Presentation at Work Went Well

My colleague, K., and I presented a preliminary paper on Birds of King Island today for a class on campus. We'd gone to a cabin in the woods a week or so ago, which gave me time to begin doing background research on the topic.

It's been actually pleasant (maybe even fun) to go through and read old ethnographic notes and reports on Iñupiat culture and particularly bird symbolism, art, and folklore. Reminds me of one of the reasons why I love my work! It was fun putting together the slides and finding some good images.

I think that the presentation went fairly well today. I think most of the students enjoyed it, although I saw a couple napping off to the side.

My colleague, K., had already done a lot of work on the powerpoint, so my own work was fairly easy to pull together. Thanks, K.!!!

I'm tired, though. There's a big outlay of energy for that kind of work. I also didn't sleep long enough this morning. I also think the pain takes a lot out of me. I felt fine during the presentation as I had Tylenol 90 min before and the gabapentin (i.e., neurontin) about 30 min prior. But it's been hard this evening as the meds wore off.

A good day.

P.S. Dad got a temporary pacemaker today. He had a couple of episodes last night and then again after mom left this afternoon -the ones this afternoon were bad enough that they decided not to wait. Afterwards, dad even had an appetite. So, progress!

King Island Place Names Website Launch Party

We had a launch party for the King Island Place Names Launch Party. It was late this afternoon. But before it happened, there were last minute details to attend to. I didn't have the brunt of the work, though. That was Alex and Rebecka.

The website is: http://www.kingislandplacename.com/.

In addition, I had to grade papers and prepare for class.

Then prepare a quick powerpoint for the launch party. Then, go to the room for the party. A few logistics details for my uncle and my son and my family. Then, I did my presentation.

Boy, it was a long day.

I'm tired.

I have a lot of people to thank. But I'm too tired to list them here. Instead, check out the Contributors page from our photo gallery. The website address is:

http://www.kingislandplacename.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=25584

I had an interesting observation about this project: it has been funded by the National Science Foundation and we first received that funding in 2003. It's been 7 years.

That's a long time in the world of scientific research. A long time to produce deliverables for a $600,000 project.

In the end, we have a great website that has the King Island placenames in our dialect of the language; we have uploaded 11,000 photographs that the community can use; and we have two plant and bird guides for the island. There is also a lot of audio and video that the community can access if they have a login ID. Plus, two articles that I've written as a result of the project.

I made an interesting observation: the project has been book-ended by my baldness due to cancer treatments. I am bald today. I was bald in February 2003 after chemotherapy treatments from my first diagnosis of breast cancer. That was when I submitted the grant proposal to NSF. The project has had about as many ups and downs as my cancer treatment has.

The project has been difficult for a lot of reasons including cross cultural differences, interdisciplinary differences, personality differences, and community politics.

But it has also been the second most rewarding thing I have done in my life - the first being the raising of my son. It was so thrilling to give King Islanders the chance to return to their homeland; many had not been there in 20, 30, or 40 years. I feel very privileged to have been part of this process.

So, in the end, as of today, both the project and my cancer end on a happy note: the deliverables are in a finished enough form to give to the community. And, the treatment is working - so good news on the cancer front. I'll find out later this week what my tumor markers are.

Again, thank you to everyone who was ever involved in the King Island place names project. It was worth the wait. It was worth all the work. I am so happy I was able to help.

So far so good

First, I'd like to thank dad for hanging out with me today and for picking Eddie up from school. Things took longer than expected because they were waiting for orders from Dr. K . . . but I didn't stress about it because I didn't have to be anywhere at any particular time.

They used my right arm because the left arm is too close to the open wound. They found a vein fairly easily. Then, they gave me saline, then the premeds (anti-nausea with a small dose corticosteroid). I finally got the Abraxane, then it was flushed, and then I got Zometa.

