Let me tell you, a traditional Alaskan potluck with the local people of Kotzebue is an incredible experience. There were many people there from the village, including Ernie who is Paula’s friend from when she worked here 30 years ago. There were also a few other elders who were there and we spoke with them for a while before we had food. We talked with Martin, who we had met by the water a couple days prior, and he was telling us so many stories and things that it is hard to remember everything we talked about. He told us about who different people in the community were and how they were related to each other. He also talked to us about whaling and the traditions behind that. For the Inupiaq culture, whaling is how many of the villages would survive because they are able to use every little but and from the whales. They use the bones to build things, they eat the muktuk (blubber/skin), they use parts of their teeth to make artwork and so many more things with all the rest of the whale. It is so important to them that nothing is wasted because the animals are so special.
Martin was also part of the dance group who performed for us at the end of the potluck, which was so amazing to see. Before each song he would explain what it meant and tell the story of the movements for the song. It may not seem like much to most people, but these dances have such significance and it is also important that they pass down these traditions to the younger generation also. There was a young boy who was part of the drummers, and he was so sweet at the end telling us about the drum and how when it hits the white part of the drum is where it makes the loud noises. He seemed so happy to be able to be learning this from his elders. The female dancers were also very inspiring to watch because the movements are so subtle, yet they mean so much in the context of the story. We even got to join in on a few dances, one of them being a shortened version of the ABC’s, which was very entertaining. I loved being able to participate in the dance even though I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. Being a part of the culture even for a minute was just really cool.
Onto the food….IT WAS AMAZING. Totally my kind of food. We had reindeer stew which had potatoes, carrots and onions in it along with the reindeer. It was just so comforting to eat and tasted so great. We also had fresh Shefish which is a white fish and it tastes similar to cod. Ernie’s son had caught it out on the water where the rivers flow in and it was so simple but so good. We also had a Salmon spread with relish and celery and something to bind it all together which was my favorite. I already loved salmon, but this was just so good. We had it on small round pieces of bread that they called pilot bread. It was kind of like a cracker, but bigger and it was really good to have the salmon on. For dessert we had a chocolate bunt cake which was also delicious. I was so happy and satisfied after the pot luck. It was just such an amazing experience to be able to taste traditional food that they eat on a regular basis. The fact that it was all hunted and caught fresh too is just so awesome. I seriously love Alaska, and I would stay if it wasn’t so far away from family.
Other things I learned while in Kotzebue, Alaska:
I definitely would not make it without my snow pants and big jacket. I think it’s funny that in Alaska, instead of snowmobiles they are called snow machines or snogo’s. And our snow pants are called ski pants. The word for thank you is te-ku and the word for cold is allapuh. Maniilaq is pronounced (mah-nill-ik). A kuspuk is a traditional garment that women wear that is sometimes like a coat and sometimes more like a shirt. They are very beautiful and many of the women in town wear them. The dancers were wearing them today and there was a woman at the health center with a very beautiful coat kuspuk in a beautiful blue with beading and stitching on them. I learned so many new things during my time in Alaska, and I will truly cherish this incredible learning experience for the rest of my life.
Martin was also part of the dance group who performed for us at the end of the potluck, which was so amazing to see. Before each song he would explain what it meant and tell the story of the movements for the song. It may not seem like much to most people, but these dances have such significance and it is also important that they pass down these traditions to the younger generation also. There was a young boy who was part of the drummers, and he was so sweet at the end telling us about the drum and how when it hits the white part of the drum is where it makes the loud noises. He seemed so happy to be able to be learning this from his elders. The female dancers were also very inspiring to watch because the movements are so subtle, yet they mean so much in the context of the story. We even got to join in on a few dances, one of them being a shortened version of the ABC’s, which was very entertaining. I loved being able to participate in the dance even though I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. Being a part of the culture even for a minute was just really cool.
Onto the food….IT WAS AMAZING. Totally my kind of food. We had reindeer stew which had potatoes, carrots and onions in it along with the reindeer. It was just so comforting to eat and tasted so great. We also had fresh Shefish which is a white fish and it tastes similar to cod. Ernie’s son had caught it out on the water where the rivers flow in and it was so simple but so good. We also had a Salmon spread with relish and celery and something to bind it all together which was my favorite. I already loved salmon, but this was just so good. We had it on small round pieces of bread that they called pilot bread. It was kind of like a cracker, but bigger and it was really good to have the salmon on. For dessert we had a chocolate bunt cake which was also delicious. I was so happy and satisfied after the pot luck. It was just such an amazing experience to be able to taste traditional food that they eat on a regular basis. The fact that it was all hunted and caught fresh too is just so awesome. I seriously love Alaska, and I would stay if it wasn’t so far away from family.
Other things I learned while in Kotzebue, Alaska:
I definitely would not make it without my snow pants and big jacket. I think it’s funny that in Alaska, instead of snowmobiles they are called snow machines or snogo’s. And our snow pants are called ski pants. The word for thank you is te-ku and the word for cold is allapuh. Maniilaq is pronounced (mah-nill-ik). A kuspuk is a traditional garment that women wear that is sometimes like a coat and sometimes more like a shirt. They are very beautiful and many of the women in town wear them. The dancers were wearing them today and there was a woman at the health center with a very beautiful coat kuspuk in a beautiful blue with beading and stitching on them. I learned so many new things during my time in Alaska, and I will truly cherish this incredible learning experience for the rest of my life.