Summary of Groves 2001

Fairbanks, Denali, Barrow, and Anchorage

This was an awesome conference in terms of its scope and accomplishments. Although the conference spanned a longer time frame than is usual, there was simply far more to learn and experience than allowed in the time available and in recognition of my human constraints to sleep and rest! However, the appreciation that there is still more to learn and understand means that a return trip may be needed in the future! Alaska is definitely one place I would like to revisit. Many thanks are due to Connie Steele, Sherie Steele, and Ray Barnhardt and all those who supported them in this 2001 Groves conference.

Rather than organize my impressions and thoughts day by day in terms of responses to specific events on the schedule, I've organized them in terms of themes: geography and climate, culture, and impact of lower 48. Because there were choices in terms of accommodations, my experiences will not necessarily parallel those of others who stayed in different lodgings.

I've posted some photos, mine and others, at www.door.net/groves/alaskaphotos.htm

Geography and Climate

Flying into Fairbanks was to see huge, snow covered mountains, tree covered hillsides, and brown plains. We stayed in a very nice two-story townhome on the University of Alaska-Fairbanks campus. It came complete with its own resident moose. The climate was that of early spring, with trees just budding, tulips blooming, and grass not yet greened up. Over the course of our stay in Fairbanks, we could see a change from browner grass to greener grass.

My impression was that we were staying in a place much like Denver, Colorado, must have been maybe 60 years ago before the huge boom in population. The mountains were just visible in the distance, there was a university, and people seemed to know one another.

Denali was visited by train and some Groves committees actually met while on the train! Although the weather was too cloudy to see Mt McKinley, we could see vistas of close-by mountains. It was too early for spring flowers in Denali and, without vegetation, too early for animal life. There were reported sightings of a bear, and it may have been one but I couldn't really tell if it was a bear or a rock!

I'm not sure anything can prepare you for Barrow. Certainly, nothing in Texas prepared me! However, maybe those in northern states bordered by a lake that freezes in winter found something familiar. It was white everywhere: the ground was covered with snow and ice, the sea was frozen with blue rocks of ice, the sky was an overcast white. Buildings took years to build because first they had to sink into the permafrost, let it freeze over a winter, then build above the permafrost so as not to melt it. If it melted, and the building was on top causing the melt, then the building ended up tilted. We saw some of those efforts. All supplies, from building materials to clothing to food and beverages had to be brought in. There were no convenient herds of dairy cows or sheep or chicken coops or any of the farm and ranch domesticated animals we take for granted. There were no farms raising crops for market. While we were there, the temperature during the day never got above 17 degrees Fahrenheit. During the brief summer -- sometime after our visit -- temperatures will surge into the low forties and high thirties and the snow melts and the sea unfreezes.

Dogs were tied to stakes in the yards with dog houses for shelter. Yards also contained boats, old appliances, cars, etc. And, yes, there was dog sledding! In contrast to the bleakness of the terrain, the people were welcoming. Oil money had helped to provide a sewer system, beautiful schools and a museum/heritage center. But oil money had also brought cultural changes I'll discuss in more detail below.

Anchorage was lovely. Mountains all around, a large ocean inlet, green trees, it seemed a place of great delight. It was here we learned more about the Exxon Valdez oil spill and that the beauty of places on Prince William Sound and along the fjords of the Kenai (key-nigh, accent on the first syllable) peninsula may be a surface beauty hiding deep and serious ecological problems. The decline in the herring is one very serious symptom.

Our small group stayed on after the conference and toured the Kenai peninsula. We took boat trips out of Seward along the fjords and out of Whittier (a word to the wise: don't plan to stay overnight in Whittier!) to Prince William Sound. We found the geography of the eastern/south shore to be very exciting with lots of mountains and glaciers. The fjords were fascinating -- seeing and hearing a glacier calve was exciting. And having orcas swim under the boat was truly a highlight. We saw a great deal more wildlife in this area: sea lions, sea otters, salmon, puffins, eagles, bear, dall sheep, mountain goats, humpback whales and orcas. And of course, moose! The television in our rooms in Seward brought in a remote scene on Chiswell Island where sea lions were having babies!

The northern/western shore of the peninsula was quite different, more broad plains, mountains sat in the distance, actually, quite impressive volcanoes loomed across the inlet. We toured down to Homer towards the western end of the peninsula and in a museum there encountered an exhibit on the oil spill that made me cry. I learned that it isn't just the herring that's declining, but also the sea lions. Precipitously. Kind of like the Dow Jones in the past year.

