The Adventures of Conley McAnally

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Basketball, Village Style

Eskimos love basketball. They have their own NBA, the Native Basketball Association. The village of Hooper Bay had I think six teams of men and four of women they called the City League. Why they did not call it the Village League I don’t know. It was and I am sure still is the ambition of many a young Eskimo lad and lassie to be on the school basketball team thus getting their training for the City League. The teams are usually made up of family members and best friends.

I am not a sports writer so I can only try to make a few comments and a couple of observations about what I observed that night.

After the team introductions the crowd grew quiet. Everyone stood for what I assumed was going to be the national anthem. Instead the packed house turned in the direction of the flag near the main entrance and in walked the eldest of the Elders. He took a seat on a folding chair that appeared with great fan fair next to the entrance. He looked over the crowd, smiled, waved and sat down. Play soon began.

Referees call the games in the bush a little looser than they do in the rest of the world I think. Not being a basketball fan I am not real sure, but few high school or college games I have attended did not have a representative from the health clinic strategically placed. I heard later that the particular game I was watching was a lot less physical than most. Only four players were treated for minor cuts and abrasions.

The game seesawed back and forth. It was one fast break after another. This continued until about the last thirty seconds of the game.

The score was tied 87 to 87. Hooper Bay had the ball. Barney passed to Obadiah, Obadiah to Masontoo, back to Barney, up he went with a jump short when from out of no where a Chivak player bounded off the knee of one of his own teammates and grabbed the ball out of mid air before it started its downward decent, thus eliminating a goal tending call. Now the Comet’s had possession, fast break back to the Comet goal, up for a lay up but missed because number 32, Barney, got in the way. The ref determined that Barney had fouled. Two shots.

Chivak missed the first shot but made the second. 88 to 87. Back toward the Hooper Bay goal. Passage down the court went like clock work until Barney had the ball within five feet of the net. Up he went for a sure two pointer when again a Chivak player grabbed the ball out of mid air just as it was leaving Barney’s hand. But then Obadiah grabbed Masontoo lifted him up in the air. Mansontoo made a gesture toward the Chivak player that loosely interpreted meant, “May you mother be mistaken for a walrus.” The Comet got mad and through the ball at Mansontoo, who caught the ball in mid air and just as his feet were ready to hit the court he tossed the ball up toward the goal….nothing but net. The Warriors won 89 to 88.

All slept well in the village that night.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

A Christmas Story of Sorts Again

Family Secrets - Homecoming.

I do not recall the day or any special events leading up to the time Dad got home from Korea. I am sure there must have been some discussion about Dad’s homecoming but I do not recall any single event except Christmas morning of 1954.

We had as usual put up a tree and had plenty of presents underneath. I was as excited as a second grader would be for Christmas morning. My grandfather and grandmother were not happy at all. A sadness permeated their face. I was eager to open my presents and was allowed to do so, but they told me that they wanted to wait and open theirs when Dad got home. I remember thinking why would they want to wait with all those packages just begging to be opened. I cannot recall any particular present I got that year. It would be a nice touch to this narrative for me to say the best present I got that year was Dad coming home and it was but only in retrospect.

While I was playing with whatever I got Mama and Baba just sort of went about their business trying to pass the time away and even going to the front door now and then to see who had just pulled up in front of the house. I remember Baba going out in the front yard just standing their smoking cigarettes looking up and down the street while Mama busied herself in the kitchen.

I don’t know how long it was after Christmas when Dad did arrived, but it must not have been that long, like two or three days, because I was still on vacation from school and was allowed to stay up late at night.

My grandfather was working the night shift at Westinghouse and Mama was in the kitchen when I heard the porch door open and though the window pane of our house Dad looked though the glass smiling.

I am sure that my grandmother must have cried while they hugged and the only thing I remember is Dad telling her it seemed like home had been a world away the last two years.

My Grandfather got home around midnight and they sat down and opened all the remaining presents. I even had a couple to open that Mama had hid. I was glad to get them and while they stayed up and visited I sat next to Dad on the couch and drifted off to sleep.