North to Alaska - Bird Man

Well the Bird Man is getting married today.  The ceremony will take place on the banks of Big Lake about 20 miles from our cabin as the ravens fly.  In fact my pet raven will guide us there, but that is the bulk of another story.

I have only known the Bird Man for about two weeks, but up here you seem to make fast friend fast and from what I have observed keep them for a long time.  We met purely by accident one day when I took one of the not so traveled trails back to our cabin after visiting the Finks one Friday.  All trails for some reason end up at our cabin.  A fact I discovered after studying the animal skin map made for me by Uncle Frank.

I had grown tired of taking the same rout to the different places the students lived and thought since it was early I would try a new trail and see if all roads go where the map says.  As I was coming around the bend of the trail I had selected that afternoon I came across a cabin nestled against the back drop of some ferns.  There was smoke coming from the chimney so I knew someone was home and being a sociable person I decided to stop and say hello.

As I was approaching the door it suddenly opened and before me was a straggly looking bearded man whose first words were, “You must be the new teacher.  Would you like a cup to tea?”  We sat down at his table in the one room cabin and he poured me a cup.

He introduced himself as Arnie and said he wondered when I would stumble across his place given the fact that I was using, he had heard, the animal skin map Uncle Frank had provided.  It has always amazed me how word gets around up here.  I asked him why I had not met him at the Tribal Feast and he said it was because he did not go.  “I don’t usually attend such events.  Nothing against them I might add but I like my solitude for the most part but don’t mind people stopping by now and then.  Glad to finally meet you.” 

Well for a guy who likes his solitude he certainly talked my ear off for the next hour and did not mind at all him telling me where he came from, why he lived where he did and what he did for a living.

Arnie is a professional Dioramast. He did admit that he wasn’t sure that was even a word but that is what he called himself.  He then explained to me what a Dioramast was.  He contracted with small museums, schools, towns, and any other organization that wanted life like replicas of their animal mascots or for natural displays.  If a group called themselves the Neosho Wolverines or a museum wanted to depict a realistic scene from the north, or what ever the reason , he would catch and “stuff” whatever was wanted..  “Oh, you are a taxidermist.” I said.  He bristled at the term.  “No,” he corrected me, “ I might do what you might call taxidermy work, but I go a step further.  Not only do I prepare the animal for display I provide a detailed drawing of the back drop and instructions on how to make it so the organization can place my work in a setting that resembles the habitat of the animal.”  He brought out and set before me some very detailed sketches and written instructions on his latest project along with a beautiful colored painting of what the finished product would look like wherever it was to be displayed.   He had to limit his animals of course to those that only lived in Alaska he pointed out. 

He had many requests from all over the world oddly enough, more than he could keep up with so instead of the high ticket items like bears, moose, and caribou he has had to limit his creations to birds.  Birds were much easier to pack and ship.  “You ever had to figure out how to ship a full size caribou to Odessa, Texas?” he said sort of chuckling.  That is when I began to notice that along the wall ceiling line there were birds galore perched upon twigs, branches, and small logs getting ready to swoop down and snatch the biscuits he had set out a minute ago.  “I specialize in Birds and their natural habitats now only.  That is why most people around here call me the Bird Man.”

Arnie came to Alaska several years ago for the same reasons many do.  He wanted the adventure of doing something out of the ordinary, relished solitude mostly, as we all do till we have it, and had no immediate family he had to keep in touch with.  As our discussion progressed it soon became clear that he was also escaping a broken heart, or at least trying to.

He started telling me about the love of his life that had not worked out and for years he had thought about her, all most obsessed about her from time to time.  But eventually his obsession and thoughts of his lost love grew fainter and fainter and now and then he would realize that he had not thought of her in days, then weeks, and then even a month or two would go by with out a thought of the loss.

He then quite happily pulled out a letter and said, "But that was then and this is now and now is always better than then."  He said he had received a litter about six months ago from the lady and it was a nice friendly letter.  How she managed to track him down he was not certain but at this point he really didn’t care.  One letter developed into another and through their correspondence both realized how foolish they had been to let time slip away for reasons that were now unclear to both.

