In 1916, May Wynne, a 27-year-old teacher, traveled from Seattle, Washington, to Akiak, Alaska, to teach in a government native school. This book presents her account of the 3 years she spent in Akiak, which consisted of an Eskimo village on one side of the Kuskokwim River and a white settlement of miners, trappers, and traders on the other. Her…

For Native children, growing up in Alaska today means dwelling in a place where traditional customs sometimes mix oddly with modern conveniences. Through their own words, this book explores the lives of eight Alaska Native children, each representing a unique and ancient culture: Eskimo--Yupik and Inupiat; Aleut; and Indian--Athabascan, Tlingit,…

A collection of 26 stories, told by Belle Herbert, an Alaskan elder, in the Gwich'in Athabaskan language, is presented with side-by-side translation in English. Introductory sections give background information about the author's life and the stories told here. Stories include: a moose hunt; life in the old days (skin tents and clothing); hunting;…

This book compiles the best selections from the Chukchi News and Information Service, a University of Alaska project that for the past decade, has published the writings of Native college students from rural and remote regions of Alaska. The writers are primarily nontraditional older students who are Inupiaq, Yup'ik, or Siberian Yup'ik Eskimos or…

In 1986, Colorado native Carolyn Kremers accepted an invitation to teach music and English at a school in Tununak, a remote Yup'ik Eskimo village on Nelson Island, Alaska. This memoir recounts her experiences as a teacher, and also her reflections on music, the outdoors, teaching, Alaska, and how she came to understand Yup'ik and Inupiat Eskimo…

In this anthology, rural Alaskan English teachers in the Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network describe their experiences implementing new state education standards while continuing their commitment to learner-centered and place-based practice. The book presents narratives about teaching grounded in knowledge and understanding of students and…

This book relates the experiences of Abbie Morgan, who with her husband Ed, moved to the Alaskan village of Kulukak in 1931. Abbie accepted an assignment from the United States government to be the village teacher while her husband was appointed to provide health care for the village population and monitor the area's reindeer herd. The village of…

This book demonstrates that an indigenous teachers' group has the potential to transform the culture of schooling. Personal narratives by Yup'ik Eskimo teachers speak directly to issues of equity and school transformation. Their struggles represent the beginning of a slow process by a group of Yup'ik teachers (Ciulistet) and university colleagues…