Two of the nurses I know were there - J, who worked with my sister at one time, and P, who introduced us to cob cottages. I guess P has decided to build a cob wall in her backyard. I told them about Mount Herminator - they laughed at my description and P called me a "Conehead"!! LOL I really like the nurses there. A pretty cool bunch of ladies.

We also had an ongoing discussion of the port. Dr. K doesn't want me to have it. But the nurses do. In the end, they thought my risk of infection was higher because of multiple needle sticks then if I got the port. I'm opting for a P.A.S. port. While many of their patients have chest ports, there are some that have the P.A.S. port in their arm and they love it. None of them have had infections.

So, I get the port on Thursday and then my next Abraxane appointment is the Thursday (the 14th) after.

I colored October's Mandala of the Month - appropriately labeled Yin Yang! - and I colored red spots where the CT shows possible places of cancer. I think colored yellow A's (Abraxane) flowing through the mandala to the red spots and then put them on fire. The A's were "alarms" that called the HT cells (Herminator-2 cells or t-cells) where there were hanging out in the lymph nodes. The HT cells were called to put out the "fires" in the cancer areas. The whole area was colored a spring green with a darker blue on the outside. That signifies healing.

I also finished coloring another mandala by Maureen Frank, the Mandala Lady. It was one I started several months ago. It had roses. The nurses enjoyed looking at the designs in the three coloring books I had and particularly liked some of the colors I used. We had a fun chat about home remodeling, painting, and choosing color.

So, it was a relaxing time at the ol' Infusion Center. Great nurses. Good company. I'm just tired. Stayed up too late last night (midnight) - anxiety and some frustration at the medical team. As my therapist said today, this is why this is why we need electronic medical records!!

I also saw my therapist and my acupuncturist today. Thank goodness for both of them! I think by talking through my frustration with them, I was better able to let go of that negative energy so that I could welcome the chemo so it can do what it needs to do. I'm imagining Abraxane sending the alarm to the t-cells and the two working together to shrink the areas of cancer.

Thank you's are in order: First, to my dad and my parents for taking care of me and Eddie this past week or so. Second, to the other cancer bloggers and all my friends who are keeping me in their prayers and thoughts! I appreciate it all! And, third, I thank the nurses and my acupuncturist - it's very nice to have more than just a professional relationship with them. I think I would call them friends if they were not part of my medical care team. Well, they are my friends. Fourth, I want to thank Cat who graciously agreed to take on my class tomorrow. I visited her and Auntie Cecilia and Uncle Aakagak today to give her the materials. Uncle Aakagak is really a happy baby and climbing all over things. Reminds me of when I went to King Island with Uncle Aakagak - he scrambled up the right side of Kuuk so easily - with seemingly no effort. Scared the heck out of me! Cat, that's why Baby Goo likes to climb! You need to start him early on rock climbing! : ) And, finally, thanks for Dr. K for putting up with multiple phone calls and questions yesterday. I really needed to hear it straight from him so I could make decisions. I don't like being kept in the dark.

Thank you all again, very much!

Indigenous Anthropology

Some of my indigenous friends might consider the phrase "indigenous anthropology" to be an oxymoron. Indigenous peoples have been the subject of anthropological research for so long that anthropology is seen (and if truth be told, it is) a colonial enterprise. And colonialism has not been kind to indigenous peoples all over the world, so there has been a backlash against anthropology by indigenous peoples.

However, there are some indigenous peoples that are using anthropological methods to benefit their communities. Some, like me, grew up outside our communities, so anthropological methods have become a way to understand more about our cultures and to connect with our communities and reclaim our identities. That's how it is for me. My work is intensely personal.

In recent weeks, I have been asked to audio-record myself reading a chapter I wrote on teasing cousin songs among the King Island Inupiat Eskimo and to be interviewed by a documentary filmmaker researching Kotzebue's "Lost Dances", including the Wolf Dance.

These have been interesting exercises because I ended up revisiting my master's degree research from 17-19 years ago and my Ph.D. Research from 11-13 years ago. (gosh, has it really been that long ago? I don't feel that old!) As I tell my grad students, choose a subject that you are passionate about because you have to live with it a long time.