One day he decided enough was enough and four wheeled down to the school district central office, where he mailed most of his birds and drawings from, called her on the phone and asked her to marry him.  She said yes. 

She would be arriving at his cabin tomorrow he said and their wedding was planned for the following Saturday.  He said he didn’t want to be rude but he had a lot of work to do to get the cabin straightened up and needed to shave, “I remember she really didn’t like men with beards, but I think she will like my mustache.”  I took the cue and left, but not before accepting an invite to the nuptials.

Bev and I are looking forward to the event.  We both wonder what the bride and groom will be wearing and what the theme and backdrop of the proceedings will be.  Big Bear will preside over the event and I suspect many will be in attendance.  Although both Arnie and Alice, the bride’s name, are in their sixties I suspect that they will have a long and enjoyable life together.  How romantic.

North to Alaska- Cheers

It has taken the last two days to recuperate from the Tribal Feast, which I looked upon more as a gorge.  Even today I feel like I will never eat again.

The morning was interrupted by a visit from Big Bear Sam.  He said he had promised to give me the paper he wrote while in college that dealt with Native Americans and Alcohol specifically those Native Americans living in Alaska.  I had forgotten about his promise but told him I had been looking forward to reading it.  He told me to remember it was just his opinion although he did some Internet research, conducted interviews and used some pure logic.

We chatted for awhile longer over a cup a tea and then he left to visit others, his usual Sunday routine he told me.

I read the paper he had written while attending the U of A, Anchorage, and found it very intriguing.  I wont bother to duplicate the paper here but think it interesting enough to share some of the high points.

It is estimated that out of every 100,000 deaths in Alaska among aboriginals almost 100 are due to some sort of alcoholic factor.  It doesn't sound like much but statistically the percentage is huge.  He figures that Indians/Eskimos (I/E) just cannot handle alcohol.  Why he asked himself.  Was there some sort of genetic difference between whites and I/E's or was it because  I/E's were just not able to control social impulses that sometimes alcohol released.

His research showed that those who claim Jewish ancestry became alcoholics late in life.  The Irish became lushes during middle age, and I/E's became dependent in their early 20's or late teens.  The Jewish cultural had alcohol in their life since antiquity, the Irish had been drinking for around 1000 years, but the I/E's had only been introduced to grain and grape for less than 300 years.  Big Bear included that the high rate of deaths among I/E's was due to a Darwinian thing.  Those of the Jewish culture and those of Irish decent had much longer to weed out those who could not handle alcohol through natural selection.  Those that Alcohol seemed to make them do stupid things died with more frequency than those who had some sort of tolerance.  Over the years those who had a high tolerance were able to pass on that tolerance to the next generation.  Eskimos and Indians had just not been drinking long enough to achieve the tolerance level that Jews and Irish had obtained.

I for one cannot verify the data that Big Bear used for his conclusion but his idea is certainly interesting.  I am not sure I feel about his hypothesis and would be interested in hearing what you, the long suffering reader of this blog might think.

North to Alaska - Sushi Anyone?

Yesterday was a great day.

After the harrowing experience at the Malamute Saloon I was ready for the mundane task of being a teacher again.  I headed out early Monday morning and before Wednesday noon I had visited all my students and even had enough time to stop by and see the Finks.  Everyone had done their lessons, even Jimmy Green, and the Finks were just as nice and pleasant as always. 

The Twins were beside themselves with anticipation and made me promise I would be at the tribal feast so I could see them dance.

The map made of an animal hide that Uncle Frank had given me, via the Twins of course, was easy to follow.  The only thing that threw me off a little was the scale.  The place where the feast was to be held ended up being a lot closer than I had anticipated.  It only took an hour to get to the Octagon.

The Octagon as you might suspect is an eight sided wooden structure where, I gathered, tribal ceremonies of any note were held.  Although I had arrived early the place was packed and food already set up inside on wooden tables just as rustic looking as the building itself.

The feast was not a whole lot different than any Thanksgiving celebration in the lower 48 except for the notable exceptions that there was not turkey.  There were however plenty of ducks, geese, a swan, otters, caribou, moose, and shell fish.  Each was prepared in numerous sorts of ways, no two of which were the same.  Some how there were vegetable casseroles prepared with corn and green beans being the item of choice, but they also were all prepared differently.  The only notable difference was that there was a mound of frozen fish piled in one nook of the Octagon which I thought a little strange because I saw no stove or fire that could cook them. 

