An Alaskan Friend

While getting my second cup of tea this morning I struck up a conversation with a woman I assumed worked in our hotel. She had been chatting with other employees, but it turned out she was just dropping her boyfriend off. He is a mechanic at the hotel. In our conversation I told her how much I loved walking through downtown Anchorage and visiting the different parks and the museum. It turned out she had local craft items for sale there.

Julie taught herself 'Skin Sewing' and 'Bead work' and just recently had added Ivory carving to her list of skills. She showed me some of her things and we talked for quite a while. She told me about her village 50 miles from Nome, on the island, Shishimeraf. There are about 100 people that live there. The island is slowly eroding away and eventually the villagers will have to move to the mainland. Her village hunts for seal, and has a tannery. Their seal skin is highly prized and is shipped to all parts of the world. The government wants to relocate them to Nome, but that is not their familar hunting grounds. They hope to stay closer to the waters they are familar with.

As I admired the Ivory earrings she pointed out which ones were fossilized ivory and which ones were Walrus Seal Ivory. She explained the difference between light seal skin and dark, belly fur and back fur. She explained the laws involving who can own and create items for sale using ivory and seal skin.

Sea Otter and Walrus Seal are among the animals in Alaska that are protected except for a very specific use. Only native Alaskans, those with tribal connections, not just people born here, may harvest protected animals and they may only do it to supply their needs; food, clothing, tools, and crafts. Many villages still survive only through this lifestyle. All materials must be tagged by the Fish and Game Department, and only natives may own tagged materials.

The people that hunt and make many items for sale live lives of subsistence. They go without running water, let alone iphones, doing what their people have done for hundreds of years. Sometimes the outside world likes to dictate what is right, and what is wrong when it comes to animal rights. I often support them. But there are always 2 sides to a story, and sometims the other side can give you a lot to think about. In this instance, I can help support them in their world rather than insist that they relocate to mine.

It's a choice. I chose the ivory earrings and I got her business card. She is a modern day Alaskan, but she has many relatives that still live on that little island. She spoke well for them and she raised my social consciousness up a little above Political Correctness.