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JoAnna went to Anchorage. She
went to see the doctor. The doctor
said, "JoAnna, don't eat seal oil. One spoonful
a day is enough for you." JoAnna said, I promise not to eat seal oil." |
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Johnny can't remember how Eskimos got salt long ago. Johnny does remember when the first butter came. He said it tasted very salty. People could only eat a little butter at a time. They ate it on crackers. |
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There are Many Dogs in Teller Now There are many dogs in Teller now. A long time ago there were very few dogs. Some families own ten dogs now. Long ago, families owned only one or two. |
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Johnny says dogs sleds are better than Ski Doos. Dog sleds are slower than Ski Doos. Ski Doos break down. Dogs don't break down. Dogs are slow but sure. |
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Ski Doos cost about $900. Gasoline is $53 a barrel. Dogs cost $50 or $100. Good lead dogs are hard to get. Dogs don't drink gasoline. They eat any food. |
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Some mice are very good. They gather masu. They put it in holes in the ground. Eskimos look for the holes. They take some of the masu. They never take all of the masu. They put dried fish back in the holes. The dried fish is for the helpful mice. |
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Mice also store pikniq. Pikniqs are roots. The outside is black. The inside is white. They taste very good. They taste better than masu. Eskimos like them very much. |
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Eskimos told ghost stories long ago. It made the children afraid. They were afraid to wlk home in the dark. The older children walked home with the younger children. Do you like ghost stories? |
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Many people in Teller came from Igloo. The people in Igloo are related to the Fish River Tribe. The Fish River Tribe now live in White Mountain. That is why the Teller Eskimos and the White Mountain Eskimos talk the same. |
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The people at Igloo never lived in snow igloos. Long ago they lived in igloos made of sod. In the summer they lived in skin tents. They could move the tents easily. The people liked to camp in tents. |
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Igloos were made of sod. They were half buried in the ground. They were built in the fall just before freeze up. They were warm in the winter. Igloos were a very good kind of house for a cold winter. |
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Mother fed the baby bear. She gave him rice and milk. She boiled seal to make him soup. The baby bear liked to eat. He grew bigger. |
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Moses had a sled. The bear pulled the sled. He pulled slowly because he walked on his back feet. The baby bear slept in bed at night. He slept with Moses The bear grew bigger. |
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The bear had a collar. He had a chain on his collar. Moses took him walking. Moses made a hole in the ice. The bear went swimming. Moses pulled him back by the chain. The bear grew bigger. |
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Some people don't like long-haired sled dogs. They get snow balls in their fur. Some people like straight-earred sled dogs. Some people like husky sled dogs. Huskies are smaller than other kinds of dogs. |
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I saw a funny thing. Four dogs were running along behind a sled. A snowmobile was pulling the sled. I said, "Why are the dogs running behind the sled?" The man said, "The snowmobile might break. Then the dogs will pull me home." |
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Father and his family lived on Little Diomede. Father worked on a whaling boat. He didn't get paid with money. He got paid with food. Sometimes he got sacks of flour. He threw the flour away. The cloth sack was used to line parkas. |
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Sometimes Father got paid with soda. He thought it was soap. Mother washed the clothes in soda. Mother said, "This soap is no good." |
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Father bought a clock. Grandmother said, Make it go fast. Make the night come!" The family watched the clock. It ticked all day. The family was proud of the clock. |
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Night came. The clock ticked. The family didn't like the noise. Father wrapped the clock in an old fur. He put it near the door. The clock kept ticking. The family was tired of the clock. |
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Father put the clock outside. Everyone went back to bed. The clock rang. It made lots of noise. The family jumped up. Grandfather ran outside. He smashed the clock. The clock broke. It was quiet at last. |
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Two beluga whales swam up the river. They saw a lady. The lady had a baby. The baby cried. The whales were frightened. They turned into two big white rocks. The white rocks are still there at a place called Situak. |
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