After everyone, or almost everyone, was settled and a prayer given the line formed with the teenagers or so it seemed, in the front of the line.  I thought this sort of rude given the fact that the elders kept their seats.  The kids piled a little bit of everything on a plate even the the frozen fish.  They immediately took the plates to the elders seated as a sign of respect.  The frozen fish thing still puzzled me till I realized that it was the Athabaskan's equivalent of sushi and their traditional meal.

Bev and I were asked to go next behind the teenagers and we also filled our plate but tried to avoid the frozen fish pile but with no luck.  Jimmy Green took it upon himself to find us the biggest two fish in the pile.  The rest of the crowd lined up and went through the line eagerly.

While trying to figure out how to eat around the fish and perhaps give it away to a more deserving person I noticed that some of the younger adults sat hot sauce on the table and sprinkled it on the fish before they chomped down.

Everything was delicious and the Italian meatballs Bev had prepared were a big hit.

I finally came to the last bite of a piece of moose, I think, when I realized that I could not put this fish business off any longer.  I did not want to insult my hosts but I really had no desire to eat a raw fish, hot sauce or not.  I looked over towards Bev and she had already begun eating her fish.  She told me to eat up, it wasn't bad at all.  I sprinkled hot sauce over the fish, found some salt and pepper, reached across the table for some cocktail sauce and applied all liberally.  The moment of truth had come.  I tentatively took a lick, then a small nibble and then a bigger bite.  Now at this point in any story one would suspect that the narrator would say that to his surprise that it tasted far better than he thought.  Not so.  It was terrible.  I managed to down about half the fish and figured that would suffice.  To my shock it did.  No one seemed to notice or care if I finished it or not.

After the plates were taken away drummers came out and started beating out rhythms and singing songs in their native language.  After a few minutes several people came out and danced for awhile and then after they were through another bunch came out.  Eventually it was the Twins turn and I have to say in my opinion they were the best of all.

It took me awhile to figure out that each dancing group was from a family and each dance told a story of some sort.  I could not tell you what all the stories were but they defenately were a story and were choreographed in such a way that everyone else in the Octagon knew what the dancers were doing.  They would even laugh at certain parts of the routine.  It reminded me of going to the Opera and trying to follow the story and watching the true lovers of the art transfixed on the conduct of the performers and the foreign words of the performance.

There was the normal visiting between those present and everyone was introduced to us either by Big Bear or Jimmy Green.  For some reason Jimmy seemed to be one of the special hosts.

Along towards evening we left.  It was a most enjoyable time.  Probably one of the better Thanksgivings that I have ever had, even though there was not a Turkey present.

North to Alaska - The Shooting of Who?

The Shooting of Who?

by   Conley Stone McAnally

Big Bear picked us up promptly at noon Indian time, which meant 3 P.M.  We hopped aboard his customized three seat snowmobile and headed south.  The trip was about three hours long and went over ridges, through the woods, and wound through valleys.

Just as the sun was setting I heard in the distance what could only be described as merriment.  There was laughing and good natured shouting just above the roar of a piano playing a ragtime tune.  As we crested the top of the last crest I spied in the valley below the Malamute Saloon with blazing yellow rays of light piercing the darkness through the windows.

As we entered the place the first thing that struck me was how similar it looked to the old western bars I had seen in movies and the ones that were in Tombstone.  The next thing that struck me was that a lot of the men were whooping it up dancing to the kid in the corner playing the upright piano.  The men were dancing by themselves, laughing and just having good natured fun. 

In one corner there was a blackjack dealer with a white shirt, black armbands, and steely gray eyes.  At the end of the bar stood a woman dressed as a dance hall girl, and behind the bar serving drinks was a guy dressed in a red and white stripped shirt with blue arm bands and matching bow tie.

As we seated ourselves the dance hall girl came to our table, introduced herself as Lou, the owner of the Malamute, turned to the bartender and yelled, "Put down your pad and pecil Bob and set'em up for my friends here, first one on the house."

