We of the River

<v John Active>[wind blowing] [man singing] In the time before there was man, there was only raven, <v John Active>circling above the vast northern tundra. <v John Active>One day on a beach in a peapod, man began to <v John Active>develop. <v John Active>For 4 days, he lay still, growing. <v John Active>On the 5th day, the pod burst open. <v John Active>Man rolled out and stood up. He looked about him with curiousity. <v John Active>?inaudible? into the sky, the first man saw a dark object flying <v John Active>towards him. Raven landed in front <v John Active>of man and began to question him about who he was and from where he had come. <v John Active>After hearing man's story, the raven flew away. <v John Active>He returned 4 days later with salmonberries for the man to eat. <v John Active>Raven then began fashioning all the animals man would need to survive

<v John Active>the caribou, the bear, the seals, the <v John Active>salmon, the whales, and all the other creatures <v John Active>of the land. <v John Active>The air and the water that would sustain him. <v John Active>Raven taught man all that he needed to know about these animals. Then, <v John Active>taking some clay and grass, raven created woman <v John Active>and gave her to man as mate. <v John Active>Soon thereafter, she gave birth to a child. <v John Active>This was the origin of my people. <v John Active>The Yu'pik Eskimo of Alaska's barren sea coast. [man singing] <v John Active>In the ages since that time, our lifestyle evolved as slowly as it takes 10,000 years to pass. <v John Active>During those 100 centuries, we learned the techniques of survival

<v John Active>in a bleak and foreboding environment. <v John Active>[dogs whining] [people speaking] <v John Active>We subsisted almost entirely off of what the tundra, the

<v John Active>rivers, and the oceans stubbornly yielded up to us. <v John Active>[drums play] [man <v John Active>singing]

<v John Active>Our numbers were always few.

<v John Active>We gathered together in small settlements located near good <v John Active>fishing and hunting sites. <v John Active>Our lives were based upon the rhythm of the season, <v John Active>we depended upon the resourcefulness of our men who fished <v John Active>and hunted. <v John Active>[hammering] [dogs howling and barking]. <v John Active>And we relied upon the industriousness of our women who kept

<v John Active>our homes. [drums playing] <v John Active>[man singing] In our great flat land, the sky overhead

<v John Active>dominated our lives. <v John Active>The most powerful forces, however, and the ones on which <v John Active>we depended heavily, were the great tundra rivers, the lakes <v John Active>and the ponds, and the oceans which beat against our shores. <v John Active>These waters provided food for us in all seasons. <v John Active>Our two great rivers, the Yukon and the Kuskokwim are frozen over for <v John Active>half the year and are alive with salmon the other half. <v John Active>The lakes and ponds are home for the many fish we catch through the ice <v John Active>during the winter. And those of us who live on the coastline, count <v John Active>on the taking of seal and walrus. <v John Active>In the spring, while the weather was still cool, but before breakup,

<v John Active>those of us who lived in the interior traveled to our outlying <v John Active>camps. <v John Active>We carried with us our food stores, hunting supplies, and our skin <v John Active>boats for the return trip. <v John Active>Inland, we hunted ?inaudible? and caught the first of the migratory birds which came <v John Active>back to the tundra each year to nest and breed. <v John Active>At our coastal camps, we hunted the many sea mammals who inhabit

<v John Active>our shores. <v John Active>We use all parts of their bodies. <v John Active>Later, when the rivers were finally clear of ice, we traveled back

<v John Active>to our settlements in skin boats. <v John Active>We began preparing for the summer salmon runs.

<v John Active>Our kayaks were taken out of storage. <v John Active>As the weather warmed, we moved again from our settlements, this time <v John Active>to our summer fish camps. [squeaking] [seagulls] <v John Active>There, through the long Arctic summer days, almost without

<v John Active>rest, we fish for salmon. <v John Active>They thought of a winter with little food in reserve drove us to work <v John Active>hard and long. <v John Active>The men fished and the women cut and dry the salmon. <v John Active>Some seasons when the salmon runs were small <v John Active>or when the stormy weather kept us off the river, we knew the winter would be difficult. <v John Active>So we fished until there were no more salmon to be caught. <v John Active>In the autumn, we took our dog teams into the mountains in search <v John Active>of game. Wolf, squirrel, and beaver. <v John Active>If we were fortunate, we were able to kill a bear. <v John Active>And if we were very lucky, we took a caribou. <v John Active>[gun fires] <v John Active>We have always had a special relationship with our dogs.

