Newtok Nonsense

There’s a legend among the Eskimos that I find funny. Actually, to them it isn’t a legend, it’s for real! There are these “little people” (otherwise known as leprechauns) that live out in the tundra who are very sneaky, and if something goes missing, it is common knowledge that one of the little people took it. If you want it back, cut a lock of hair off and leave it on your doorstep and they may (or may not…) exchange it for your lock of hair. At one of our staff meetings our site administrator (a native) was telling us about these tundra people and the several occasions where the missing objects were found after they left their hair for the little people. I didn’t know whether to laugh or not. They were so serious about it. Apparently, years ago a man kept hearing things in the school kitchen and actually slept in the gym, next to the kitchen, to catch them and he woke up and saw 2 little people rummaging around. I’ve heard several kids tell me stories about these characters and they were dead serious, saying “They’re REAL!” I didn’t know Yupiks of all ages believed it, though.

There are lots of absences from school during this time of year since students’ need to help hunt for their families to have food for the winter. They’re gone several days, or longer if they haven’t had any luck. One of our Yupik teachers, too, took a sick to go berry picking. Yum!

I always enjoy walking through the village and seeing cool Yupik things. One cabin has a whale vertebrae in front of it. I’ve yet to remember my camera to snap a shot of this. Living here definitely has its cool qualities. :) …and not so cool qualities. But you get use to it and it becomes a way of life. For instance, most of the $8 bags of chips in our little store have been pressure popped on the flight over and taped shut for selling. So on the one hand, you don’t have to pay the full $11, but on the other hand, the chips are stale. So all in all it works out! I’ve learned to like stale chips.

It’s customary to give your first portions of hunted food away, so that later you will have more luck hunting. I was honored when a friend gave me 5 pounds of fresh moose meat. I mean, it hadn’t even been frozen – it actually still had grass and hair stuck to it! I can’t tell you how good it is.

There have been polar bear sightings on Nelson Island, only 17 miles from Newtok! I don’t know what’s causing them to come south but it’s pretty exciting. Nelson Island is where we’re relocating in 3 or 4 years. And for those who were wondering, we won’t be called Newtok anymore – it will be known as Mertarvik. Here’s a link to a site if you want to know more about the move: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/08/mil-090828-nns04.htm

I hope yall have a nice, relaxing weekend! Let's remember all those who serve our country and allow us to live in the land of the free! woohoo!