Yuuyaraq/Emmonak Fuel Crisis Overview

I think Napolean (Harold Napolean: Author of Yuuyaraq) took it too far with "The Great Death" saying it caused alcoholism in rural Alaska. Sure the Death cut a deep, deep part out of the survivors. It took their culture, families, homes, and way of life and that affected the survivors to an extreme limit. They were so badly hit by trauma their grandchildren, a whole generation later felt it still. I still don't think the Death caused the survivors to turn to alcoholism though. Like every single person in the world, whether its now or 100 years ago, we all still have choices. They had the choice to say no but said yes instead. just like todays alcoholics. The survivors could've dealt with the depressing issue sobre, but chose to drink their problems and memories away. No matter what the problem is, then or now, drinking while going through depression will just make things worse. It will affect everyone around him or her. For example, let's say one of the survivors had a younger family member that also survived, a younger sibling, cousin, nephew or niece, and the older one decided to drink, the younger one will be influenced because thats what they grew up seeing. When people drink, they get more emotional and aggressive. It could be that some of the survivors moved on from life from suicide while under the influence. I'm not saying it DID happen, just it could've been possible. From then, it would cause a chain of events. One survivors death would cause a close friend or a fellow survivor to be even more depressed. So overall, I think "The Great Death" lasted years after it occured. All it needed was to be remembered by the survivors. For example, the modern Yupik people of Alaska are affected still by learning what happened to their ancestors generations earlier. So, in a perspective point of view, The Great Death is still around. And it's remarkable how the Yupik People ave recovered. Their one of the strongest (if not largest) group on Alaska. Roughly 70% of their people know their language fluently. They've come too far and been through too much to be forgotten for many more generations to come.

Yuuyarq

My name is Bradford. i am from emo.  this book is about a man from the state of alaska. it talks about the native ways of how things were before the russians and the british came to the lands of the natives. Many things could effect the people. Maybe even the writer himself. Such as his son dying the effects of alcohol or the Great Death.

By:Bradford Johnson

Yuuyaraq by:Harold Napoleon

Yuuyaraq is a well written book about an Alaska native from the Bering Sea coast region, and it tells a story of the "Great Death", and how Nepoleon  believes that the disaster has had an effect on the alcoholism in rural Alaska. He speaks of the traditional ways of the proud indigenous peoples of Alaska and how in a brief period in time the Great Death had almost destroyed whole civilizations. It was an horrific event that had killed families and even whole villages. He explains that in the after math of the great death, the survivors were so depressed they had let outsiders come and take over our lands and how every thing has led to the alcoholism of our people.

This was written very well and I would suggest this book to anyone who like to read this!!!

I believe the disaster may have had on effect on our people, but from what i've seen many people choose to drink because they have problems and they want to "escape" reality, and don't know how to deal with these problems. Nepoleon states, "Veterans, victims, and witnesses of other violent and traumatic events, had found in liquor, a narcotic which numbered in their troubled minds." Nepoleon makes a good point, but another "reason" I believe is that when people are young they sometimes get peer pressured into drinking. As they get older they drink more often, and eventually it gets out of control. Also if you grow up around drugs and alcohol you are more likely to become an abuser yourself. The largest "reason" that i've seen, is because the abuser has a low self-esteem and they want their troubles to "go away." It is a depressing cycle thats been happening since this poison has been introduced to our people.  

MARK TUBIN

Response to Yuuyaraq and the Emmo crisis

Do you think H. Napoleon makes too great of a leap in reasoning by suggesting The Great Death[TGD]  is the loss that led to the problem of alcoholism in Rural Alaska?

Yes and no because while Napoleon did back up his point of view with facts, I don't believe that TGD is the only reason for alcoholism in Rural Alaska. Many things can contribute to alcoholism such as home life, work/school, financial issues and problems with a relationship.

While TGD may have been a big factor in starting this infectious problem, saying it is the only reason for it is stretching it a bit too far.

Do you think that the problem in Emmonak is worse than other villages, or do you think that the writer has taken a problem common state-wide and presented it more strongly than others have been able to show?

 I believe that Emmonak is like many other villages at this time. Fuel is expensive, just like food. Now because of these high prices, families are very often strapped for cash. It is not just happening in Emmonak. I've heard of this same problem in other villages as well. Emmonak has a voice to finally express what is happening state-wide.

--Johnnie S.

Hello!

Welcome to Elitnaurvik within East's blog! EWE was started in 1987 at East High School as a partnership between the Anchorage School District, ASD Indian Education, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Bilingual Education and Migrant Education to help educate Native students and to make sure families are involved with their child's education.
more at ASD's EWE page
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Elitnaurvik is a Yup'ik word which means "a place to learn." When the first missionaries landed in rural Alaska and shipped in timber to build schools, the first thing they had to do was explain what a "school" was, and no one was able to do it effectively. "A place to learn" made perfect sense, but a single place to do all learning - not so much. Cook Inlet Tribal Council recognizes the challenges in educating Alaska Natives and American Indian students in a way that is culturally relevant yet that still prepares them for a life in an ever more Westernized and cross-cultural world. We also recognize the challenges rural students face when they must relocate to a city the size of Anchorage and hope to ease their transition into an urban world. At EWE we hope to provide students a safe and comfortable setting to explore their traditional cultures and develop their minds and voices. We offer classes in language arts, math, mass media and Native games as well as a transitions class specifically geared toward the incoming rural student.

It is my hope that the students in EWE use this blog over the course of the semester to share what they learn and what they love in addition to and apart from the assignments I may ask of them as their language arts teacher. I have asked them to build this blog as a forum for their voices. I want them to share with you their thoughts on what we read together as a class, the questions they encounter and the interests that they hold. I hope that you, their readership, find them to be as engaging a group of young people as I, their teacher, do.

Please visit CITC's website to learn more about our mission to work in partnership with Our People to develop opportunities that fulfill Our endless potential.

~Mr. Knight
Language Arts Teacher
EWE
East High School