Hasta la vista, Shishmaref
So Alma invited myself and Dr. Daniel over for dinner for social discussions and the possibility of fermented igurook (seal) flipper, aka “stinkmeat”. If those of you would like to cross reference, you might re-read my article on botulism in Northwest Alaska. This is a real delicacy to those who enjoy the traditional native foods, and I couldn’t pass it up. Dr. Daniel decided he had enough work and had to decline the invite, so I went alone. Unfortunately my dance with the devil of botulism wasn’t meant to be. We had good conversation, and I was able to spend an evening with a Shishmaref family, but the closest we got to seal was the salmonberries coated in seal oil and sugar. Sorry to disappoint. Maybe next time.
After dinner, and after the axel was repaired on the families one vehicle, a 1987 Nissan pickup, Alma, myself, and her daughter-in-law (both women full figured in the 250lb range) squeezed ourselves into the cab and headed off for a tour of the island. I was shown the tannery, the sea wall, the Washeteria – where everyone does their laundry and showering, and driven out to the families drying racks which were loaded with the mystery meat now known to be seal. As with all things in Shish, the tour wound up at Herbie’s house once again, and I parted ways with the Nayokpuks for the evening.
I had an unexpectedly pleasant time considering the horror stories I had heard regarding sanitation, family dysfunction (ranging from alcohol to incest and beyond), and the threat of no running water. I unfortunately did not come home with the carved bone and ivory souvenirs that I had hoped for, but it gives me incentive to return.
My ride to the airport (a loosely used term at best) arrived the next morning, a 4 wheeler and trailer with 5 other passengers, one of whom was a 3 month old baby tucked carefully in her mothers parka. We caught our plane and headed back to Nome by way of the cape and cluster of islands following the coast, and Wales, a small village of about 150 on the tip of the Seward Peninsula. Wales is also one of the walrus/subsistence communities. It was beautiful from the air with a mountain coming right down to the sea and a single road with houses on either side. I hope to return here some day, as it is one of the more interesting places I have seen. I would have walked off the plane if it weren’t for Jana’s impending arrival within the hour, and that my children will be tomorrow’s exciting conclusion to the story of Nome.
After dinner, and after the axel was repaired on the families one vehicle, a 1987 Nissan pickup, Alma, myself, and her daughter-in-law (both women full figured in the 250lb range) squeezed ourselves into the cab and headed off for a tour of the island. I was shown the tannery, the sea wall, the Washeteria – where everyone does their laundry and showering, and driven out to the families drying racks which were loaded with the mystery meat now known to be seal. As with all things in Shish, the tour wound up at Herbie’s house once again, and I parted ways with the Nayokpuks for the evening.
I had an unexpectedly pleasant time considering the horror stories I had heard regarding sanitation, family dysfunction (ranging from alcohol to incest and beyond), and the threat of no running water. I unfortunately did not come home with the carved bone and ivory souvenirs that I had hoped for, but it gives me incentive to return.
My ride to the airport (a loosely used term at best) arrived the next morning, a 4 wheeler and trailer with 5 other passengers, one of whom was a 3 month old baby tucked carefully in her mothers parka. We caught our plane and headed back to Nome by way of the cape and cluster of islands following the coast, and Wales, a small village of about 150 on the tip of the Seward Peninsula. Wales is also one of the walrus/subsistence communities. It was beautiful from the air with a mountain coming right down to the sea and a single road with houses on either side. I hope to return here some day, as it is one of the more interesting places I have seen. I would have walked off the plane if it weren’t for Jana’s impending arrival within the hour, and that my children will be tomorrow’s exciting conclusion to the story of Nome.
posted by rob at 10:08 PM
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