Almost an Island

ravens squawking

ocean surf

swelling electronic music

gulls calling

Narration

We've known the animals since day one that the Natives and the animals met. We grew up with them in all the seasons that we have. During the springtime, we'd follow the ice out with our boats.

dog team harnesses clanking

In the wintertime, dog team. We had to go out and learn how to catch each animal. Life-giving food. But now our tradition is drifting away because it's not used so much anymore.

I want to keep and not lose what we've done for thousands of years. It is important that you teach what you know. Because you might be the last to ever use that.

knife sharpening

Aapa cut fish. Yum, yum fish. Watch Aapa cut fish, we're cut it and then we're gonna eat it. Someday you gonna get fish, too, like this.

Look, big fish!

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

catch it with, with, with hooks. Then you cut it, and then eat it. You see that? Look it.

You're gonna get fish some day. You're going to be big man. You'll be a real Inupiaq. You want a bite?

I love this old lamp here. I'd, I'd say it's pretty close to 5,000 years old. And whoever made that... had to know a lot more than I did, how they carved the rock.

And they used seal oil in here to maintain heat as well as light inside the igloos. When I push it up it will make the light brighter or heat up the house a little more. It's amazing how far we've come from this here to electric lights in such a short time.

light wind

Inupiat traditional singing

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

The community on a map is named after Otto Von Kotzebue, an Estonian German who was commissioned by the Russian navy to come up here. The name of our community is Kikiktagruq. "Kikikgruq" is an island. "Kikiktagruq" is almost like an island.

And since we're on a gravel spit, if you ever go up on top of the hill you can actually see that we have a lagoon on this side and then we have the ocean on the other side, so we almost look like an island. Kikiktagruq.

quiet electronic music

laughter

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Grayling... my grandson got me. Caribou. Well, we're gonna have some of this tonight.

That's whale. This is boiled bowhead whale skin we call muktuk. Beautiful. Mmmm!

In our area, we don't, we don't get this bowhead. We have to rely on our relatives

boy shouting

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

or from people further up the coast where the bowhead migrate. Please. And this, we eat this here raw. Mmmm!

suspensful electronic music

ice creaking

Aya

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Pretty big swells.

Elmer

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Yeah.

Aya

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Yup.

Elmer

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

At least five feet.

Aya

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Right there!

Aya

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Might be a little hard!

Elmer

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Huh?

Aya

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

I say it might be a little hard with these swells. You wanna grab...a knife? We like to hunt our seals during the springtime. We need the meat to eat and the skin we use for mukluks, you know, the boots, and then strip the blubber and then it renders into nice oil.

The oil will keep your body warm in the wintertime... and amongst us natives, we treasure this. Benji. Benji.

Grab it, grab it, grab it!

Elmer

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Cutting board? Yeah, go... There's two cutting boards. Uh, a big white one and a green one in there.

Mom should know know where they are. How big a pieces? Cut 'em about a half inch thick. The thinner it is, the quicker it will render.

Boys screaming

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

William? I could go under it. Bye, bye buddy. Bye.

Boys laughing

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Roar! Roar!

toddler laughing

knife sharpener buzzing

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

Okay, who needs a sharp one?

background kitchen sounds

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

My grandmother. And my grandfather, Charlie Ayagiaq Goodwin. He's the one that brought me up.

gentle electronic music

You're gonna go whoosh whoosh

I'm the oldest of my father's family, and our tradition is the oldest grandson automatically belongs to the grandparents, for them to teach and bring them up as their own son. It's probably the last generation to do things like that. My grandparents taught me about living out in the country when I was very young. We'd follow the migration of the caribou or where the fish might be at a certain time of the year.

And we never had a compass. We just traveled by instinct. He made the house out of trees, then it was my grandmother and I got sod to put on the outside of the igloo. It wasn't a chore.

gulls calling

It was something that we had to do to live

going out and get ice for drinking and cooking, getting wood for heat. There was nobody around. And sometimes for the whole season we don't see anybody but just ourselves. that was the beginning of my life, of how I want to teach my kids and my grandkids.

