Project Ki'l: Passages

Hello everyone! I have been busy skiing and going to Project Ki'l classes in addition to teaching. The ski pictures are from Hatcher Pass in Palmer. I talked about it last blog but I didn't get the pictures until this week. I know you will find this hard to believe but I FORGOT to take my camera with me skiing. I take my camera everywhere. Anyway, Beth took these pictures. Some of them are black and white and some are in color. Can you believe that gorgeous blue sky? It is so blue. I know other places get blue skies but not this crisp and clear. That is one of the things I like most about Alaska. Come on up and enjoy these beautiful skies in person!!! I have a second bedroom ready for your visit. The buildings are from the Independence Gold Mine we skied around in the Talkeetna Mountains (about 3500 feet) and about a 761 acre park and is under original ownership since Federal Patent Application in 1963. The lodge makes the best homemade soup and halibut fish bagels!

I have been attending Project Ki'l: Passages classes. It is 30 hours of class for graduate credit completed in 5 classes. Four hours three days after school and all day on two Saturdays. Today we went to the Native Heritage Center, The Anchorage Alaska Museum and then a guest speaker at the educational center. Great information but very long days. Project Ki'l builds a path of success for Alaska Native boys. The focus on boys is due to the disparity that exists between Native boys and other groups. As educators we are learning the history of the Native boys, strategies and activities to build strong academic, social and cultural foundations for Native boys and their families. I learned so much about the different cultures and the male role from the different sections of Alaska. Paul Ongtooguk, our instructor, is the gray haired gentleman in the first picture. He grew up in Kotzebue, Northwest Alaska above the Artic Circle. He shares a lot of personal experiences and how Anchorage has grown. He said that Alaska use to be thought of as a northern West Virginia only with mountains. Poor, no tourist, and subsistence living. Then the biggest oil field was discovered in Prudhoe Bay since the oil fields in Texas. Life changed for many of the Native Alaskans. Mr. William Hensley, Iggiagruk is his native Inupiaq name, came to talk to our class about the battle for Statehood. William went to boarding school in Tennessee, which is what we are talking about in the above photo, and then to George Washington Univ and then became a legislator for Alaska at age 25. He is helped fight for the Alaskan Land Claim that caused the US Government to pay the Alaska Natives for their land they needed to build the 800 mile Alaska Pipeline through many of the Native villages. Very controversial and very informative. William Hensley wrote a book, "50 Miles form Tomorrow" because Kotzbue is 50 miles from the International Dateline. Here are some words we learned tonight. Inupiaq word for person is Inuk pronounced like in-yuke, anun is man pronounced ang-oon, and Inupiaq for knife is savik prounced sah-vik. Nigi is "to eat" pronouced nee-ree. It was very interesting.

Speaking of Prudhoe Bay, today was their first sunrise since early November. They have been in 24 hours of complete darkness since before Thanksgiving. The temperature at Prudhoe Bay was minus 50 degrees and then they added the wind chill and it was 70 degrees below zero. They are expecting a high tomorrow of minus 40 degrees. They are really far North. I hope to visit Prudhoe Bay or the North Slope in the summer, definately not during the winter months.

That is about it. I have been busy and staying out of trouble. Teach and attend class or teach and ski then sleep. I have found the secret to a great night's sleep. Xcountry ski for about 1 hour after a day of teaching. Sound sleep!!!

Enjoy your day! Sheryl the Nanuq