Thursday, September 1, 2016

Last day in Anchorage

Aug 31 day 32
After 5 nights at the Creekwood Inn and RV park in Anchorage we are on our way to Palmer for the State Fair, we will spend the night at the fair campground. $15 a night, one night free because we came in late.
*********Went to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. If your not interested in a history lesson just go on to the photos and call it a day.
One more thing, on a clear day you can see the Denai peak from 100 miles away, that is one tall mountain.
These Alaskans are very helpful, especially when it comes to the elderly, like us. When we need help they all come to assist and they all gather around and argue about who is going to help and they say things like, "don't listen to him I know about this" it's funny, but I think it's because we're old????  They have a great respect for old people.
Alaska is divided into 5 different areas, each area has clans that hang together and they all get along with each other, not a surprise they are a very friendly people.  If they want to marry they can merry anyone they like in any clan but the man has to go and live with the girls family for a year and be a servant. They all understand each language but the dialect is different.
Everyone takes care of the old, they get the warmest part of the house and they get fed first, they are considered wise and the young should listen to them.  When they hunt the best parts go to the elderly, they never have to worry about being cared for.
There are no igloos in Alaska those are in the north of Canada in the Arctic.  Housing in native Alaska consist of log huts or cave like dwellings in the ground.  Food is kept in a log house up high away from animals.
The person giving this talk was from St Lawrence Island way up north near the arctic, his clan lives on hunting, fishing and gathering.  His area is very close to Russia Siberia, and the clans in Russia are all similar to his.  They get along and visit, up in that region the land is close, even the north of Norway, the Inuit people, are close in area so they speak the same language, different dialect.  The people in northern Norway taught the Alaskans how to heard reindeer.  The Alaskans needed another food source because of weather changes and outside influences.  Also the gov. passed laws that allow the natives to continue their traditional hunting to sustain themselves.  They put limits but the limits are high, so they are not effected.  As far as gathering, it is blueberry time up here and you see people everywhere picking berries, at the side of the road, near the mountains, anywhere and everywhere.
Medicine: The people of the Aleutian Islands have been known to perform brain surgery, their knowledge of anatomy is considered extensive and they are homeopathic in their skills.  The guy that gave the talk has never been to a doctor, they go to their medicine people and they use herbs and potions.
The darkness for half the year does cause these people to become depressed but they solve it by socializing in a main building used for gathering in the winter and the clans eats together and dances, to keep from getting depressed, they also have herbs to help this.  When you watch them dance they move their arms but not their bodies, and the reason being they are so tight in the building that they can't move a lot.
Almost done, 2 more things:
Totem poles are built to honor people and things.  The clans symbol is on the top and the thing honored in on the bottom.
Whale hunting: They hunt with a poison spear, the poison paralyzes the whale's tail and it can only float so the people in their kayaks push the whale to the beach and then spear the blowhole to kill it instantly, they want a fast death no pain.  Oh yes the games kids play involve tossing thing for accuracy, this skill will help them in hunting.  Everything these people do has a purpose.


entrance to the heritage center
dancing, notice the 5 regions, one is behind the men sitting
housing
notice medicine in the jars in back
Kayak 
entrance to center
gathering hall
totem poles
Dom BarBQing  notice the mountains in the back
our campground at the State fair

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