Perfect, I like that. Natural. What do you think? We'll have to take that big knob out of there.

Yeah, I have another one there, maybe. Which one should I? Hey. This here is pretty.

This is not for a left-hander cause the hook will be on that side. I'd like to straighten that out, I guess, soak it, tie it on to a straight piece of wood.

Aya laughs

Inupiat word

It was something that we had to do to live

means "tie."

Inupiat word

Inupiat word

It was something that we had to do to live

Tie a rope onto it. How about "rope"? That's one word, yeah? Rope is, rope is uh...

Darn, see, if I don't use it, too. I don't have anybody to speak Inupiaq. "Aklunaaq" is "rope."

Inupiat phrase

It was something that we had to do to live

means "pass me that rope." Aklunaaq Say it, "aklunaaq." Aklunaaq.

acoustic guitar music

Aya

It was something that we had to do to live

You come out here... it's something about the freedom, the fresh air... being able to go wherever you wanna go and have nobody to stop you. You get to see things, you get to touch things.

You get to experience things. Don't get me started. It's beautiful in Kotzebue. My girlfriend Stephanie...

When I first started dating her she noticed that I liked to go out and she liked to go out. Now I have a lifetime hunting partner that can shoot a 12 gauge better than I can. -Okay, ready? -Yup Here it goes.

gun shots

Wilma

It was something that we had to do to live

Where's your coffee? You got your coffee? Not yet. -You want coffee?

-No.

laughing

It was something that we had to do to live

I mean, his mom, I think, used to laugh at me because I would get the ulu out to cut up hotcakes. It was much quicker than trying to use a conventional knife.

Wilma narration

It was something that we had to do to live

I worked in a community hospital in Oregon. And a friend of mine was getting a divorce, so we were talking about going somewhere and working. And she said, "I looked into Indian Health Service and would really like to go to Alaska." And I said, "I want to go to Alaska." So I came to Kotzebue in August of 1981. Working at the hospital, Elmer, he was a maintenance worker we took up acquaintances, and I was interested in Alaska.

I would quiz him. I said, "What do we have out there?" "What's out there? Are there lemmings?" I grew up in a small community. So cooperation, working together, putting our food up, raising a family...these were things that I grew up with.

It was easy just to be part of this. Ay, yay, yay, look 'a here. Caribou stew!

excited kids in background

It was something that we had to do to live

Mm, mm, mm. Look at that. Ah!

Carrie

It was something that we had to do to live

Go get your blanket. -Uh-uh. -Go get blanket for baby. Baby's cold and needs blanket.

Go get blanket for baby. -Nn-nn -Ah huh.

baby whimpering

It was something that we had to do to live

In the Miss Arctic Circle Pageant I wore my great grandmother's parky... her hand-sewn parky with the beaded trim and everything. Seeing that made me want to sew as well, and I've always wanted, you know, my kids to be entered in the baby contest just to be able to have my kids entered by their own mom's work.

teenage girls chatting

Photographer

It was something that we had to do to live

One, two, three. Hold on, we're waiting for that boat to pass.

firetruck sirens

Parade MC

It was something that we had to do to live

Good morning and happy Fourth of July to everybody out there.

acoustic guitar

horns honking

firetruck honking

It was something that we had to do to live

Happy Fourth of July. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pledge of Allegiance in Inupiat

applause

Contest announcer

It was something that we had to do to live

Contestant Number 7, Lane Inunviluk Henry. He's wearing fancy sealskin hunting pants. He also has on a muskrat parky with wolf and sea otter ruff made by Sima Chase. There are muskrat heads on the back of his hood.

And his

Inupiat word

It was something that we had to do to live

were sewn by Annie Mitchell, Lane's, great grandmother at Sisualuk. Contestant number 8 is Cassie Jean Inukluk Longley. Her parents are William and Carrie Longley. Her grandparents are William and Linda Longley, and Elmer and Wilma Goodwin.

