Matters of Life and Death #202; No. 202; World Eskimo-Indian Olympics for Native Artic Peoples

<v Speaker>[music plays] 2 3 <v Speaker>[screams] [laughs]. <v Speaker>Go. [screams] <v Man>[speaking different langauge] [shouting, laughter] <v Woman>[speaking different language] <v Carol>A lot of people think that we do live in igloos and <v Carol>all we eat is seals and walrus and whales <v Carol>and living here in Alaska is just like living in Seattle. <v Carol>We've got the same things they got. <v Carol>Except for we've got a culture that we're <v Carol>trying to bring back. [singing] [shouting] [drums play] <v Reggie Joule>My name is Reggie Joule l and I've been uh competing in the Eskimo Olympics since 1970.

<v Reggie Joule>Now we're home, gang. <v Reggie Joule> I am currently the director of a youth camp called Camp <v Reggie Joule>?inaudible? <v Reggie Joule>I'm a ?inaudible? Eskimo. Ahh. [grunts] <v Girl>Look at this ?inaudible? fish. <v Speaker>?inaudible? <v Girl>Ouch! <v Woman>This week when we get more fish, you girls. <v Woman>Anybody who is interested to try cutting <v Woman>?inaudible? <v Girls>I will. <v Reggie Joule>This morning, we're going to do some Eskimo games. <v Reggie Joule>The Eskimos, the people that lived up here before there was electricity or gas stoves <v Reggie Joule>or outboard motors, TVs and telephones <v Reggie Joule>or airplanes, they had to be pretty tough. <v Reggie Joule>And it showed in the games.

<v Reggie Joule>I'll show you the high kick. Your arms pull and your legs push all at the same time. <v Reggie Joule>?inaudible? [laughing] <v Reggie Joule>?Close, huh? <v Reggie Joule>I grabbed my left foot with my right hand and I go <v Reggie Joule>like that. <v Reggie Joule>See that? Ready, get set, go. <v Reggie Joule>He's got a few pounds on me. OK. <v Girl>I'll try it. I'll try it, I'll try it, I'll try it. <v Reggie Joule>Make the belt a little bit tight. On your mark, get set, go.

<v Kids>Go Gina. C'mon Gina. <v Reggie Joule>?inaudible? <v Reggie Joule>She's giving you a hard time. <v Speaker>I know! <v Reggie Joule>On your mark, get set, go. <v Reggie Joule>Get set, go. <v Kids>Go! <v Speaker>[crowd applauses]. <v Referee>Are you gonna carry? <v Reggie Joule>Huh? <v Referee>Are you going to carry?

<v Reggie Joule>Yeah. <v Referee>You are? <v Reggie Joule>I'm supposed to, I guess. <v Referee>You're gonna carry ?for a minute? <v Reggie Joule>Yeah. <v Referee>How much do you weigh? <v Reggie Joule>200 pounds. <v Referee>OK. <v Referee>This is the 4 man carry. <v Interviewer>What's the derivation of this? <v Referee>It's a very difficult question to ask. <v Referee>I think it's just a test to strengthen endurance for a person to <v Referee>carry 4 men who weigh about 150 pounds apiece <v Referee>and to carry them at the longest distance possible. <v Referee>You alright?

<v Announcer>?Robert? ?inaudible? Junior ?inaudible? He's turning right. Alright. ?Robert? ?inaudible? Junior. <v Announcer>[crowd applauses] <v Woman>This is a muktuk, that's a whale. <v Woman>Whale skin. This is the ?muktuk? part and that's the blubber. <v Interviewer>That's blubber? <v Woman>Right. <v Interviewer>Then what's the idea of this game? <v Woman>To see who could eat them fastest. <v Woman>Sometimes they'll take them uh 60 seconds to eat it. <v Interviewer>Really? <v Woman>Yeah. This is our favorite food. <v Woman>This is the one everybody's been fighting over, we just love to eat it.

<v Woman>We eat this for ?the rest of our lives?, you know. <v Woman>They just enter sign up to eat the muktuk, just to have a piece of muktuk. <v Woman>[laughing] <v Speaker>Ow. That's hard. [audiences cheers] <v Referee>You gotta go see a medic. Get something on those knuckles, huh? <v Referee>OK, good man. <v Interviewer>Is this the first time you've been in this event? <v Competitor>No, this is my third time.