I found out doing the audio recording and the filmin that I still really enjoy these topics so I think that means that I need to revisit them professionally. Fortunately, my book proposal was accepted at OSU Press, so this year, I will be rewriting articles on teasing cousin songs and on the Wolf Dance.

I recorded myself reading the article and pronouncing the teasing cousin songs. The recording was requested by professors at University of Alaska Anchorage who were using that article in a freshman composition class. I found out later that about 10 or 11 sections of this class were using it, which means that upwards of 200 students were listening to it. I thought maybe 15 or 20. That was a bit overwhelming. They wanted to post the recording on a public blog for the class but I declined; I do not know the language well, so I feel lie my elders should do the more public recording.

And today, I just finished a three hour interview with the filmmaker. It took a while to find a spot that was quiet and had good light, which in the end, was my office. Boy, it was intense, but in a good way. It meant focusing on my words, making sure my information was correct, paying attention to where I looked and making sure I didn't rustle and mess up the sound for the mic. It was intense because it brought up all these feelings about why I got into anthropology to begin with -which means I cried because my work is so tied to how I feel about who I am in relation to the King Island community and how strongly I feel about trying to document, save, and find scattered bits of information about our culture before it becomes "lost". I want our community to be proud of the accomplishments of our ancestors and of who we are today (playing on Facebook, staying in touch via the Internet, etc.). My dissertation research on the King Island Wolf Dance was really a process of pulling together hints of information that I found in archives, in ethnographic literature, in museums, in schoolteachers' diaries, in photographs, drawings, and film. Anthrology gave me the skills to find it; my passion for the information causes me to be observant of the many places I can find it; and my desire to help the community document our history and culture helped me to pull it all together to tell a fuller story than our communities might get otherwise.

All of that came rushing back because the filmmaker, Norman Jayo and community member, D'Anne Hamilton, are helping the youth in Kotzebue to do the same thing that I have done. It brought up many emotions about why I do what I do. So the session was emotionally intense today, but good.

I am tired.

I have been conflicted of late about being in academia, primarily because of the energy and time demands required of a professor. Cancer treatments do take away your energy. So I don't know if I can put the same amount of time into the job as my colleagues. I also want to be very strategic about what I do -your priorities shift with a life-threatening illness. I would rather hang out with my son or my family when I feel good rather than waste my precious time in some silly committee meeting that win't make a difference anyway. It really means making sure that I use my time doing things that have the most impact, both for me personally (my research) and for indigenous peoples generally. Undergraduate advising doesn't have the same impact as my spending several hours today with filmmakers talking about the Wolf Dance, because that film will help those kids who made the film. My audio recording for a composition class, introducing those students to how another culture composes something, has more impact.

So, I need to figure out ways to invest my time wisely at work. And what I want to do is outside the norm for most professors and people aren't quite sure how to make that work for me. But we are starting the conversation soon . . . And if all goes well, I won't be as conflicted about my job any longer.

So thank you, UAA English profs, and thank you, Norman and D'Anne, for reminding me of what is important to me and giving me the opportunity to make a difference!

In Nome

I have been in Nome since Friday. I attended the funeral of one of my cousins' kids, who died at age 31 of a heart attack. I think he had a heart condition. Then there was a potluck with Native food. Lots of people from the community were there. It was nice to see them all, even in such sad conditions.

It is so easy to fall into summer life in Nome. Staying up late, until midnight or 1am and sleeping in. I also feel like I never left. It's a nice feeling.

Got more to write about, but gotta go. Heading to camp again! Everyone I wanted to visit is gonna be out there. Went yesterday, now again today. I will also get to pick berries! Yay! Who needs to do paperwork, huh?

More later!

Home Safely

I got home a little after 1am last night and for some g*#d#mn reason, I couldn't sleep. I was restless and wired. I finally got up and went into the living room about 2:45am and read a book for awhile. I went back to bed about 3:15 and I think I slept, but I woke up at 5:30, 7:15/30, and then 8:30. Tried to get back to sleep, but I only dozed, I think.

