Princess of the Dawn
Feb 2005.
I woke up early today at 0600hrs. Not my usual waking moments lately.
But today was a special day for me and for the Village.
So I was up before the sun rose above the nearby mountains and was out the door by 1000hrs.
Today my Alaska Native village hosted their annual Fun Day's event.
There were 2 dog, 4 dog and 6 dog-team time sled runs, a game of chance called "Poker Run" and the Community Hall sold concessions and Native crafts and hosted kidz activities too.
I like good positive activities such as this. It brings the people together and keeps the unique sport of Alaska sled-dog racing alive. And it lets Natives and non-Natives (whites) mingle and be friends.
For up here in Alaska I've seen equality and friendship amongst whites and Natives on a much grander scale than what I have seen in my home Reservation down in the lower-48 states.
I took lots of pictures of the sled-dog teams, their drivers, and various villagers & visitors.
And speaking of villagers.
Our newest village member, an infant girl, was sitting in her parents pickup truck while daddy & mommy were time-keeping at the race start line nearby.
Also close by to the little infant, in some proximity, were the Eldest villagers.
Two old people that sat upon snow machines (snow mobiles/snowgo's) and bobbed their gray heads as they watched everyone around them.
As the Elders watched today events, they commented that it was like looking back into the past really. Because 20, 40 even 70 years ago as the Elders recalled quietly to each other.
The village winter gatherings and sports events were much different than what they saw today.
No nice clean community hall to eat in or sit in. Just a big log house that was the Community Hall and an old 50 gallon drum that was made into a log stove.
The Community Hall back then was warm in the bitter winter cold but the real warmth of the place came from the people that lived in the community and from those that attended the village gatherings and sports events.
I wish winter weather would stay around forever but summer of 2005 will be upon us soon.
As I run down the highway each day now, the visible moisture vapor from my lungs will be replaced by swarms of hungry blood-thirsty mosquitos hanging just as thick in the air.
I average 3 mosquitos sucked into my mouth per summer run each day. But in the winter?
I can smell the vehicle exhaust more noticeably. It stinks.
I don't see much vehicle traffic though when I go jogging, just the occasional semi-truck & trailer, the odd vehicle with out-of-state plates and of course Local villagers driving to and fro.
But last week, one out-of-state vehicle slowed down as it passed me (going in my direction) and then a small business card was tossed out the window. It fluttered edge-down into the packed snow bank.
Hmmm..... New Mexico. "send card back" was scrawled on the back. Ok. I'll send the card back and see what those fellow Natives have to say. As the name on the business card is Native.
With springs arrival I should be going back to work again.
I've interviewed with a local cruise-ship and tourist-guest lodge company and will be working as Security for them. We'll see what adventures lie ahead for me this year.
Just a few days ago I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to drive down the highway a few miles to retrieve a road-killed moose.
One of our local village men hit the cow moose as she crossed the highway in front of him in the early morning darkness as he drove to work.
The man said that she "just ran out in front of me full speed like she was running from something". As I later commented to this man that, as I was butchering the cow moose alongside the highway I kept hearing something moving around me in the tree line.
It was probably wolves that I heard if mama cow was running from something at the time of her death by pickup truck.
Or probably her 1 or 2 yr old calf that was with her? As some almost-grown calves are orphaned this way when mama gets hit by a vehicle.
I do know that the cow moose was a mama with a baby in the womb.
When I opened up her uterus, or rather, when I shook it out
(as it was already ruptured)
a small moose fetus sloshed out in a yellow colored torrent of fluid and "piffed" at my feet.
Cute little guy. I held him and examined his little body.
He was small as a full grown Chihauhaua dog.
His body was white and his little hooves were yellow.
His head was large and his nose was comically bulbous.
I thought I could see a tiny little smile on his still-developing face though. As I turned his head to look at me.
His eyes weren't even open, weren't even developed. Still protected, covered by skin.
But little baby moose was bemused by MY big Lakota nose!!
Two villagers helped me butcher the cow moose. They got the 4 legs and we got everything else.
I didn't know what Granma wanted from the entrails so I went back to the kill site with her and she got some Intestine, the stomach and the heart. The liver was shattered, bruised and felt funny anyway.
Granma was happy about getting moose, though she wanted the 4 legs too, but at the time I was phone called to go butcher the moose. I wasn't told that Granma had specific claim to the moose.
*shrug*
Live and learn.
I only received a partial message about the road-killed moose.