We toasted each other, drank our shots of whiskey and another one was poured for the the three of us.  I told Lou to leave the bottle and I through away the cork.  I was determined to have fun and that this would be a night to remember.  Never a truer thought was 'thunk.'

We watched the men dancing and eventually one of them came over to me and asked very politely if he could ask Bev to dance.  I looked at Bev, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders.  I said yes.  For the next thirty minutes Bev was on the floor dancing her feet off.

While Bev was out on the floor I asked Big Bear who the menacing looking black jack dealer was.  He was, he told me, Lou's latest conquest.  Trouble is this guy it is said was the real jealous type and some considered him out right dangerous.  His name was McGrew, Dan McGrew.

Bev returned to the table while the boy on the piano took a break.  She said she had not danced that much since she left high school on the south side of Chicago or when she was a go go dancer with The Red Rubber Ball band.  No sooner had she said that than the door flew open and in stormed a wild looking guy with a beard to the middle of his chest and hair down to the middle of his back.  He looked like he was fresh from the mine fields or trap lines. He was dog dirty and ready for bear.  His parka was glazed with dirt and opened at the front to expose a buckskin shirt, it too looking somewhat dirty.

He marched to the middle of the empty dance floor raised his hand over his head holding a pouch bulging from its contents and said, "Joe, give my friends a drink on me, and don't stop till I tell you to.  I hit the mother load boys."   A cheer came from the crowd and everyone gathered round him.  Laughing, slapping him on the back, and congratulating him on his find.

I asked Big Bear who that guy was and Big Bear's only reply was that there is going to be some trouble and did not divert his eyes from the stranger.

During the celebration the stranger spotted the empty piano in the corner.  He walked over to it and began to play, my God how that man could play.  He didn't do ragtime or the popular tunes of the day, they were more of a classical bent.  Lou ventured over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder in what looked like to me a very familiar fashion.  I looked over to the blackjack table and old Dangerous Dan stiffened  and glared in the direction of the stranger and Lou. 

The stranger was a true musician because he seemed to lose himself in the ivories and his music touched your insides.  The music eventually became haunting and thunderous and seemed to shout emotions that can only be described as having a touch of evil.  

With a loud last crash of his paws on the keyboard he stood up and said,"you all know who I am and how long it has been since I have been here.  You all respected my situation except for one of you.  One of you is a low down hound from hell, wife steeling, no good bastard that takes advantage of the poor, the elderly and lonely women.  That guy is Dan McGrew!  

With the word McGrew the lights went out, men began to shout and two shots rang out in the dark.  When the lights came back on Dangerous Dan McGrew was slumped over the blackjack table dead while the stranger lay beside the piano with his head resting in Lou's arms. 

I was close enough to hear the stranger tell Lou, "See, I told you I would strike it rich and return to you."  With that the stranger closed his eyes and died.

We all had to wait there till the state troopers arrived and it was a little unsettling Bev said dancing around the dead bodies but the sheets put over each man helped.

We were the first to give our statements as to what we had seen and were allowed to leave.   On the way back to the cabin I asked Big Bear what was normally done in cases like this.  He said that the officials make a half hearted attempt to find the man's relatives and usually with no positive results.  Then the property goes to the state and then auctioned off.  I asked how much the state would get for a really great gold mine and how they figured the exchange rate of all the gold the stranger had with him. 

"They don't usually buy gold minds because most like our dead friend here are broke and no one knows  where the strike was, it could have been any place.  The Malamute was his first stop so he had not registered a claim.  His 'mother load' will be like your Lost Dutchman Mine."  What about the pouch of gold he had with him.  "Well I am not as wise as a lot of the guys but I bet you that Lou has already ready provided that service."

North to Alaska - My New Map and News of a Saloon

I usually don't go out on Monday but given last weeks trial I was behind.  So I hit the road early Monday morning and just as early Tuesday and made my rounds. 