Culture

In part, because of my interests, I was brought into discussions of the heavy toll of alcoholism in Alaskan natives. Interestingly, the communities can vote themselves dry (no alcohol) or damp (for private use) and do not have to be wet (public availability of alcohol). Because of their isolation, the villages can have some control over the alcohol supply. But even though the natives, for example, in Barrow, want to be dry, the whites do not and ballot initiatives are difficult events. Alaskan natives perceive themselves being outvoted on these life and death issues in their own communities because of the influence and money of whites.

Alcohol was only one example of a culture clash between native Alaskans and whites. Another area which impressed me was the issue of education. Once again, Alaskan natives had felt powerless over control of their children's education. Many felt that not enough was being done so that native peoples had more control over their schools. Until recently, and only because of a court case, high school students and some even younger, had to go away for education. But these facilities were not controlled by native peoples, they were controlled by whites. Speaking one's own language was prohibited, following native customs was outlawed, nurturing was limited, and children missed out on the opportunities they would have had in their villages to learn the native ways. Every speaker, private or public, older or younger, who touched on education mentioned with passion the profound, negative impact of this system of schooling. A woman my age told me how the older students were assigned a younger student to them. She would be awakened by the staff because 'her' student was crying. A child herself, she was expected to get that student to stop crying.

We heard from Ray Barnhardt and his colleagues how they are trying to change things. Perhaps the next generation will have different feelings and experiences, ones that are more positive, as a result of these efforts. As it is, so many teachers are whites from the lower 48 who don't know much about native peoples and who are caught up in the white culture's values as 'the' values. Fortunately, there are exceptions, I met one, a 'white' originally from the lower 48, who has been teaching on the Kenai peninsula for over twenty years and who understood and incorporated native values in her classes.

A word that native people kept coming back to was 'language'. Language is a key to their cultural identity. Unfortunately, there are some languages in which there are very, very few speakers left. Efforts are underway to preserve these languages. Schools are now teaching in native languages as well as English. As a practical matter, my friend on the Kenai told me this can be difficult because the schools in her area have mixed groups of children, some white, some native but from differing native groups so that their languages are not all the same. But she saw it as a positive that all groups had this opportunity now.

Subsistence culture struck me as a tough way to live. I have my conveniences and I have to admit that I like them. But what I saw of subsistence culture was that it was not just about providing food or clothing. It was about community. People worked together. A whale boat captain told us how the crew had to get along. It was a small boat and disharmony would be very difficult to manage. Subsistence culture is an intergenerational way of living as opposed to an age segregated way of organizing the community.

Camps were a cultural institution that transmitted traditional ways. We heard about summer camp, winter camp, fish camp, spirit camp. These camps might have semi permanent or permanent structures and might be owned by a person, family or extended family. We visited a spirit camp outside of Fairbanks and learned from the elders about traditional ways. As opposed to summer camp, for example, in the lower 48, where children are sent to have a fun time in the outdoors and where the counselors are mostly high school and college students, these camps were intergenerational. The 'counselors' were Howard Luke, Effie and other elders, whole families went to them, and renewed ties to others and passed on traditional ways.

Impact of the Lower 48

As described above, the influx of people from the lower 48 has had an incredible impact on Alaska, its people, terrain, and traditions. Some of these, I've touched on above. The natural resources of the state have brought individuals and businesses and national government into the picture.

Currently, there is discussion about opening the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to exploration/drilling for oil. Within Alaska there is considerable debate over such issues. On the one hand, oil money has provided for the modern amenities, on the other hand, there are terrible consequences when these adventures go wrong, such as with the Exxon Valdez. And even when they go 'right', there are still negative consequences, as when 'whites' can outvote 'natives' in what natives consider their own communities on such issues as alcohol availability.

In Anchorage we heard from Steven Picou about the big and little ways the Exxon disaster affected Alaska. On our own tour of the Kenai, we talked to people in Seward, viewed the exhibit in the Homer museum, and I came to the conclusion from all of these sources, that this disaster is ongoing and it is huge. If the Arctic refuge was formerly for me just a place on the map in a remote area of the U.S., it is no longer. The environment is too fragile, the wildlife too vulnerable, and the people too unprotected to allow such despoliation so 'big oil' can rake in big profits and I can run my SUV for a few more months. Given the record of Exxon in keeping promises, I don't believe the environment will or can be protected by the ones in charge of extracting oil.

In sum, this conference provided a very powerful experience. I would like to go back to Alaska, although I have to admit one visit to Barrow and Whittier in a lifetime may be enough. But I would like to see more of the area around Anchorage and I would like to see more of the area that surrounds Juneau where different groups of native peoples live. I would like to see more of the initiatives of native peoples that are oriented to preserving their language, culture, and way of life.

Judy Fischer

August, 2001

comments on this summary may be emailed to jfischer@hs.ttu.edu