Inukluk is wearing her new traditional parky. The body of the parky is made of muskrat with black and white calfskin kupuks with red felt at all the ends, and wolverine tassels. Inukluk has on an ivory and baleen tiara with red leather base. Under her parky she also has a ruffled baby diaper cover made of pink cotton and heart lace.

laughter

It was something that we had to do to live

All of her regalia was made for her new this year. Her tiara was made by her tatta Elmer, and her diaper cover was made by her ahnna Wilma.

Contestant number 7

Cassie Jean Inukluk Longley.

applause

dog barking

Contestant number 7

First place, our region, the grand champion was Cassie Jean Inukluk Longley.

applause

Contestant number 7

Cassie Jean wins a toy and a trip to Fairbanks to compete at WIEO. Grand champion.

Family

Contestant number 7

Yay! Whoo-hoo! I like to go to camp with the family. I learn things from Elmer every day.

Just being with him is pretty awesome.

Elmer

Contestant number 7

Grab it, then under, like, make a whatjamacallit, over that there, in through the hole, and pull. -Like that? -Yup Now you can say Aapa, if it breaks off, it's your fault, not mine. Let's go.

Benji

Contestant number 7

Get a fish, dude. Huh? Get a fish. I don't know, man.

Benji

Contestant number 7

One way to learn. Always try and cut. Look. When you gonna, when you cut em, always try to cut toward the deep, toward the meat side.

This way if it rains on 'em... it, uh, the rain will just slide right off.

swelling electronic music

birds singing

Elmer narration

Contestant number 7

For those of us that grew up out in the country, at our young age, it will never leave you. When I was a young man, grandfather told me, there's a little slough up near a little island in front of it. There's a place where you can get fish, you can get rabbits. Go in the back you can get caribou.

It's all covered with willows now, right there. Right there. That's where I had my first camp back in 1963. I used to have my tent there in the wintertime, my dogs right against the willows here, and here's where I stayed.

It was fun all by myself, teenager, didn't have a worry in the world. Lived out here by myself. Now I own 80 acres right here.

Jayden

Contestant number 7

There's one more, too. Just set them down here some place. Where should I put it? Right there will be fine.

Elmer narrating

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

don't lose it because if you want to, well, you might be the last to ever use that. A lot of what we're doing now will all fade because people won't have time to go out and hunt. Why do we have to do that while we can just go to the grocery store and there it is?

Aya narration

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Four years ago, I had a son. -A little bit closer. I'm gonna teach him just the way my dad taught me. He's gonna know everything I do.

He's just like I was when I was growing up. Always wanting to go outside, outdoors. I got two of them! Yup!

You caught two of them. I think he's gonna be one crazy hunter. Okay, now you let him go now.

Xylar whining

Aya

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Ready?

cheerful acoustic music

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Okay, okay, okay. No more, no more, no more. You're getting closer to your head. Next thing you know, you'll have no more eyeball.

We're done. We're done. No!

raven singing

boots splashing mud and gulls crying

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

In Kotzebue there's not many places you can get employed at. There's a few grocery stores, there's the hardware store. But I'd rather be out in the country doing stuff like this. I started fishing in 2014 with my dad and Stephanie.

In 2015 my dad gave me the fishing permit and let me use the boat so I could fish. So that was a real fun experience.

water splashing

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Yeehee! Yeehee! That's a nice little bunch.

loud thumping on boat

slow guitar

Benji

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Our teacher gave us an assignment to fill out applications for college. And I decided to apply for UTI... Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. I got accepted for diesel training.

I'm gonna figure it out.

ominous electronic music

Elmer

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

One day, my grandfather, he says, "Igniq, I want you to go out into the world." He wanted me to go out and learn other ethnic groups, other languages, the way they eat, how they do things. He said, "When you come back you can tell me all about it." I took his word, went to Los Angeles, 1960. I worked in a furniture factory. The people I was working with they spoke German.