Eddie Joe and the Twins had done their lessons well and eagerly awaited another assignment.  They were exceptionally excited about the Thanksgiving feast coming up and the Twins gave me explicit directions via an animal skin map they said was prepared by Uncle Frank.  Sally Deer was just as withdrawn and gaity not present at all when I mentioned the up coming Thanksgivng feast and was non commital as to if she was attending.  The homework she provided was excellent and she accepted the next assignmet with about as much joy as coming across a bear in the woods just waking from a long winter nap.  Jimmy Green of course had not finished his work but promised he would have it next week and give it to me at the feast.  His mother took me to the side and asked me if she could do the lessons also as long as she did not give Jimmy the answeres.  I told her that perhaps I could find some school work that might be more age appropriate.  Jimmy did show me a rope he had made from a caribou skin which seemed well made, but then how would I know.

The only interesting thing to happen on the trail back is that I ran into Big Bear Sam.  He asked me if I wanted to go to a saloon this Friday night and play some pool.  I told him I did not know they had a saloon anywhere close and he said close was relative and that he would pick me up around noon Friday.  I asked him if Bev could come and he said sure if she wouldn't mind dancing with gold prospectors.  She might be the only lady there he said.

I acted a little surpised that Big Bear would be going to a saloon given the alcohol Indian thing. He said that it was true that alcohol was a problem with many Indians and Eskimos but not all.  In fact he said he had a theory about the whole thing.  He had written a paper while in college and would let me read it some day.  Anyway he said not many Native Americans frequented the Malamute Saloon.

North to Alaska - Sam McGee

Well I needed that long winter's nap last night.   In my blog space where I write "More About Me," I mention that I never let facts interfere with a good story.  Well what I am about to relate may seem odd or a little queer (in the old since of the word) and many of you will dismiss it out of hand immediately.  I will not try to persuade you that my latest adventure is true.  Those who believe will, and those who don't wont and there is no amount of persuading that will change ones mind one way or another.   All I will say is that there are very strange things that happen in the land of the midnight sun and the things one sees and experiences on the Arctic Trails might make ones blood chill.

As I left off yesterday my friend was just coming around.  He had taken off all his clothes except the long underwear and covered himself with blankets.  He did not go to sleep, he just wanted to be warm.  He accepted a cup of tea that I had brewed from the store of supplies the cabin's owner had provided and began to cook a pot of beans that also was so graciously provided, albeit not necessarily known to our benefactor.

I thought it was about time to find out who my friend was and what he was doing so far away from things.

His name was Sam, but most everyone called him Mac he said.  He was a gold prospector.  Sam was from Tennessee like he had first said and why, he asks himself now and then, he ever decided to leave the cotton fields of Plumb Tree, he'll never know.  He had retired from the military and he and another retiree, he only referred to as Captain, Cap or Ole Cap, set off on their own great adventure to look for gold.  They found some and on the way back to transfer gold dust to green paper Mac got sick and really thought he was going to die.  In his delirium he made his partner promise to cremate his last remains and not leave him in a cold snowy grave.  Apparently Mac passed out and only regained consciousness when he opened his eyes and found he was surrounded by flames.  He was trying to figure out what was going on when he felt a chill wind blow across his face and heard a scream.  He looked towards the sound of the scream and saw Cap just as he was turning around and leaving hurriedly leaving the door  ajar.   Mac scampered toward the opening and saw Cap running towards his snowmobile, jump on and speed off into the distance.  Mac decided he would stay put because he was warm by the harth of the furnace roar and after a quick survey he realized that the flames were from an old boat tied to a lake dock.  He said it began to dawn on him what had happened.  Cap had taken what he thought was Mac's inert dead body along the trail looking for a place to cremate him.  One of the stern codes of the trail is that a promise made is a debt unpaid and Cap was an honorable man.  He must have come across this old derelict boat, realized it was no good for anything and decided to use it as a crematorium for his frozen chum.  Little did Cap know, Mac said, that Mac was not dead, just frozen to a catatonic state which "happens now and then up here."  When Cap wanted to see if Sam was cooked he looked inside and saw Sam in all is glory looking cool and calm.  Ole Cap panicked and lit out probably thinking that he had lost his mind.

After warming up, making a survey of his provisions, he mounted his own snowmobile which Cap had been towing Mac's "body" and with some dead reckoning he reckoned he headed to the nearest settlement he knew about.  He needed to refit and go find Cap.  However he had some engine trouble tried to fix the machine and the storm hit, he froze up again and then I found him. 