<v Interviewer>And you just love it, I guess, huh? <v Competitor>During, not so much after. <v Interviewer>I'm wondering. I bet a lot of people are wondering why you would want to enter it? <v Competitor>Uh, I don't really know myself. I ?guess? just the competition. <v Competitor>It's something to work for. Keeps me in shape. <v Interviewer>Do you practice hard? <v Competitor>Yes, I do. But I use gloves when I do it. <v Interviewer>This is something where there's the thrill of victory and also the agony of victory, huh? <v Competitor>Oh, yeah, agony of victory, for sure. <v Competitor>For the following two weeks at least. <v Interviewer>I hope you do well. <v Competitor>Thank you. [audience cheers]. <v Coach>Go, go go. Atta boy. <v Coach>OK. <v Competitor's Mother>You okay, son?

<v Coach>I got him right here. I got him. <v Interviewer>He's your son? <v Competitor's Mother>Yes. <v Interviewer>What do you think of him being in this event? <v Competitor's Mother>Oh he's great! [audience applauses] <v Announcer>27 feet! <v Medic>Does that burn a little bit? <v Competitor>Yeah. <v Competitor>Just pull that skin off. <v Competitor>It's just going to get in the way later. <v Interviewer>What's the name of this event? <v Competitor>This is the Indian Stick Pull. <v Referee>I got to put a little bit of a a little bit of grease on that, huh? <v Competitor>Yeah. <v Referee>It's a little bit dry. This one, feel this one. Is that good? <v Referee>Best 2 out of 3 wins. No jerking, no twisting.

<v Referee>?Let go? of my hands. You're ready to start. <v Referee>All right. When I let go of my hands, you begin your pull. <v Referee>[grunting]. <v Referee>Mr. Robert ?inaudible. The Winner. [audience applauses]. <v Announcer>Robert from ?inaudible? <v Announcer>The grease pole walk, primarily ?inaudible?

<v Competitor>Originally, this log would be greased with bear fat, bear grease. <v Competitor>But It was over a creek or over a river. <v Competitor>And if you didn't make it, you took a cold, cold bath. <v Competitor>Nowadays we use Crisco, which you can get at any local grocery store. <v Competitor>And we use that and it works real well. Real well. <v Announcer>Thank you, Joe. Jumped right up like a young buck. <v Competitor>The toe kick really is difficult, but in a hunting situation, <v Competitor>there are times when moving from one piece of floating ice to another is the only way to <v Competitor>get back to shore. And some of those chunks of ice are rotten. <v Competitor>So you had to move fast. Your feet had to be light. <v Competitor>The toe kick, I think, demonstrates that. <v Referee>OK. Is everybody ready?

<v Referee>Oh, yeah. You got the first one. <v Referee>Lift up their skin, huh? <v Referee>First one and everybody after that, because we're gonna be timing all <v Referee>of you. Okay. <v Referee>We're looking for first, second, third place winner. <v Referee>We want them the neatest possible too. <v Referee>We'll judge on neatness if we're running criticial on time. <v Referee>So on your mark, get set, go. <v Speaker>[audience cheers] <v Interviewer>What happens to the meat after this?

<v Woman>They're going to take it home and cook it, we're gonna eat it. <v Woman>It's a good meat. <v Woman>And they make uh that uh blubber. <v Woman>They make a ?inaudible? out of it. <v Interviewer>What about the skin? <v Woman>We just give it to the winner. <v Interviewer>Can you tell me your name and where you're from? <v Jocelyn McIntire>?Jocelyn McIntire?, I'm from Whitehorse, Yukon. <v Interviewer>How did you get into this? <v Jocelyn McIntire>I don't know. <v Jocelyn McIntire>[laughing] <v Competitor>Just came. <v Jocelyn McIntire>Yeah, I just came. <v Interviewer>And what's your name and where are you from? <v Carol>Carol ?inaudible? from Anchorage. <v Carol>I graduated high school class of 82. <v Carol>[Song: Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks] <v Carol>I've always dreamed of being a housewife, but now that times have changed and <v Carol>I got to get a job and teaching these games is something I really enjoy. <v Carol>I want to make my career out of it. <v Carol>I love pork chops. [laughing] It's my favorite meat.

