Nasek'taq

There is so much to say! This is not an artistic expression rather I am saying a few things that seem superficial. Spring, this spring is so different in so many ways! Everything is different for everyone; the home environment, work schedules, the school schedules, perceptions of events, the unknown of tomorrow and subsistence and gathering in Alaska and beyond! Everyone is effected by this Covid 19! I hate it that it is disrupting every norm in everyone’s lives. Change is not good for some of us, to be quite honest. If it is not the norm…it will act like an attack on one’s being. None the less, trust in the Lord! My strength is not in myself…but my flesh tells me otherwise. Thinking is being human…human’s thinking can mislead at pressured moments. Some thinking become negative or positive behaviors to cope with changes and most may not agree with the outcome – but it’s not ok to be disrespectful! There are alot of excuses or explanations with many commas and lots of buts here and there…one thing you have to tell yourself, is believe…even if life changing events seem to be against you at all odds or even….be deligent…be aware…be caring, be loving, be understanding, be someone you want someone to be to you…lastly, love is better when it’s shared. This spring’s flowers are wonderful after winter’s unknown! After all, being human we are not perfect! Like spring flowers, there are time we flourish and it whimpers away due to circumstances and tomorrow is another day – expect more flowers to bloom. So much to say!

This is sort of a poem that keeps following me. Poetry is an expression of one’s deep weight of thoughts! Sort of like shallow river- almost like the song sung by Lady Gaga! Shallow rivers are the kind you can walk right thru!! The trick is, don’t let slimy rocks make you slip you right into the river!!!! Even if you trip into the river it’s the most refreshing experience!!! Don’t be afraid like I was!

You stand up! Hunker down!! Stay Home!!!!

Trying to get the creative rhythm hasn’t been easy this fall – but the ideas are collecting but no action. Maybe this short excerpt will boost the creative motivation to flow again. It should take a few hours after a day at my regular work to gather up my materials.

Items have been waiting; The seal skin for the hard bottom kameksak have been in the freezer. The bear hide is hanging out in the garage to be softened. The threads and needles are safe in my gifted craft box. The spruce roots have been exposed to the weather at my front door. The salmon berry seeds are in my freezer for possibly paint project. The duck feathers from a place near “piss me off lake” are waiting to be weaved with hemp to be entangled with the beads – so I can carry on with my art work and crafts in my Isran, weaved bag. I have materials waiting to be sewn. Oh my gosh! I don’t want to forget the dried fish skins I’ve kept in the fridge and collected for something (dogs have been treated well with some of them). Beads aging in their containers. Sea otter fur hanging out with the seal skin, calf skin and the caribou skin with some yarns. So many materials collecting dust.

Here is my grandma in the middle in her traditional Yupik parka with her friend and sister-in-law (I’ve met them long ago and they were wonderful women);

I need calls from interested persons to sew baby kameksaks (booties), in Fairbanks only. There will be a fee for the materials- at least $40. This event will be posted soon after I receive interested people. So far, I have two interested. Contact me if you’re interested. This fee will support my daughter to play basketball 🏀.

The title is the current condition of the weather – it is not normal weather pattern!

Tuingunrituq🌸

There is no excuse for my post absence. The truth is, I have misplaced my creativity but it usually comes back when chills from the cold weather kicks in. This summer and fall – I did get to pick berries though; cranberries and crowberries 😋.

I made chutney with cranberries, crabapples, cloudberries, raisins, onions, sage, garlic, cinnamon, and sugar. I nearly ruined my chutney by being busy watching Facebook 🙄.

It turned out great!!! Eat as a bread or cracker spread or as a side. It’s excellent! Try it!

Its been a busy time this summer – I haven’t had time for arts and crafts- except for two qaspeqs.  I want to share some pictures of my outdoor adventures in Fairbanks and the Kuskokwim Delta to make up for the times I haven’t posted.  I start with a flower that is a must have berry, cloud/salmon berry.  I rarely see these flowers bloom;

Low bush cranberries – I love the color;

If you have cold you just can’t get rid of – the whole plant helps get rid of coughing cold.  The Cotton trees got chomped on by an engineering beaver on the Tanana River;

I found a fat Stink Weed/Worm Wood that is medicinal;

And when you are out and about – there are frightened birds that fly off when you get too close to their nests;

Trees that make you feel small and trees that can make a sauna hotter than your oven;

I just remembered that I had nature do its course in removing the hair from a spotted seal for some kind of art work in the winter;

The skin required a lot of rinsing with water.  When I went out for an adventure and found a neat creek that washed the silt to the side;

I am puzzled by nature’s beauty.  Nature can take its course in all directions;

Rotting from the inside and the wind cracked it to the ground.  The week that I adventured was great and just before the fires broke out;

The fish have already begun their treacherous journey to spawn for new generations of fish and some were caught for winter food;

I like to make fish soup like my mom.  We have something fish almost everyday.  Something like this: half dried, smoked, fermented, baked, grilled, caviar, salted, pickled, and in soup!

Then the fire season arrived in the midst of fireweeds blooming;

The smoke was bad so we stayed home most evenings.  So I decided to try out a different modern qaspeq;

Even in the midst of smoke, nature speaks louder;

When subsistence regulation hinder the time for harvest – those that wait will eventually catch up with the rest.  Patience is hard.  My mom reminded us the advice from grandfather William Lomack and it stayed with my father and then to my brother, Quyana;

Fish camp was extremely hot during the day and we were cautious not to cook out smoked salmon.  July 9 was way too hot.  We drove 3-4 hours down the Kuskokwin River with t-shirts and life vest the whole way.  Along the way, we saw dead floating pike and salmon.  On our return to Akiachak/fishcamp – we came across a salmon with bulging eyes trying to stay alive.  My great-niece thought it was a frog and then realized that it was a fish.  When I was her age, we had never heard or seen anything like that;

My heart was pounding at the sight of this dying salmon.  On the shores of Akiachak and all over the river, we saw salmon that died from the heat wave.

Before we found out about dying salmon, we had a blast of berry picking for cloud/salmon berries on the tundra.  The water and land gave us nourishment for us.  Why should we ignore the climate change?

I end this portion of the blog with these two pictures.  Old and new salmon berry plant and young boy reaching out to a plant;