Subsistence: A Yupik Perspective

The gathering of food from the land and the sea goes beyond the act of catching and consuming fish and game. Our world is not divided into separate elements. It is an integrated whole functioning as a unity greater than its parts. For as long as we can remember the rule of life is to maintain harmony among these elements with our relationship with other people, with the natural environment and with the supernatural. To disregard anyone portion could result in a breaking of the circle. And this harmony would follow until the balance is restored. Animals are also necessary to the maintenance of this harmony and rules and regulations

regarding animals and their use have always been vitally important to us. Starting very early in life we are taught by our elders to respect all animals and not to be careless with those that we catch for food. We learn how to fish and hunt first by watching and later by assisting our parents as they catch, prepare and store the food found on the land and in the water. We are told how to travel and survive on the tundra to find and remember the places where animals and fish are plentiful and to learn how to catch them. The elders told us to travel with a nice pick and a shovel. That was the rule. Also all the rivers or creeks had names. It is said at the time of starvation one will be at the location of plenty of food without knowing the name of the river. It is the reason all rivers

had names from time past. If one does not know the name of the river, even if he tells another the location will not be known. That is why we are told that we learn and know the names of the rivers and lakes for our survival to subsist from and try to get food from. These are the things we were told. We are told not to oversleep or to be lazy but to work hard and to respect animals we hunt and the fish we catch. We are told to prepare and store our food with care and to share what food we have with others. We were told overwhelmingly to take care of what was gathered and stored for the winter. It was told if your relatives or neighbors are sure of the food and you have some to share

or to help people who have no other help in gathering food to help them survive. They that show mercy give to those that are less fortunate. All of these rules for living and many more besides are bound together into a single indivisible whole. A philosophy of life, a constitution that is the foundation that should guide our daily activities and subsistence to us is intertwined throughout. All of this is what we mean by subsistence. All of this is what we are told. All of this is what we are going to do.

All of this is what we are going to do. All of this is what we are going to do. All of this is what we are going to do.