<v John Active>They were our constant companions. <v John Active>After freeze up, they've moved us quickly and easily over the tundra <v John Active>and on the rivers. <v John Active>As the cold spread across the land, we returned to our main settlements <v John Active>to wait through the long winter night. <v John Active>During that season, life was calmer. <v John Active>The great fishing of salmon and the intensive gathering of summer

<v John Active>were replaced by quieter activities. <v John Active>We added to our food stores by taking fish through the ice with traps <v John Active>or ?inaudible?. <v John Active>In this manner, we caught Pike, Lush, Blackfish, <v John Active>Needlefish, Whitefish, Eel and ?Tom? <v John Active>cod. <v John Active>At the beginning of winter, we set the traps with the open end facing the tundra <v John Active>lakes to catch the fish as they returned to the rivers and ?inaudible?. <v John Active>[man singing] The short days and cold weather kept us closer to our villages.

<v John Active>Men and boys passed most of the winter hours in the qasgip, the men's communal <v John Active>house. <v John Active>For us, the qasgip was school, <v John Active>church and council chambers all in one. <v John Active>We spent the days carving masks for our dances or <v John Active>preparing tools for hunting and fishing. <v John Active>For the young boys, the qasgip was a place to learn at the feet of <v John Active>their elders. [man singing] <v John Active>Towards dusk, the fire pit was stoked with wood.

<v John Active>The ritual fire bath occupied us for the remainder of the evening. <v John Active>Following the bath, we might visit our wives and families <v John Active>only to return later to sleep in qasgip. [man continues singing] <v John Active>During this quiet time, we enjoyed our great yearly celebrations, <v John Active>the messenger feast and the bladder feast during which everyone gathered <v John Active>in the qasgip for storytelling, dancing, and sharing. <v John Active>The bladder feast was celebrated to give thanks for our hunting and to ensure that <v John Active>next year's food gathering and fishing would be successful.

<v John Active>[man singing] <v John Active>Although we struggled dealing with our environment, we understood it and accepted <v John Active>it for better or worse. <v John Active>

<v John Active>So it was in our land, the seasons <v John Active>past, we lived our lives in constant battle with the elements <v John Active>much as our fathers had lived. <v John Active>Hunting, fishing and gathering. <v John Active>Thus, for 10000 hard winters and 10000 short <v John Active>summers. <v John Active>Then one day, about 100 years ago, everything <v John Active>changed. <v William Weinland>My name is William Weinland. <v William Weinland>In 1884, Henry Hartman and I were sent to this corner of <v William Weinland>southwest Alaska by our brethren from the Moravian Church

<v William Weinland>located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. <v William Weinland>We had been charged with the task of locating a proper site where the <v William Weinland>establishment of a new mission for our church. <v William Weinland>With the help of our 4 Eskimo guides, whom we paid <v William Weinland>25 cents a day, we made our way up the Kuskokwim River. <v William Weinland>We traveled up this huge meandering waterway for several days. <v William Weinland>On all sides of us, the tundra extended out to the horizon. <v William Weinland>Then on Friday, June 20th, 1884, <v William Weinland>we came around the bend and away in the distance to the left, <v William Weinland>there appeared a stretch of high land. <v John Active>They call themselves Moravian Missionaries. <v John Active>We were curious about what they intended to do in our land.

<v William Weinland>This place is called Mumtrekhlagamute. <v William Weinland>It is a station of the Alaska Commercial Company in this situated <v William Weinland>about 150 miles up the Kuskokwim. <v William Weinland>The agent here is Nikolai Komolkoshen, a native Eskimo, <v William Weinland>a man of good business qualities. <v William Weinland>Another local trader who helped us is Reinhold <v William Weinland>Separe, a Scandinavian who had been in the area for <v William Weinland>many years. <v William Weinland>But the most helpful to us, by far, was Edward Lind, <v William Weinland>whom they referred to as traitor Lind. <v William Weinland>Mr. Lind owns one of the largest boats in the region. <v William Weinland>He lighters goods to Bethel from the Down River Warehouse.