So I had to learn German. After living in Los Angeles for eleven years, you miss the country, the quietness. I said, I can't live in this kind of world, I have to go back... go back home.

city traffic sounds

streetcar screeching

rowdy passengers yelling

indistinct chatter

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Benji

styrofoam crunching

Wilma

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Scoot, scoot. Scoot, scoot, scoot.

Stephanie

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

Mongolian beef bowl. It come with fried rice.

solemn electronic music

Elmer

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

My grandfather, he'd tell me stories of how it used to be, and how it's changing so fast. At night, I'd lay on top of a caribou skin on the floor and grandfather and my grandmother they'd tell stories. One time it was about an Inupiaq prophet couple hundred years ago.

water splashing

What I'm telling them or teaching them now

He predicted things that's gonna happen. He said you and I have kayaks. He said that some day in our future people will be traveling on the water without the use of an oar, without the use of paddles. Everybody laughed at him, mocked him.

You're a fool! Nothing like that is ever going to happen! As the evening went on, he predicted another thing. He said that some day people will be flying through the air.

And again

"You are a big joker! There's no such thing will ever happen."

boat engine

And again

Well today, we're using his predictions. Look at us today. Look at how we live today.

automotive sounds

And again

It has changed so much. When I was younger, I never thought we'd see a road behind town or that many buildings. There's been a lot of change. A walrus!

A dead walrus!

Aya

And again

No way. -Are you serious? -Mm hmm. Darn, there's a fish swimming by.

It kinda smells like fish. The head is gone. Look.

Aya

And again

The past couple of years the salmon runs have been early, late, real late. We have earlier ice break-ups during the spring, longer, hotter summers. I'm just scared for my kids. What are they gonna be able to do in their future?

Elmer

And again

Our weather has changed so much. This past couple of weeks here I've never seen it rain so much. The herds of caribou that we have are depleting and we still don't know why.

somber music

And again

My great grandkids, they may never know the Inupiaq way of life. I'm scared. My grandfather said that some day the animals will die off. The fish will be hard to get.

No scraps, no bones. Everything will be gone.

dripping water

wind

Aya

And again

I look forward to going caribou hunting every fall. We go out to get our meat for the year. It's special to me this year because we took my son and it's his first time going caribou hunting. Mom!

-What? -My toys! Ouch! Ha!

I found a bone! Right here.

swelling electronic music

And again

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

Stephanie

And again

Where do you want us to go? -From the front? -Back. -From the back?

Oh, because they'll go forward. -Yup Yup, you gotta let them come this way. Should we go now? Slow down.

But go up to them. Go, go, go, go! Slow down. Get up to them!

Get up to them! Go! Go! Come on!

Slow down! Go Caleb! Now go back to these ones and grab their horns.

fire crackling

Aya

And again

Gotta tip that log more. You want a little bit of broth, son?

Xylar

And again

Mm mm. -Mm mm? -Mm mm. What about noodles?

Xylar

And again

Mmm, mmm. Okay.

Aya

And again

Yeah?

calm electronic music

And again

It used to be fun when I was young listening to the old people after we had a big dinner... raw meat and caribou. I remember falling asleep listening to stories they'd tell of their hunts, what they did, what they caught, where they caught it, to share it with the other communities. What kind of animals to get at such and such a place.

strong wind

And again

There's a place up north of here they call

Inupiat place name

And again

which means "you will never return," you will never return with a straight mind. The elders told the youngsters, "Stay away from that, stay away from that place, Don't go up there. You'll never come back sane." There's one time there was three young men went to

Inupiat place name

And again

to hunt caribou. And then they looked out.

wind howling

And again

Two of them didn't return. One returned but his mind wasn't there anymore. They didn't believe the elders.

Carrie narration

And again

It is one of our values to provide for our families. You put that in your freezer. You're eating something you know exactly where it came from and how it was processed, by your own hands.

