The volunteers have been doing a fair amount of travel throughout the region lately. Maddie flew to Shishmaref for her most recent episode of Story 49. Mitch and Laura spent this past weekend in White Mountain covering the Valentine’s Day basketball tournament.
And, I’ve been lucky enough to do some traveling of my own. A couple of weeks ago, I flew south to spend a Saturday in Stebbins.
I was nervous before I landed. It had been over two months since my last trip out to a village, so I fretted about the long list of things that could go wrong. Will I fumble my questions? Did I pack enough food? Will I make a fool out of myself in front of the people that have so generously welcomed me into their community for the day?
But right when I stepped off the plane, all my fears subsided. The village’s mayor was there to greet me with his 4-wheeler. I hopped on the back, and he gave me the grand tour of Stebbins, pointing out the lone tomcod fisherman out on the sea ice, showing me where the school and village store were, and, finally, bringing me to the city offices to get me situated.
It was an absolutely glorious day. Little to no wind, temperatures in the mid-20s, and the sun even came out for a few hours. But it wasn’t the weather that made the trip so special, it was the people. Like I mentioned, Morris Nashoanak, the village’s mayor, was there to meet me at the airport. Later that day, he connected me with 6 other elders who spent a few hours with me. They told me about the changes they’ve seen in the landscape over the last half century and so generously allowed me to record their memories on tape. The entire day was remarkable.
Just a few days later, I was back on a plane, this time headed east for Koyuk. I was there to cover the Bering Strait School District’s board meeting, but that ended up being just a small part of my visit.
This time around, I was far less nervous, mainly because of how well my trip to Stebbins went. Again, right off the bat, I was greeted at the airport by a kind man named Randall, who works for the school. I continued to meet many incredible people during my visit, including Koyuk’s principal, Mary Huntington, who inspires and energizes her students every day at the school’s morning assembly. Carl White, another inspiring educator, introduced me to Corrine Trish, a teacher and resident of Koyuk for over 25 years. She runs a DVD rental and snack shop named, appropriately, “Corrine’s,” where she’s trained over 35 employees, mostly high school students, many who have gone on to work throughout the region.
Corrine and Crystal, the Koyuk native she’s trained to take over her business once she leaves, spoke to me, again on tape, about their work, their customers, and what they love about the business. It was a blast.
The next day I had some free time, so I strapped on my skis and made it up Star Mountain, following the Iditarod Trail east out of the village.
While refueling on cold pizza and waiting for the afternoon flight back to Nome, my visit was topped off with a spontaneous conversation with Ricky, another Koyuk native. Ricky filled me in on his family, his beliefs, and his ancestors, some of which came over from Sweden.
As I was getting ready to leave, he asked if I like fish. Of course I like fish, I replied! So, fitting with the theme of generosity that’s been apparent in Koyuk, Stebbins, and every other village in western Alaska I’ve been lucky enough to visit, he sent me off with a bag of frozen fish. I had nothing to offer him back, but I made sure I wouldn’t forget his willingness to share his stories and his fish. It’s people like him, and so many others that I’ve met along the way, that make our region so special.