<v John Active>Even before the coming of these Moravians, we had experienced some contact <v John Active>with other Europeans, Russians, whalers and traders. <v John Active>We bartered for glass, iron, cloth and other goods. <v John Active>We gave them furs in exchange. [music plays] <v William Weinland>After several days in Mumtrekhlagamute, we continued

<v William Weinland>on our search for the best site for the construction of our church and school. <v William Weinland>Mr. Lind, the company ?does? <v William Weinland>several hundred miles further upriver to the old <v William Weinland>Russian fortress of Kolmakovsky. <v William Weinland>This place is a long established trading station. <v William Weinland>Mr. Lind urged us to settle ourselves at this site. <v William Weinland>Probably because he could then place his children in our care. <v William Weinland>But after careful consideration, we judged Mumtrekhlagamute <v William Weinland>to be certainly the most favorable place we have yet seen <v William Weinland>for the commencement of our mission. <v John Active>After they returned from upriver, the two men departed.

<v John Active>But the next summer, another small group of Moravians arrived by <v John Active>boat. <v William Weinland>Following our initial expedition to the Kuskokwim in 1884, <v William Weinland>5 of us returned to Bethel to begin permanent work <v William Weinland>on the establishment of our mission and school. <v William Weinland>Brother John Kilbuck and his wife Edith, Brother <v William Weinland>Hans Torgersen, our carpenter. <v William Weinland>And my wife, Caroline Weinland <v William Weinland>and I. <v Caroline Weinland>Our work was extremely difficult and was made all the more so when tragedy <v Caroline Weinland>struck very early after our arrival. <v Caroline Weinland>While hauling freight from downriver to Bethel, Brother Torgersen <v Caroline Weinland>fell into the Kuskokwim and was drowned. <v Caroline Weinland>This tragedy left us without a skilled carpenter, and with winter quickly approaching,

<v Caroline Weinland>we were hard pressed to get our first home built. <v Caroline Weinland>But my husband, William Weinland and brother Kilbuck worked hard throughout the <v Caroline Weinland>summer and finally got the building closed in. <v Caroline Weinland>Through the first winter, the struggle was to keep warm. <v Caroline Weinland>The days were spent in getting up enough wood to burn through the night, and the next <v Caroline Weinland>day. The entire party settled down to learn the native language. <v Caroline Weinland>The evenings were spent in comparing the words each one had learned during the day <v Caroline Weinland>and in exchanging words, each one kept a list of all the words the entire party <v Caroline Weinland>had gathered. <v Caroline Weinland>The recognized leader of our small party was Brother John Kilbuck, <v Caroline Weinland>who for several years directed our work and wrote back to Pennsylvania with <v Caroline Weinland>his long range plans for the area. <v John Kilbuck>It is evident that the time is rapidly drawing near when we must have more workers. <v John Kilbuck>This station can be made headquarters for missionary work on this river.

<v John Kilbuck>That is, if the work is to be carried on according to the following plan. <v John Kilbuck>Established preaching stations up and down the river, which can be reached <v John Kilbuck>easily from the home station, also over the tundra. <v John Kilbuck>At these preaching stations place our educated Eskimo men as teachers. <v John Kilbuck>By this plan, we think that we can have the command of the river within <v John Kilbuck>75 miles around us without a separate independent station and at less <v John Kilbuck>cost. <v John Active>Within a few short years, the Moravians had firmly established themselves <v John Active>in our land at the same time, other Europeans settled <v John Active>around the trading posts in Mumtrekghalamute, now renamed <v John Active>Bethel, the town started growing. <v John Active>[music plays]. <v John Active>Although we had known about and felt the influence of other white cultures,

<v John Active>the impact of the missionaries and traders was tremendous and irresistible. <v John Active>They introduced a new way of looking at the universe. <v John Active>New ideas, new tools for hunting and gathering, new foods, <v John Active>new languages, new forces began to reshape in decades <v John Active>what had taken 10,000 years to mold. <v John Active>[music plays] [dogs barking] <v John Active>

<v John Active>The changes that were made were far reaching, some helped us, <v John Active>some did not. <v Speaker>[sawing] [hammering] [stomping]. <v Speaker>[hammering] [dogs barking] <v John Active>The health of our people improved as doctors and nurses came to the area.

<v John Active>[dogs barking] <v John Active>We began to enjoy something we had barely experienced before, <v John Active>leisure time. [music plays] <v John Active>One major change was in the foods that we ate.

