rosalie Paniyak. Rest in peace my friend.
Seal Hunting season is here for us Coastal Men . Here’s some few very important rules of the imarpik I learned from elders and from my own 40 something years of experience being out there. 1. Never panic no matter the situation, the imarpik is always looking to get anyone who panics especially the Captain of the crew. The elders use the word Pisuq, which is the word for hunt, the imarpik is always pisuqing tauvelrianeng, which translates to panic. 2. Never bring women or children, it’s an ancient Cup’ik law to never bring women or children. Don’t disagree with me by commenting because it’s not my law, it’s the unspoken law of the land. 3. When you get a maklak, which is the prized catch, share with the entire community. 4. Aleknguayunita Imarpik. Never say, I’m going do this, I’m going to do that when I go hunting in the imarpik. It’s best not to say what you will do like you know the imarpik. This ancient law was the most spoken law of the imarpik. 5. In Chevak area there’s 2 places where we can escape the giant ice flows that can close you in for days or longer, those 2 places are Nengqerneq and Kokechik. This law was often told to me by Grandfather Joe Friday. 6. Evuuneqs can save you and crew, these are giant ice bergs that are stuck in shallow areas. These are just a few things that you must know about the imarpik during the best time of the year .