So, I'm really tired today. It doesn't help that it's already about 100 degrees - according to my thermometer outside my kitchen window. It's in the shade, not in the sun, too. 100 degrees in the shade. Criminy.

Luckily, the house is about 80 thanks to two air conditioners - one in our bedroom and one in the living room.

Today is Eddie's birthday. He turns 9 years old! No big Price is Right game this time - although he does want to play karaoke. I need to find a good functioning karaoke machine before Saturday. My cousin Toni baked him a cake on Monday before we left - so we had cake and ice cream. I just took my folks and my brother and Eddie out to lunch to celebrate, too.

I'll need to go into work tomorrow, if only briefly to turn in receipts and such. But mostly I think I'll use this week to rest up and prepare for Eddie's birthday. I just need to find some time to write!!

So, what did I accomplish while in Alaska? Coordinated activities so that our science team could work together - elders with Kim and Larry on birds; elders with Jesse and Larry on plants; elders with me, Larry, and Matt on the map; five interviews (wanted 10 but what can you do?) - two on Alaska statehood and three on Native corporations; made some inquiries about hiring a community research assistant; consulted with various folks to find more people for more interviews (laying the groundwork for the September trip); went picking tugayuq (a type of green) for awhile with elders; an interview in KNOM (will post the mp3) and with Kawerak; and then fun stuff: two birthday parties (my own and Eddie's), two Eskimo dances; hanging out with various communities members and visiting and eating eating eating. Lots of people cooked for me, which always makes me happy!

Not too shabby for ten days, huh?

A huge thank you to everyone who fed me (Toni, Gemma, Charlene); to Toni who housed me, who took care of Eddie for me (mom, Toni) or who played with Eddie (Toni's kids; Stephen; Jaden); to people who allowed me to interview them; to the King Islanders for supporting the project; for the science team for working on this project; and for our birthday gifts - hand-knit King Island gloves, ivory earrings, a huge card, cake, a big picture of King Island village; and just for the experience of hanging out with all of you and reestablishing our connections. Thank you!

P.S. I was feeling a little down and depressed, mostly because I have no energy from not sleeping. That pisses me off when I can't sleep. But reiterating all that I have thankful has put me in a better frame of mind. Thanks to everyone for giving me the opportunity to say thanks!

My Nome Trip So Far . . .

Hi everyone!
I'm sorry I haven't posted much for the last week! I don't have easy access to the internet - my cousin Toni has internet at her home, but with the kids and Toni herself using it, I may only have a chance to grab a few minutes myself. We can sometimes get a wireless, but the signal comes and goes.

Then, so much has happened since I arrived! Our first day, we went to camp at Woolley Lagoon. It was fun seeing what kind of changes have occurred out there in the last three years. We rode with Kim and Will, both of whom are birders, so they taught us some about the birds we were seeing. We also saw an Arctic Fox on the way down the road - if I remember, I'll try to post a picture.

Then, on Monday, I ran some errands and then that evening, we had an Eskimo dance at Nome Eskimo Community. Turns out there were some filmmakers in town from Australia who were filming for National Geographic. They were filming a new series and Episode 6 (or was it 10?) was on Alaska. They were working with Matt, our archaeologist/mapper for the King Island placenames project, and Matt really wanted them to film the King Islanders dance. That was fun. Before that, we went to the Rock House on the Nome-Teller highway and the kids climbed up on top. When I went to AC, I also found a nice Columbia Sportswear shirt for $14 - down from $60.

Tuesday, I ran errands again and made phone calls. I was interviewed by KNOM in the morning (I'll post the mp3, if I get it) and in the afternoon, I agreed to an interview for a company that was doing interviews for a "cancer treatment company" that turned out to be GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Tykerb. More on that later.

