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Lydia Henry,
Shunkukeidi Clan, and Martha Mallott, Luknxadi
Clan, aboard the expedition ship Clipper
Odyssey. (Photo by Megan Litwin). |
At first I admit I was a little worried. I had
no idea who these kids were and what they would think of me. As soon as
we met I could tell that some of the same thoughts ran through their minds.
We had brief introductions and I could sense the relief that was felt
across the newly formed group. Coincidentally, the girls who had joined
us were thirteen and fifteen years old, the same ages as my sister and
me. Our new friends, Lydia (la-la) and Martha (mars) are sisters in their
cultural community, though they are not biologically related. It is very
interesting how families are structured and in a lot of cases the grandchildren
are older than the grandparents. But, these are not biological relationships.
It is hard for me to understand all of the relationships, but it is very
clear to all the Tlingits that I have talked with. As we continued our
day we really connected and talked about our communities. Though Yakutat
is half the size of my home town, Whately, Massachusetts, I could see
the similarities. Like us they go to a small school, though "small"
is a word that has to be clarified. When I say that my school is small
I mean 500 or so people in the middle and high school. When they told
us that their school was small they meant that there are 60 kids in the
preschool though twelfth grade. I could not imagine that; it is the size
of my extended family.
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J.P. Buller,
Galyax Kaagwaantann Clan, and Lydia Henry aboard
the Clipper Odyssey. (Photo by Megan
Litwin). |
The progression of the day was
very smooth and we hung out for a while. After lunch the
group of kids, which all together included three boys, J.P,
Kai, and Carl and the two girls gave presentations to all of
the passengers. The elders also talked to the kids about how
proud they were of what they had done and that they were
ambassadors from their village. By this point in the day I
felt like I had known them for a number of years, but at the
same time there was a lot that I could learn from and about
them. It is truly amazing that they are the same age as us
and that we think, wonder and worry about a lot of the same
things but there are also huge differences in our
cultures.
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Carl Bogren,
Shunkukeidi Clan, making his presentation. (Photo
by Megan Litwin). |
We disembarked the ship around
4: 00 and our new friends had to go get ready for the dances
that they would be performing. We stepped out onto the dock
and the strong smell of fish swallowed us into the heart of
their village. Martha looked at me and said, "I have lived
here my whole life and I am still not used to that smell". I
have to say though that I don't mind it too much; it reminds
me of somewhere familiar that I love. Now we were on our own
to explore for a couple of hours. With a few vague
directions to the store and school we set off. At one point
in the day I was talking to Kai and he told me, "Well, you
could go to the school and the store, or the store and the
school. That is pretty much all there is." He also offered
to take me to the dump, where he goes trash picking for
treasures. "Your just walking along and all of the sudden
you end up five feet from a bear," he said. I could imagine
that the bear is there for the same reason, but perhaps he
is looking for treasures of a different sort. He added,
"There aren't many bears up there now though, since they
started the construction." Anyway, we walked around for a
while and did find the store and the school. We also found a
plane, train and a bike, all of which had a considerable
amount of rust. The bike was the only one of the three that
we managed to get up and running.
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Jonas Parker,
a member of the Harriman Retraced Young Explorers
Team, riding the bike he found in Yakutat. (Photo
by Megan Litwin). |
We returned from our walk, full from salmon
berries and blueberries, and ready to enjoy the dancing. When we entered
the hall the beat of drums and feet filled the room and voices of all
ages sang out the songs that connect all of us to their past. The songs
have stories to tell and educate and create happiness. When the ceremony
was over I knew that I would have to leave soon and I did not want to.
I had connected with people who I may never see again, but I truly hope
that one day they will make it to my town to visit with my community.
Martha came up to me near the end and gave my sister and me a special
feather that she used in her dance. It was given in friendship and so
that we could remember her and the excellent day we shared. We shared
hugs, knowing we had to return to the ship soon. If Lydia, Martha, J.P,
Kai, Carl or any of the people of Yakutat get a chance to read this I
want to say gunalcheesh (pronounced "goonashcheesh")
to them. Thank you for the powerful day that you made so special to me,
and that will be with me for the rest of my life and beyond.
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Lydia,
Jennie, Martha, Megan, and Elizabeth at the end of
the dancing. (Photo by Layton J.
Lockett). |
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For information on the Harriman Retraced Expedition e-mail: harriman2001@science.smith.edu |