Living here in Alaska you learn local rules and customs such as this road-kill claim that I stepped into.
Believe me, Granma was Really Upset that she didn't get everything!!!
You can see the marked differences in ages of villagers and observe the role of each person in the village.
I cited the tiny infant and the two Elders earlier on, because at the time, everyone at the race start line was busy cooing and peeking at the tiny girl as mama held her.
Then mama would put her baby into the pickup truck, safely secure her into her car-seat and close the pickup door. Soon little baby was crying and looking over at us.
Eventually mother scooped up her girl once-and-for-all and strapped her into the baby-carrier and carried the little girl inside her heavy winter coat while continuing to help at the race-start line.
Soon little infant girl was fast asleep in mother's arms. lol. I took a picture.
In my jaded-mind, I see things like this and rejoice in the experience.
Because of my recent works within Alaska village public safety I am a little warped, jaded, burnt-out on people.
I've seen many bad things that people can do to each other and I've seen many good people get swallowed up in alcohol, drugs and riotous living.
I'm glad that there are married people, such as the white couple with the cute baby, that still present the image of family and marriage and team-work. I really need to see such good things right now.
I welcome the rest I've had from the tough law enforcement work though, as I had previously worked in another Native village far away from here-my parents village.
I welcome the rest, the peace and quiet, yet I keep myself armed at all times and carry a few LE (law enforcement) tools and a small medical pack with me whenever I attend public functions such as today's event.
You can take the villager out of the village, but you can't take the village OUT of the villager.
I just do my part in keeping myself, my family, my village safe from harm.
In closing, I answer the question of who is Princess of the Dawn??
This morning when I walked over to the Community Hall and first saw people walking around outside and inside.
She was sitting at a concessions/sign-up table.
A young local village beauty.
She's a good girl.
She has lots of potential and hasn't wasted her young life on experimenting with bad vices.
I quietly chuckled to myself as I saw her yawning really big not two or three, but four times in 10 minutes!! She must have been up late watching movies at home the night before.
It's good people like this young lady.
Like her good family and her extended relatives that make up the backbone of this village that also give life and warmth to this place.
And for now, I'm here to observe and record what I see.
I keep the infants, the children, the adults, the elders and especially the Princess safe.
Respectfully,
Samuel
I woke up early today at 0600hrs. Not my usual waking moments lately.
But today was a special day for me and for the Village.
So I was up before the sun rose above the nearby mountains and was out the door by 1000hrs.
Today my Alaska Native village hosted their annual Fun Day's event.
There were 2 dog, 4 dog and 6 dog-team time sled runs, a game of chance called "Poker Run" and the Community Hall sold concessions and Native crafts and hosted kidz activities too.
I like good positive activities such as this. It brings the people together and keeps the unique sport of Alaska sled-dog racing alive. And it lets Natives and non-Natives (whites) mingle and be friends.
For up here in Alaska I've seen equality and friendship amongst whites and Natives on a much grander scale than what I have seen in my home Reservation down in the lower-48 states.
I took lots of pictures of the sled-dog teams, their drivers, and various villagers & visitors.
And speaking of villagers.
Our newest village member, an infant girl, was sitting in her parents pickup truck while daddy & mommy were time-keeping at the race start line nearby.
Also close by to the little infant, in some proximity, were the Eldest villagers.
Two old people that sat upon snow machines (snow mobiles/snowgo's) and bobbed their gray heads as they watched everyone around them.
As the Elders watched today events, they commented that it was like looking back into the past really. Because 20, 40 even 70 years ago as the Elders recalled quietly to each other.
The village winter gatherings and sports events were much different than what they saw today.
No nice clean community hall to eat in or sit in. Just a big log house that was the Community Hall and an old 50 gallon drum that was made into a log stove.
The Community Hall back then was warm in the bitter winter cold but the real warmth of the place came from the people that lived in the community and from those that attended the village gatherings and sports events.
I wish winter weather would stay around forever but summer of 2005 will be upon us soon.
As I run down the highway each day now, the visible moisture vapor from my lungs will be replaced by swarms of hungry blood-thirsty mosquitos hanging just as thick in the air.
I average 3 mosquitos sucked into my mouth per summer run each day. But in the winter?
I can smell the vehicle exhaust more noticeably. It stinks.
I don't see much vehicle traffic though when I go jogging, just the occasional semi-truck & trailer, the odd vehicle with out-of-state plates and of course Local villagers driving to and fro.