Then, Toni threw a birthday barbecue for me (I'm 45 now). Caroline gave me some ivory earrings, Gemma gave me some hand-knit gloves, mom gave me a big card that had the song Celebration on it, and Ugi gave me a blown up photograph of the village on King Island. I bought myself a new sweatshirt with a wolf dancer on it and the words "UgiuvaNmiugurugut" (We are King Islanders) and also "Setting a Precedent". There's a story there with the subtitle . . . and I'll try to tell it later.

Wednesday, I again ran a couple of errands, then I interviewed one of the Bering Straits Native Corporation's former board members, past President and also past-President of AFN. It was a really good interview. That evening, it was really warm and hot and we ended up with a thunderstorm. We tried to go to the beach but it started pouring down rain.

Thursday, I again ran errands, then in the afternoon, we worked with the elders on placenames and corrections to the map in the afternoon. Thursday night, Toni and her kids, Eddie, mom, and I went to the West beach in Nome and the kids played in the waves.

Friday, I gave a presentation at the Nome Youth Facility at the request of Charlene Saclamana and told them about the King Island project. Then, mom, Teddy, Iviana (Agnes), Aapak (Frances Muktoyuk), and I drove out to Nuuk, parked at Helen Pushruk's cabin, and picked tugayuq (a type of green) for 30 minutes. We ended up with four grocery bags full. In the afternoon, I interviewed two people at the BSNC offices - both interviews went well. In the evening, we went to the East Beach near the Nome River - Eddie played in the waves and mom and I collected beach glass.

Today? Not sure yet. My days unfold as they will. I'd like to go to the Senior Center. I may call a couple of people for interviews. We may go to Gemma's house and visit and also I need to sit and visit Uncle Edward for a bit, too. We may go to camp later. Who knows? I also need to pick up a receipt and also some more cash.

I really want to spend a whole month up here. Hmmm . . .

Overall, it's going well. I'm staying busy but also taking time to just hang out and "be". Have a great week-end! I'll think of you all today - it's going to be a high of 60 here and I see that it's supposed to be really hot down south! Have fun!

Safely in Nome

Yay! We finally made it to Nome. We left Eugene at 6:40am (after leaving my house about 4:30am) and got into Nome about 8pm (9pm Oregon time). So, yes, 13 1/2 hours later . . . I'm back! I haven't been to Nome for 2 1/2 years. I've really missed it.

The good news is that not a lot has changed. My cousin Toni's house is relatively the same. The people I know here have not changed their phone numbers so it was easy to get into the groove to let people know that I'm here.

Everyone seems happy to hear from us. I'm happy to talk to them all again.

We had a good visit with Becky today and a really brief one with her daughter, Barbie, and kids.

We're relaxing at Toni's tonight - she and her family went to camp so we have her house to ourselves.

Tomorrow, we will go to camp in the afternoon - it'll take about an hour and a half to get there (with an arrival around 3pm), but since it doesn't get really get dark at night - it might be dusk-like from about 2am to 5am - we won't feel like we have to get home before dark! In fact, it's 10:30pm right now and it's as light out as if it were about 6 or 7pm at home.

One change was that Toni and her husband put blinds up in the room that we use when we're here. Last time, there were no currents, so even in the middle of the night, the light was getting in.

It's feeling a bit like it was in 2005 and 2006 when everyone gathered together for the King Island placenames project. That project was one of the best things I've ever done - it was surely one of the hardest, but in the end, it will be worth it. That same feeling of excitement is there now - maybe not to the same extent, but just getting to see people is fun.

Well, I really need to get to bed. I'm bushed! Have a great week-end everyone!

Pics from Clara's visit

Hello everyone! I've been busy these past few days and haven't had a chance to blog. As I mentioned in my last post, my cousin Clara and her family were here visiting. On Saturday night, I think, Clara took this picture of all of us Kingstons and Trumps. It was kinda fun!

Also, on Friday night, Clara took a picture of me cooking dinner!