<v John Active>Red meat became more available with the development of the reindeer industry <v John Active>by the Moravians. <v Speaker>We write asking for reindeer for our mission stations on this river <v Speaker>and for the native villages wherein our stations are located with <v Speaker>a view to supplying eventually the whole river basin with the deer. <v Speaker>[yelling] <v John Active>Around the turn of the century, herders from Lapland were brought to teach <v John Active>us how to tend these domesticated caribou. <v John Active>We butchered our meat and stored it.

<v John Active>We were able to sell meat to miners in Ididarod and Canyon Creek. <v John Active>We also supplied reindeer meat to the children's home near ?Gwi Took?. <v John Active>Our ties to the outside world increased greatly when it was discovered

<v John Active>that there was a channel in the Kuskokwim deep enough to allow oceangoing boats <v John Active>access upriver. [music plays] <v John Active>And in the late 1920s, aircraft began flying into the delta.

<v John Active>[music plays] [plane engine starts] <v John Active>Getting in and out of Bethel by air was never an easy task.

<v John Active>These new forces caused our lives and our beliefs to <v John Active>change. Some of the old ways were not suitable, we <v John Active>were told. <v John Active>Once we believed what our shamans taught us, we communicated <v John Active>with the spirit world through our mass dancing. <v John Active>But the Moravians found that these practices did not fit into their belief system. <v John Active>[group singing] <v John Active>The qasgig, our communal house, was replaced by the church.

<v John Active>[man singing] [woman joins singing] <v John Active>We began attending church and we celebrated Christian festivals and

<v John Active>American holidays. [kids playing] <v John Active>[bell ringing] The introduction of Western education was another powerful change.

<v Speaker>In this section of the Western district, there are at present 4 fully established <v Speaker>United States public schools in Bethel, ?Quinhagak?, Goodnews, and Akiachak. <v Speaker>Each school has its own peculiar conditions to contend with the principal <v Speaker>one being the inadequate force. <v Speaker>The majority of the teachers had too many scholars in crowded rooms to do good work. <v Speaker>The teachers, however, did their best, and it is to their credit that they were not <v Speaker>altogether discouraged. <v Speaker>The attendance was good and regular at all the schools except at Bethel, where the <v Speaker>scholars were more tardy, in spite of the efforts of the teachers. <v John Active>Attending school on a regular basis changed the way our young people thought <v John Active>about life. Our seasonal hunting and gathering cycle conflicted <v John Active>with the school year. <v John Kilbuck>In our second year, we opened a school, we had a great deal of trouble getting

<v John Kilbuck>scholars, parents said that they would not send their children to school, they would <v John Kilbuck>die if they dwelled in our house. <v John Kilbuck>Besides the many schools we established in the area, we also founded the Moravian <v John Kilbuck>Children's Home in 1926. <v John Kilbuck>It was built near the village of Kwethluk, about 25 miles up from Bethel. <v John Kilbuck>The site was sheltered from the northerly winds by Willow alder and spruce <v John Kilbuck>here along the bank of the Kwethluk River, a tributary of the Kuskokwim, there <v John Kilbuck>seems to be fair garden soil. <v John Kilbuck>Within easy walking distance are some foothills and beyond the mountains can <v John Kilbuck>be clearly seen. The site suggests permanence, practicability and pleasing <v John Kilbuck>scenery. <v John Kilbuck>The children's home could accommodate 50 young people with a girls' dormitory

<v John Kilbuck>and later a large boys' dormitory. <v John Kilbuck>The home operated continuously until 1973, when <v John Kilbuck>increased costs and declining attendance forced us to close it. <v John Kilbuck>We had operated there for 46 years. <v John Kilbuck>The high point of those years occurred in 1951 when we celebrated the

<v John Kilbuck>25th anniversary of the founding of the children's home. <v John Kilbuck>Many of the children we helped raise came back for that special day. <v John Active>All of these changes, some good, some <v John Active>bad. <v John Active>Some bringing the promise of a better and easier life.

<v John Active>Some forcing us to break with our ancestors <v John Active>and with our traditions. <v John Active>All these changes so sudden, so <v John Active>permanent. All these new faces joining <v John Active>our lives, bringing the outside world to our <v John Active>land. [man singing] <v Speaker>This program was partially funded by The Lower Kuskokwim School District.