But last week, one out-of-state vehicle slowed down as it passed me (going in my direction) and then a small business card was tossed out the window. It fluttered edge-down into the packed snow bank.
Hmmm..... New Mexico. "send card back" was scrawled on the back. Ok. I'll send the card back and see what those fellow Natives have to say. As the name on the business card is Native.
With springs arrival I should be going back to work again.
I've interviewed with a local cruise-ship and tourist-guest lodge company and will be working as Security for them. We'll see what adventures lie ahead for me this year.
Just a few days ago I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to drive down the highway a few miles to retrieve a road-killed moose.
One of our local village men hit the cow moose as she crossed the highway in front of him in the early morning darkness as he drove to work.
The man said that she "just ran out in front of me full speed like she was running from something". As I later commented to this man that, as I was butchering the cow moose alongside the highway I kept hearing something moving around me in the tree line.
It was probably wolves that I heard if mama cow was running from something at the time of her death by pickup truck.
Or probably her 1 or 2 yr old calf that was with her? As some almost-grown calves are orphaned this way when mama gets hit by a vehicle.
I do know that the cow moose was a mama with a baby in the womb.
When I opened up her uterus, or rather, when I shook it out
(as it was already ruptured)
a small moose fetus sloshed out in a yellow colored torrent of fluid and "piffed" at my feet.
Cute little guy. I held him and examined his little body.
He was small as a full grown Chihauhaua dog.
His body was white and his little hooves were yellow.
His head was large and his nose was comically bulbous.
I thought I could see a tiny little smile on his still-developing face though. As I turned his head to look at me.
His eyes weren't even open, weren't even developed. Still protected, covered by skin.
But little baby moose was bemused by MY big Lakota nose!!
Two villagers helped me butcher the cow moose. They got the 4 legs and we got everything else.
I didn't know what Granma wanted from the entrails so I went back to the kill site with her and she got some Intestine, the stomach and the heart. The liver was shattered, bruised and felt funny anyway.
Granma was happy about getting moose, though she wanted the 4 legs too, but at the time I was phone called to go butcher the moose. I wasn't told that Granma had specific claim to the moose.
*shrug*
Live and learn.
I only received a partial message about the road-killed moose.
Living here in Alaska you learn local rules and customs such as this road-kill claim that I stepped into.
Believe me, Granma was Really Upset that she didn't get everything!!!
You can see the marked differences in ages of villagers and observe the role of each person in the village.
I cited the tiny infant and the two Elders earlier on, because at the time, everyone at the race start line was busy cooing and peeking at the tiny girl as mama held her.
Then mama would put her baby into the pickup truck, safely secure her into her car-seat and close the pickup door. Soon little baby was crying and looking over at us.
Eventually mother scooped up her girl once-and-for-all and strapped her into the baby-carrier and carried the little girl inside her heavy winter coat while continuing to help at the race-start line.
Soon little infant girl was fast asleep in mother's arms. lol. I took a picture.
In my jaded-mind, I see things like this and rejoice in the experience.
Because of my recent works within Alaska village public safety I am a little warped, jaded, burnt-out on people.
I've seen many bad things that people can do to each other and I've seen many good people get swallowed up in alcohol, drugs and riotous living.
I'm glad that there are married people, such as the white couple with the cute baby, that still present the image of family and marriage and team-work. I really need to see such good things right now.
I welcome the rest I've had from the tough law enforcement work though, as I had previously worked in another Native village far away from here-my parents village.
I welcome the rest, the peace and quiet, yet I keep myself armed at all times and carry a few LE (law enforcement) tools and a small medical pack with me whenever I attend public functions such as today's event.
You can take the villager out of the village, but you can't take the village OUT of the villager.
I just do my part in keeping myself, my family, my village safe from harm.
In closing, I answer the question of who is Princess of the Dawn??
This morning when I walked over to the Community Hall and first saw people walking around outside and inside.
She was sitting at a concessions/sign-up table.
A young local village beauty.
She's a good girl.
She has lots of potential and hasn't wasted her young life on experimenting with bad vices.
I quietly chuckled to myself as I saw her yawning really big not two or three, but four times in 10 minutes!! She must have been up late watching movies at home the night before.
It's good people like this young lady.
Like her good family and her extended relatives that make up the backbone of this village that also give life and warmth to this place.
And for now, I'm here to observe and record what I see.
I keep the infants, the children, the adults, the elders and especially the Princess safe.
Respectfully,
Samuel
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