I listened to his yarn and wondered what the real story was but this was not the time or the place to challenge ones account of a life episode.  We spent two nights in the cozy cabin and although I cannot say we became good friends I did find Sam very enjoyable to talk to and was amazed at the knowledge he had about gold prospecting and living in the "land of death" which he called it a lot.

The wind and snow had stopped so we spent the next day repairing his snowmobile.  It only needed a belt and wouldn't you know it our Cabin owner had one of those too along with some extra gasoline.

I mentioned to Sam that I felt like a thief and he said not to worry, we only need to leave the guy a note telling him who we were, what we used, and how to reach us so we could resupply his "loss."  It is standard policy up here he said.

We both put down the information, pinned it to the inside of the door, shook hands, and said our goodbyes.  He was headed north and I south and were pretty well sure how to get to our final destinations.  I got about a mile down the road when I realized I had forgotten to reattach my sleigh.  When I returned to the cabin and got ready to go again, I also realized that I did not even know Sam's last name nor how to get hold of him if the mood so struck.  I went to where we had left the notes.  His said,  "Thanks for the provisions, I will be back this way again I am sure and will drop off everything I took plus some more.  Thanks,  Sam McGee, from Tennessee  where the cotton blooms and blows.  P.S.  If a guy comes by looking for me and he says is name is Ole Cap tell him I headed towards the Dawson Trail."

Same McGee?  I know I have heard that name before but just can't place it.

North to Alaska- My Frozen Chum

Well I bet you just about for got about me or you thought that I was blown away by the terrible snow storm that hit the western coast up here.  Well if you thought the blizzard had gotten me you were almost correct. 

Although we are miles inland from the west coast of Alaska, nearer to Canada really, the effects of, what they are calling a snowacaine, did have some effect on us.  I started on my rout Tuesday and after two hours of travelling on what is becoming a familiar rout it began to snow.  There was about 6" on the ground and the trail was clear enough but the further I went the harder the snow and  more unclear the trail.  I eventually decided I needed to turn around and head back to the cabin.  Just as I found a clearing to turn around in I came across a man humped over his snowmobile.  At first I thought he was dead but when I checked his pulse it was still beating.  I really didn't know what to do.  The snow was increasing and it was getting darker.  I knew I had to get the man inside out of the cold and snow that was driving through my parka like driven nails, but where?  I decided with out much thought that I would lash the man on to the sleigh I pulled behind the snowmobile.   I emptied the school material from the sleigh, lugged the quiet clay over , placed him in, wrapped him snugly and strapped him in tight. 

During all this I kept talking to him and I swore he hearkened with a grin, but with no other movement or sound.  The snow was really coming down now and I could not find the trail.  I had plenty of gas so I was not concerned about running out and I knew my compass worked so I would eventually get to Big Lake and I could find my way from there. 

I eventually came upon a rise and down in the valley below I saw a log cabin that looked very much like my own.  We had to get out of the weather, it was taking us longer than I thought it would, so I made a hasty beeline towards the abode.  The door was unlocked and although rustic in nature I determined this would do just fine for a shelter till the storm passed.  At least if the guy died he would not freeze to death.  I got him in the cabin, laid him in the only bed and started a fire in the fireplace with kindling so kindly left by whom ever owned the place. 

I realized that I would probably be there all night and I knew Bev would worry so I tried to reach her on my walkie talkie that the school district had provided.  I was in luck.  I got hold of her, gave her a brief description of what was going on, told her not to worry, I would be home when I could.  Of course I forgot to ask her if she was doing alright.

The fire was roaring but I knew it would not last long if I didn't find some more wood.  I headed out behind the cabin and started collecting dead wood, at least as much as I could see trough the driving snow.  I must have made 10 trips in all staying inside just long enough to thaw out and check my friends pulse. 

On the last trip in I saw my buddy sitting up in bed starting to take off his clothes and get under the blankets I had provided from the clothes closet.  I was shocked.  He looked at me and said he guessed he owed be some thanks and this is the first time he had been warm since he left Tennessee.   I will tell you more about him later.  I got home late last night and I am tired.  School is Monday you know, I need to rest up.