Village Life

       Life in the village is entirely different than anywhere I've ever been or heard of. Here are some things I've seen, learned or heard about since being here:

Water

       In Tulusak, only the school and teacher housing (are supposed to) have running water. Homes in the villages store water from the river and use "honey buckets" for taking care of business. As I write this, the water has been off all day and will likely not be back on until at least tomorrow. The water that does run needs to be thoroughly filtered before drinking. Things that factor into water availability include temperature, fuel price/availability and the sobriety of the individual in charge of the water. When the water comes back on I will be filling my bins I used to ship stuff with drinking water to store for the next time it goes out. 

Dogs

     Most dogs in the village are not seen as pets the same way they are in the lower 48. There are dogs everywhere here; puppies are always being born. Some people in the village keep dogs as pets, and will put collars on them but most are not "house dogs." Abuse of these dogs is common. Puppies are viewed as things that kids can play with for a while, and then are usually left to die from disease or starvation. Every few months the tribe or the State Troopers go around and shoot all the stray dogs for population control. It is hard for me as a dog lover think about, but many people are here have limited resources and they have to chose between taking care of themselves and taking care of an animal.

     When I walk Birkie, I take her away from the village. We are often charged by packs of dogs, but as soon as I start towards them they run off.

Birkie enjoys being a "house dog" but thinks unpacking is exhausting.

Transportation

     Many people in the village have four wheelers to get around and to go out on the tundra to gather wood and food. Some people have trucks or SUVs. The only way to get these vehicles here is to buy them in Bethel and either have them barged up river or drive them to the village on the ice road in the winter. It is more likely that someone would have a skiff (boat) than a vehicle used for land travel.

People

     People here have been very welcoming to me. Everyone who sees me already knows I'm a teacher (because I'm white) so the first thing they ask is what grade I'm teaching and then list off everyone they know who might be in my classes. The students I've met are a little apprehensive, but I think we'll get along just fine. The village is dry, but bootleggers bring in booze. The brief encounters I've had or heard with intoxicated people have not been pleasant. 

Guns

      Everyone has one. Most people have many. I will have my deer rifle up here eventually, but am trying to hold off on getting any kind of hand gun because I don't like them. Many people up here say its something I "need." I am going to spend some more time up here before deciding.

Food

     There is good availability of packaged food available at the store here. Its around double the cost of what I would pay at a grocery store in Duluth. Fresh fruit, veggies and meat need to be ordered from companies in Bethel who will fly them into the village, it is expensive. I have been ordering a lot of bulk packaged food from amazon. It is important to have a stock pile of food because in the fall and winter when the weather is bad, the planes often can't fly into the village. The salmon runs were good this year so most of the people in the village have freezers full of fish and don't have they same worries about meat as us "Kass'aqs" (Yupik word for white people).