In May, right when I was supposed to be traveling to the field, the ice kept me and my crew in Fairbanks for a few days. Around the same time, I called Don Charlie in Nenana to ask about ways I might share my research with Nenana village. He said, Our Tribal Council meeting is tomorrow, I can put you on the agenda. After a bit of thought, I agreed. On May 18, the very same day I was supposed to load my whole crew up in boats and set up camp on the lake, I drove down to Nenana's Tribal Hall and was invited to come to fish camp later that summer.
Flash forward to July, and I'm back in Nenana. I'm learning how to bead and make baskets, heating up tea on a fire, and laughing at the boys who have turned log splitting into a kind of game. I'm hearing wonderful stories, learning about the history of a place, and watching the Tanana River cruise by. Eva Dawn Burke, who made this entire experience possible as the tremendous camp coordinator, is introducing people, telling stories, and loading the next activity out of her pickup, somehow all at once. |
AuthorBree is an Alaskan Archaeologist originally from Fairbanks. Today, she's an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Archives
February 2024
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