Yes, don't fall over backward! I actually COOKED! And, it was tasty! (Granted, it was easy, too, just brown some hamburger and warm up chili for Kingston-style tostadas!)

It was a good visit! I've stayed with Clara quite a few times, so it was nice to be able to reciprocate!

A Happy Surprise

One of my cousins, Clara, who I (and mom and Eddie) stay with when we go to Fairbanks, surprised me yesterday by saying that they were on their way down from Seattle, where they were visiting Clara's sister, Robbie. Mom and Eddie and I usually take over Darrell's room. Clara was with her husband, Ed, and their three sons, Louie (32 years old), Charles (26), and Darrell (22). Sometimes, Clara and Ed stay with my folks, but mom and dad got a little Chihuahua/Papillon mix that's really excitable. So, I offered to let them all stay with me, so they took me up on my offer!

It's kinda fun - my house usually only has me and Eddie and occasionally Scott and his daughter. Now, there are 6 or 7 of us under one roof! This is when I realize that I don't have enough seating or even table space . . . but luckily, they're really flexible, not picky, and are happy to just be able to park for awhile. They've been driving all over - Colorado (where Ed grew up), New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada.

A happy surprise . . . I'm just glad that I can finally return the favor!

Home Again

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to blog this past week ... it was a busy one! Fairly successful, too, even if I do say so myself. Yesterday, after packing and checking out of the hotel, Teddy (King Island elder), Larry (our linguist), and I worked on placenames for about four hours. We double-checked spellings, duplications, translations, and some locations. We each were working off of several lists. It got confusing at times, but in the end, I think we have a "near final" version. I say "near final" because I think this placename list will ever evolve, depending upon input from others. I need to make changes to the spreadsheet this week and will send it to the rest of the research team.

I showed the proposed web design on Friday evening for our interactive map to a few community members: Teddy, Agnes, Becky, Joe, Aleta, Rudy, Clara, Grace, Cindy, mom, Grace's son Kian, Eddie, and my grad student, Danielle. All thought it was a great design and are anxious to see the "final" result up and running, which might not be until summer. I received some feedback, the most important of which was to make sure that I copyright it to the King Island Native Community and that I put a copy of our Intellectual and Cultural Property Rights statement with the map.

On Friday morning, I saw Matt Ganley, the guy who is creating our photo-map. He said he would try to get something to me soon. If I don't, I am instructed by him to "keep kicking me in the butt" to get it. If other King Islanders want to help me "kick his but", please feel free to do so!

Community member, Jimmy, made a couple of ivory beads for me to give to Scott - he wanted one for his pierced ear. Jimmy, ever the joker, told me that he was only going to charge me $30 and that he gave me a $100 discount. He knows he owes me. Can't tell what he owes me - but I thought I'd just say he owes me anyway.

I sat and listened to a session about the energy crisis in rural Alaska on Friday morning. Turns out that many rural (mainly Alaska Native) communities are experiencing a rather large out-migration due to high energy costs. One person, Orville Huntington of Huslia, mentioned that he spent $950 for two barrels (I think they were 50-gallons each) of oil for heating which would probably last two months. Other people from other rural communities, including the Bering Straits Native Corp, are turning to alternative energy sources. BSNC has recently turned on 18 small wind turbines to help with the energy costs. Charlene, the King Island Native Community coordinator, reported that King Island has installed a small wind turbine on our King Island community building which will basically take care of the heating in that building - she reported that it cost KINC $3000 every two months. Another community, Kwethluk, had to have emergency fuel flown in because the ice froze up, preventing the barge from delivering the oil. One person mentioned that in the wake of contact with westerners (i.e., Euroamericans), Alaska Natives started building houses above ground . . . which lose a lot of heat compared to the semisubterranean houses most communities used to have.