<v Interviewer>More than seal? <v Carol>Yeah. I would say so. <v Carol>I haven't eaten seal in a long time. <v Carol>It's hard to get used to the taste after eating all of this stuff. <v Interviewer>Some of the older people can't get along without eating that stuff. <v Carol>I know my mom's cousins are like that. <v Interviewer>Now it's turned into a cooking show. <v Carol>[laughing]. <v Interviewer>I thought this was going to be a sports show. <v Interviewer>What's the highest you've ever kicked? <v Carol>6'9 and 1 foot. <v Carol>5'9 and 2 foot. <v Interviewer>6 foot 9, that's awful high. How tall are you? <v Carol>5 foot 3. <v Carol>It was my choice when I got into high school.

<v Carol>I decided, well, I am Native. I want to be proud of it. <v Carol>I was brought up in the atmosphere that I was white, but um I <v Carol>looked around and I see people calling me names and stuff, but I just-. <v Interviewer>What kind of names? <v Carol>Just your basic racial names. <v Carol>They've got bad meanings to them. I wouldn't say them on television. <v Carol>And well, I've been called these names and when I found out what they meant when I got <v Carol>older, I was furious. <v Carol>I fought back. I didn't fight back physically. <v Carol>I fought back in ?conventions? <v Carol>and the pride, keeping our pride. <v Carol>So they can call me anything and it won't hurt me at all. <v Carol>I'm proud of what I <v Carol>am. [Song: The Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks] This time I won't fall. ?inaudible? [audience applauses]. <v Announcer>Let's give a big round of applause. [audience applauses]. <v Announcer>Let's give her a big big round of applause. [audience applauses] <v Announcer>Again, Jocelyn did not ?inaudible?, let's see if Carol can do it.

<v Announcer>[audience applauses] <v Carol>I wanna break a record. <v Coach>Okay. <v Coach>Good. <v Carol>[excitement] I'm going to break a record! <v Announcer>She hit the target. We're going for the record. <v Referee>Going for the record! <v Announcer>Going for the record, she hit the target. <v Judge>?inaudible? <v Speaker>[audience cheers]. <v Announcer>A star is born, a champion. <v Carol>Oh, Nana. <v Coach>You're

<v Coach>the highest woman kicker in the world. How do you feel? [laughing] <v Announcer>We need pullers with experience, please. <v Announcer>We need more pullers. <v Announcer>?inaudible? ?seal? skin. Are we ready? <v Reggie Joule>For one second, eh? You're gonna be throwing me up there. <v Reggie Joule>On those first 3, my feet stay right on the skin. <v Reggie Joule>Not only that, you save your energy at the same time. <v Reggie Joule>And then on go, really pull hard.. <v Reggie Joule>I want to hit that ceiling. <v Reggie Joule>Easy on those first 3. Right like that. <v Competitor>1, 2, 3! [audience cheers] <v Announcer>The judge will go for height, form, balance, tricks.

<v Competitor>Again, again. 1, 2, 3. Again! [audience cheers]. <v Competitor>1, 2, 3. Again <v Announcer>A lot of people think that this game is for spotting seals <v Announcer>and whales over the flat ocean. <v Competitor>Tighten up the blanket. 1, 2, 3.

<v Speaker>[pullers drum on skin] <v Coach>What? <v Crowd>Play. <v Announcer>Uh, the winner for the blanket toss is Reggie Joule from Kotzebue.

<v Announcer>OK ?everyone?, ?let's go? on to number 2. <v Reggie Joule>You know, we've come a long way, uh, over the <v Reggie Joule>years, but I think I think I'd just like to point <v Reggie Joule>one thing out. <v Reggie Joule>We set records at these Olympics. <v Reggie Joule>There's a lot of elders sitting out there that used to play these same games <v Reggie Joule>and we haven't yet come close to breaking their records, not yet. <v Reggie Joule>We've got a long ways to go. <v Reggie Joule>So you young guys, you keep that in mind. <v Reggie Joule>We're setting records here, but we haven't broken the records of our forefathers. <v Reggie Joule>We've got a long ways to go. <v Announcer>Invitational dance. <v Announcer>Invitational, let's all get on the floor. Invitational. Run to the front and dance your heart out. [singing] <v Competitors>1

<v Competitors>2 3. 1 <v Competitors>2 3. <v Competitors>1 2 3. 1 2 3. Go! Pull. Go.