Carrie

And again

One more. We Inupiaq women are known to be tough. Whatever the guys can do, we can do as well.

vacuum sealer motor whirring

wind howling

excited dogs barking

lively electronic music

Elmer narration

And again

As far back as I can remember every family here had a dog team. The dogs don't break down like the snow machines do. You lose a spark plug, you'll be sitting there till somebody comes by with another spark plug. But the same time, traveling like this is fun!

Elmer laughing

snow machine motors revving

Aya narration

And again

I love this time of year. You can hop on your snow machine, you can drive over the hills, drive over the water, over the land. You can go anywhere. I mean, you can do anything.

Elmer

And again

Take all the ice off from the hole. And then you go like this here. And if you catch fish you have to grab the line or let Aapa do it, ok? Here.

Yeah, there. No, no. Just, just go like that. Uh, huh.

Do it some more, yup.

Elmer

And again

Here.

Xylar

And again

Ow.

Elmer laughing

Radio

And again

..also including Sisualuk Valley, including Kotzebue...

radio static

radio

And again

Out on the ice for the start of the Kobuk 440. You're listening to KOTZ Kotzebue. We're 34 minutes past the hour. Racers are on the trail.

2nd radio host

And again

All these dogs have shiny coats, bright eyes, and they're saying let's go! [Inupiat term) They pulled the hook! Ok! The first three teams out.

Nobody tangled. 440 miles later, early Sunday morning we'll have the winner cross the line. Oh, yay, yay, yay! Ha ha!

Oh!!!! I lost it! Did you see that? Did you see it, though?

Did you see the little jerk that I got? That was a shiifish. Just lost it! Umph!

Ah, shiifish! Yay, dinner! You get it? Gee!

Gee! That was the biggest one so far! -That was the biggest one so far! -Big!

Big guy, man! Damn!

crunching snow

And again

-Thank you. -Welcome.

excited laughter

cars passing and raven calling

And again

Victor James passing by.

television in background

And again

I had an amazing time there. I loved the weather, the people. The 112 degrees weather, that was something different from here. When I moved back to Kotzebue, felt that cold wind!

I, I kinda didn't like it, but I knew I had to come back. This is my place. I love this place.

Aya

And again

Midnight. This girl over here. Look at these crazy fellers ice fishing.

swelling electronic music

And again

If you get it on the top, the middle, that's all you need. Yep! -Ready for it right here? -Yup

Aya laughing

Elmer talks in Inupiat

Xylar

And again

This um.. There! And this one. Mom, dad.

-Look! Look, mom. -Wow! Beautiful!

Very beautiful.

Elmer

And again

One day, this was when we has getting older, my grandfather called. He said, "Igniq, I want you to come home." When I came home, my grandfather was in the hospital. He told the doctor, his wife, his son, his daughter, "everybody out except my son." He said, "Igniq, you'll lose me, I'm an old man now. I'm gonna die pretty quick." He said, "Don't cry for me." "Know that you and I had time together." "You and I did things together." "Just remember that.

Don't cry for me." And when my grandfather died, I almost cried. But I remembered what he told me. I held onto his cold hand and I said, "Thank you Aapa. Thank you so much."

Elmer

And again

I got it!

squealing

And again

I got it! I got it, I got it.

Elmer

And again

I'm 75 now and it's so good to know that my daughters, my sons, can do as I was taught by my grandfather and grandmother. I'm proud of them. They do the hunting now. I don't have to go out and hunt because I did that all my life.

Good job!

quiet electronic music

Aya

And again

It's a beautiful one. Yeah, let's keep it, 'kay? Or could eat it! Turn it a little bit.

Let's keep it, dad. -No, we'll let it go. -'kay Let's let it go before it gets too tired.

Aya narration

And again

My son... Oh my goodness, that boy is something else. He's gonna be my hunting partner for the rest of my life. I hope so anyways.

Good job! High five again. Oh yeah, catch another one.

Elmer narration

And again

I'm hoping my grandkids keep and not lose what they've learned from me... say, hey, my grandfather showed me this. Now I know why I am Inupiaq] We've been here since time began.