I would also state that the Anchorage Daily News has been doing a great job reporting on Sarah Palin. Larry, our linguist, stated that a lot of Alaskans are finding out more about her actions since she was tapped to be McCain's running mate - and what they are finding out about what she's done hasn't really gone over very well, in general. She had a tape-recorded message at the Alaska Federation of Natives on Thursday in which she promised to create a "subcabinet" for rural affairs. This idea received a rather cool reaction from AFN - they want an emergency task force created - not an extra layer of bureaucracy once removed from her office.

I was able to interview an elder from Unalakleet about the Alaska statehood; I also interviewed Teddy and then another woman whose father was opposed to statehood. I've interviewed four people total and Brenda has done some good archival research for me on the Inupiaq view of statehood.

I also interviewed a couple of people about Alaska Native Corporations, including the president of BSNC. I also found out that a board member for BSNC lives in southern Oregon and I plan to visit her to interview her as she's been involved for a long time. All the stuff I read in the Anchorage newspaper will also contribute to that project.

I was also very fortunate to see many many KIs there in Anchorage. I want to list them all, but I'm still trying to settle in at home after my trip - things like laundry, Eddie's homework, getting my checkbook caught up, ironing, etc. I will list everyone I got to see later ... it was a really really productive trip, I think. I only wish I could've done more interviews, but I think I set too many goals for this trip. That'll just mean I have to go back to Alaska! Sooner rather than later!

Thank you - everyone!! - for the trip. Becky & Joe and Teddy & Agnes & Cindy fed us and several people sat with me for an interview - Teddy, Sylvester, Tim, Fran, and Dixie. I owe so many people thanks...but I need to remember! So, as soon as I do and I have time, I will thank everyone!

Mostly Cloudy and a High of 37 . . .

with light winds. That's the forecast for Anchorage today. Needless to say, we arrived safe and sound in Anchorage on Saturday afternoon. After getting our car and grabbing lunch, we headed to Aunt Becky's house, where she proceeded to feed us for about 5 hours. First, it was tea with this cranberry pumpkin bread she made - OMG, it was moist and delicious. I was still full after lunch, so I just ate a small bit and then kept grabbing more because it was so good! Then, after a bit, I took Eddie and Danielle to check in at our hotel. Danielle is my new grad student. Then, we returned to Becky's house an hour later and she served pot roast, complete with potatoes and carrots, and smoked salmon that they made themselves. Followed by grapes and mini candy bars, more tea, and more of everything else. We left about 7pm and then went to Freddies, got groceries (we have a kitchenette in our room), then got to the hotel and settled in.

Yesterday, we had a slow morning - we were all tired - then we went to the new Dena'ina Convention Center (where AFN will be held) because they held an open house. We looked around. On the top floor, there was a ballroom, and among other things was this "Dancing Heads" display - they were demonstrating how it worked. You sit in front of a green screen with a green cape on and then they play some stock music video. Eddie really wanted to do it, so we grabbed mom and the three of us danced our heads to Super Freak. It was really fun and quite funny, too. Then they give you a DVD to take home. It was free. Eddie watched it later at Teddy's and he laughed and laughed and laughed and we had the whole room laughing, too.

Then, at Teddy's, we started visiting, but it was clear that Teddy wanted to work. I'd wanted to interview him for the Alaska Native corporations project, but he wanted to work on placenames. So, we went back over my list - we spent three hours working on it, had dinner, and then spent another 2 to 2 1/2hours on it. WHEW! But we got through the whole list and I found out which ones were true duplicates and which ones are names that name two distinct places. We had the big map on the table, we heard stories, we decided on spellings and translations. Sylvester showed up right before dinner and he helped out, too. It was hard work - especially for the two men as I was tired and sometimes didn't quite understand their explanations.

They fixed a "white man's" dinner and then niqipiaq (Eskimo food). The white man's dinner was roast beef and mashed potatoes, the niqipiaq consisted of moose meat, half-dried seal meat, aliuGaq (sour dock), tugayuq (another type of greens), alluk (Eskimo ice cream - berries mixed with fat and sugar), seal oil, and the roasted veggies that were with the moose meat. They'd also made Eskimo fry bread - I think they used a doughnut recipe. Gosh that was good! Then, it was followed by tea and pie.

