Fog on the Kuskokwim

The fog was a result of the warming morning air hitting the colder ground from overnight.  It wasn't quite frosty this morning, but the dew was definitely glistening on the leaves and grass.

The only ones out at about 8 were the Stony River gang who had found a fish somewhere.  It was a fillet, so someone's not going to be happy.

No dog packs here...the only danger from these 3 are that you'll be whacked by their tails wagging.

This well tended Russian Orthodox grave matched an Elder portrait in the hallway of the school  Here is his obituary from the Delta Discovery, January 11, 2017

by Joanne Kameroff

When I was 12 years old I remember the day my grandfather died, it was the evening of Slaviq. I remember being late going to the airport, and we were speeding. As we were passing the water pump house we ended up being stopped by the police, and we explained that we had to rush to the airport, and they offered a police escort to the airport. Feeling that importance from the police being escorted with our Captain of the Kuskokwim seeing his last journey through Bethel, Alaska.

As I was returning home on that cold airplane traveling to Stony River, I looked out the window and I saw the great scenery of the vast mountains and the swirling curves of the Kuskokwim River. I remember grieving over my dead grandfather, remembering the ways he taught me respect, and telling me not to show any grief over him, for he is in a better place. He told me once before not to cry in front of the little ones to show how to be strong and stand with courage.

After landing in Stony River, we were bringing him to his house. At that moment I felt full of sorrow, but I was glad to be back and happy to see all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

As we were preparing the house and preparing meals we decided to sing to our grandfather one last time, the songs of Slaviq. The songs that he once led and the song that he once taught us. Telling us not to forget these songs, as the songs hold our culture and our beliefs of that spinning star.

As we were singing, there was this warm feeling in the house. I know it wasn’t from the wood stove because it was off and the windows were open. That warm feeling wasn’t coming from anything physical, but from something much more. It was coming from my heart. That feeling in my heart, was filled with secureness, full of joy, and just being grateful.

As we were bringing him to his final resting place I felt a sharp pain come over my heart, my throat stinging, and my eyes starting to fill with tears. Holding back that one tear from falling down my cheek was difficult, but as that tear came out I started sobbing and buried my face into my mother’s arms and hugged her tight as we both wept over him.

As I glanced over to his casket being lowered down to the ground next to his beloved wife, I started to think to myself that he wouldn’t be in that agonizing pain he once was. He would be watching over us and waiting for us to return home. From that moment on, I knew everything was going to be okay and I will always remember the ways of respect.

The library is looking great.  For a school the size of this one, 1 classroom, 2 teachers, 14 students, it is amazing.  It has everything from classics to graphic novels and all the famous authors.  This book distracted me for quite a few minutes.  Lake Clark is just downstream off the Stony River.  

Here is a quote from p. 232-233 of this book:

The Lake Clark Dena'ina are an important band of the Dena'ina Indians of south central and southwestern Alaska. The Dena'ina bands apparently entered the Cook Inlet Basin and the Lake Clark region more than 1000 years ago from the interior of Alaska.  When Captain James Cook encountered the Dena'ina on Cook Inlet in 1778, they also occupied the Susitna Range drainage, the Kenai Peninsula, the northeastern part of Iliamna Lake, Lake Clark, the upper Mulchatna River, Whitefish and Telaquana Lake and the Stony River country.  This was a huge landmass under Dena'ina hegemony from Cook Inlet on the east, to the Bristol Bay uplands to the southwest and the headwaters of the Kuskokwim River to the North.

This will be important information for me to share with the students...maybe they already know but I think its valuable for them to know their history.  Some of the Elders here are Yup'ik.  I wonder how they came to be residents in this predominantly Dena'ina village.

Good looking forklift that can bring pallets from the airplanes or barge.  I especially like the princess water bottle left by someone's child.  

We're checking the YKHC (Yukon Kuskokwim Heath Center) website daily for regional Covid updates.  We are receiving occasional calls from students for tutoring.  I really, really hope we can really, really see kids on Sept 8.  They are eager to learn and miss the structure of the classroom.

(BTW:  Dave (I didn't know him) flew in on a Sound Aviation flight this morning to work on the Council building.  He handed off a bag of fresh easy peel oranges to me to share with the other teacher...SCORE!  Another good reason to meet planes!  Thanks, Dave!)