The Native People of Alaska (3rd Edition) - Softcover

Langdon, Steve J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0936425172 ISBN 13: 9780936425177

Publisher: Greatland Graphics/Puffin Pr, 1998

Synopsis

This book explains how Alaska's many different Native people have survived for more than 500 generations in one of the world's most challenging environments, long before the arrival of European technology. Topics include traditional housing, dress, food, social systems, ceremonies, beliefs, tools and more. Supplemented with six maps and 40 historic photos. 6 x 9 inches; 96 pages

About this title

About the Author

Long-time resident Steve Langdon has actively researched Alaska Natives for more than 20 years. He is a professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska-Anchorage and has authored numerous professional papers on various aspects of Native life in Alaska.

From the Back Cover

Where in Alaska can you find mummies? How could Aleut hunters capture whales while staying home sick in bed? Why were totem poles built? Who settled fights with a duel of singing? You will be able to answer these and other questions after reading Steve Langdon's fascinating book about the people who have been inhabiting and successfully surviving in "The Great Land" for more than 500 generations-the Native people of Alaska.This comprehensive, easy-to-read, introductory guide to the Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts focuses on their lifestyles, traditions and culture at the time of first contact with Europeans. Supplemented with more than 40 historic and contemporary photos and five maps, the book also explores the rapid changes and challenges facing Alaska Natives today.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Elsie was excited. In a little while she and her grandmother were going down to the river. Besides fetching water, the trip to the river meant that grandmother would tell her a story accompanied by pictures which grandmother would draw in the mud.This unique form of teaching culture to the young, called storyknife, was practiced by mainland Yuit grandmothers with their granddaughters. A small (four to ten inch), scimitar-shaped, dull knife was used to draw pictures on a muddy, flat surface such as the bank of a river. These illustrations accompanied stories through which the grandmother entertained and taught the child. The knives were usually carved by a young girl's father and given to his daughter at a community ceremony. Standardized symbols were developed in different villages to represent houses, adult males and females, infants, and activities such as walking, eating and sewing.Elderly Yuit women recount that the stories they were told in their youth had important information about domestic activities (sewing, cooking, weaving) and appropriate behaviors (respect for elders, quiet, avoidance of dangerous areas) and about what would happen if they engaged in inappropriate behavior. A common theme was the grandmother telling a young girl what not to do, the young girl doing it and then something dreadful (usually death) happening to the grandmother. This training emphasized obedience, the interdependence of people, and the responsibility of a individuals for their actions.As missionaries and schools in western Alaska assumed the role of educator, the activity shifted to creative storyteling between young girls rather than teaching from grandmother to granddaughter. Although some of the older stories and themes about behaviors and values continued, new stories of make-believe kind and scary stories concerning monsters entered the repertoires.Storyknife continues down to the present day as a form of play and teaching values in some villages but the competition from television and school may ultimately result in the disappearance of this colorful and useful activity.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greatland Graphics/Puffin Pr
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0936425172
• ISBN 13: 9780936425177
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 96