Of course, there was lots of visiting, too. Fun stuff!

On the schedule for today - head over to the Elder's and Youth Conference - hopefully run into people we know - and then maybe meet people I've heard of because I want to try to get interviews with them related to Alaska Native corps and the Inupiat view of Alaska Statehood. This afternoon? Who knows? If I don't have any interviews scheduled at that time, then Danielle and I might head to an archives to see what archival documents we can find related to ANCSA.

Good thing I brought the jeans that are too big around my waist . . . I think we're all going to roll onto the plane to go home on Saturday! : ) Yummers!

A Day in Portland

Last week, a fellow "KI" (King Islander; "KI" used to be used by non-KIers as a kind of derogatory term, nowadays, KI's have appropriated it and state it kind of proudly), Joan Kane, emailed me to say that she, her mother, and her six-month-old baby boy were going to be in Portland. Joan (maybe in late 20s or early 30s) had to be in Portland for some training for her new job at the Denali Commission in Anchorage. She wondered if we'd be able to go up and visit them for awhile. I wasn't sure - depended on appointments and my energy level.

She called on Wednesday, when I felt really tired, so I tried to make sure that I got a good night's sleep on that night, because I wanted to bring my mom up to Portland. Joan's mom, Johanna, helped us with the King Island placenames project in 2005. We enjoyed getting to know her that summer. She played with my son, got my brother out of the cabin and helping out, and she and Mary Dillard found a bunch of white rocks and made a large flower made of these white rocks on the "patio" of Marie Saclamana's (Johanna's sister) cabin. When I called my folks on Thursday morning to tell them when I was bringing my son over, dad volunteered to help drive us to Portland and back. I felt okay, so we did.

We (mom, dad, Eddie, and I) left after lunch. That was before Joan was done with her training, so we took Eddie to Oaks Amusement Park in Portland and he was able to ride a few rides and play some games. Then, we went to the hotel, figured out where we wanted to eat, and then, because my car was too small for all passengers, shuttled people to the restaurant.

We also picked up Marie Tattayuna, who lives on the opposite end of downtown Portland from where Johanna and Joan were staying. Marie and my mom are first cousins, but they were raised as sisters. They only recently (in the past 18 months) were able to get back in touch with each other. (Too many moves on both of their parts.) The shuttling took a bit longer than expected as we had to go through downtown Portland in rush hour traffic! Sigh.

But it all worked out in the end. We got everyone to the restaurant. We all listened as Johanna, Mom, and Marie conversed in our King Island dialect. Johanna and Marie last saw each other over 40 years ago, I think at the boarding school they attended as teenagers. It was really nice and heartwarming to hear them converse and giggle at the dinner table. I got to know Joan more and I got to hold baby John (whose one Eskimo name keeps escaping me - until I see it written down, it just won't stick; his other one is Kukuluk, after Johanna's father, which makes baby John avasaq to my brother Scott - "avasat" (sp?) are people with the same Eskimo name and they share a special kind of relationship).

I found out that Johanna and Joan look through the photos from the King Island project at least weekly (see my post "King Island Photo Gallery"). That's gratifying to know that there are KI's who are using the information/photos we post on the web from the project. I thought that might be the case, but knowing the hard work my students (Cat, Kai, Emily, my brother Scott, and especially Alex last spring) have done to make at least some of the King Island placenames material accessible to the community is worth the effort. It redoubles my commitment to making more of it available by next summer, if not sooner.

This is when I love my work.

And, it was really really nice and wonderful to see some fellow KI's. Haven't been up to Alaska since last October, so it's been awhile. Even though I can't understand too much of the dialect, it is nice to hear it spoken.

I'm glad we went to Portland. We didn't get home until about 9:45/10pm, so we were all tired. But I wasn't fatigued. It was a good trip and worth the effort. Thanks, dad, for helping me drive! And, thanks to everyone for being there!