Ciulirnerunak Yuuyaqunak/Do Not Live Without an Elder: The Subsistence Way of Life in Southwest Alaska

Table of Contents:
Illustrations Acknowledgments   Do Not Live Without an Elder Our land The subsistence way of life keeps us standing Those that are dangerous Ones warriors named One that is memorable The world’s inhabitants We must speak to our grandchildren   Yup’ik Transcription and Translation   The Subsistence Way of Life John Phillip Paul John Moses Paukan Nick Andrew Bob Aloysius Martin Moore   Dangers During Fall and Winter Dangers of ocean hunting during freeze-up Saltwater ice and freshwater ice Do not be without a walking stick Dangers on land Do not have the same mind-set as the weather Walking stick Thin ice Saving oneself with grass One is told not to eat snow He is told to swallow his own urine Letting the blowing snow cover him Observe your surroundings Mountain streams are dangerous Our father prepared The condition where the lee side of large lakes gets deep There are many dangerous areas Women made us large mittens Deep gullies in the ice along the side of a river One must not quickly approach beaver dens We who live upriver amongst trees They told us to go outside and look at the sky They say that first [layer of snow] is very dangerous Be prepared The arrival of fall is getting farther away Technology can help a person In the ocean during spring, they have admonishments They say the ocean should be regarded with respect The say the land along the Yukon River instantly caves in without warning Fall, the middle of winter, and spring have precautions Dangers after snowfall He would let the blowing snow cover him Smart dogs won’t miss Dangerous places that don’t freeze In spring the ocean also has instructions Fresh water on the ocean They say the ocean cannot be learned   One That Is Memorable Mountain Place where one goes to defecate Little Russian Mission Place with many gulls Kusilvak Mountain Snotty Slough All Women Emmonak Place to butcher animals Fish Village and St. Marys Qaurraak   Places Where Warriors Once Lived Anuuraaq River Place with many great hunters Arayakcaaq That one who fell face first saved them Maqallartuli Kessigliq Martin Moore’s story How war started Story of the end of war   The World’s Inhabitants Land animals They say [animals] are aware Animals disappear One that awakens and revives Extraordinary beings Those who throw things and those who are constantly on the move Yuilrit and ircenrraat Small, usually helpful creatures who imitate people when spoken to Places where one tends to get lost One who fled from the village of Qinaq   One Must Not Live Without an Elder It is as though they brushed our way of life away [Our elders] placed GPS devices in our pockets They say a person’s stomach cannot change They constantly gave moral advice to their young people You dear boy, don’t live without an elder   Notes References Index  

About the Author :
Ann Fienup-Riordan is an anthropologist who has lived and worked in Alaska for more than forty years. She has written and edited more than twenty books on Yup'ik history and oral traditions. Alice Rearden is an Alaska-based translator and oral historian.

Review :
"An excellent resource for anyone interested in Yup’ik culture, ethnohistory, and, perhaps most especially, language. Further, the many practical aspects of wilderness survival covered here would be words of wisdom to many outdoorsmen. But lastly, and perhaps most important, this work stands as a testament to a narrative rarely acknowledged: that of ongoing, vibrant Native cultures and languages. "