We Live in Alaska

We Live in Alaska

Author: Constance Helmericks

Publisher: Epicenter Press (WA)

Published: 2019-02-12

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 9781941890127

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Bud and Connie Helmericks paddled down the Tanana River to the Yukon River in a homemade canoe. During the summer they floated down the Yukon, portaged to the Kuskokwim River and hauled out at Bethel, the last few miles through pack ice.


We Live in Alaska

We Live in Alaska

Author: Constance Helmericks

Publisher:

Published: 1945

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

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This 1940s best seller recounts the Alaskan adventures of newlyweds Constance and Bud Helmericks in the months preceding Pearl Harbor. The venturesome spirit, sharp observation, and frontier resourcefulness of this young couple during their time in the Yukon provide not just lively and entertaining reading, but at the same time present a vivid picture of the country, its people, and their way of life.


The Sun Is a Compass

The Sun Is a Compass

Author: Caroline Van Hemert

Publisher: Little, Brown Spark

Published: 2019-03-19

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 0316414433

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For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals. In March of 2012, she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, The Sun is a Compass explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of the creatures who make their homes in the wildest places left in North America. Inspiring and beautifully written, this love letter to nature is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Winner of the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel


Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage

Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage

Author: Aron A. Crowell

Publisher: Smithsonian Institution

Published: 2010-05-18

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1588342700

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Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska features more than 200 objects representing the masterful artistry and design traditions of twenty Alaska Native peoples. Based on a collaborative exhibition created by Alaska Native communities, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, this richly illustrated volume celebrates both the long-awaited return of ancestral treasures to their native homeland and the diverse cultures in which they were created. Despite the North's transformation through globalizing change, the objects shown in these pages are interpretable within ongoing cultural frames, articulated in languges still spoken. They were made for a way of life on the land that is carried on today throughout Alaska. Dialogue with the region's First Peoples evokes past meanings but focuses equally on contemporary values, practices, and identities. Objects and narratives show how each Alaska Native nation is unique—and how all are connected. After introductions to the history of the land and its people, universal themes of “Sea, Land, Rivers,” “Family and Community,” and “Ceremony and Celebration” are explored referencing exquisite masks, parkas, beaded garments, basketry, weapons, and carvings that embody the diverse environments and practices of their makers. Accompanied by traditional stories and personal accounts by Alaska Native elders, artists, and scholars, each piece featured in Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage evokes both historical and contemporary meaning, and breathes the life of its people.


Hanukkah in Alaska

Hanukkah in Alaska

Author: Barbara Brown

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 146684518X

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An Alaska family celebrates Hanukkah with a stubborn moose in their backyard and the Northern Lights as the best-ever menorah. Hanukkah in Alaska is unlike anywhere else. Snow piles up over the windows. Daylight is only five hours long. And one girl finds a moose camped out in her backyard, right near her favorite blue swing. She tries everything to lure it away: apples, carrots, even cookies. But it just keeps eating more tree! It's not until the last night of Hanukkah that a familiar Jewish holiday tradition provides the perfect—and surprising—solution.


If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name

Author: Heather Lende

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Published: 2006-03-29

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1565126564

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“Part Annie Dillard, part Anne Lamott, essayist and NPR commentator Heather Lende introduces readers to life in the town of Haines, Alaska . . . subtly reminding readers to embrace each day, each opportunity, each life that touches our own and to note the beauty of it all.” —The Los Angeles Times Tiny Haines, Alaska, is ninety miles north of Juneau, accessible mainly by water or air—and only when the weather is good. There's no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace and funerals are a community affair. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for her local newspaper. If anyone knows the going-on in this close-knit town—from births to weddings to funerals—she does. Whether contemplating the mysterious death of eccentric Speedy Joe, who wore nothing but a red union suit and a hat he never took off, not even for a haircut; researching the details of a one-legged lady gold miner's adventurous life; worrying about her son's first goat-hunting expedition; observing the awe-inspiring Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival; or ice skating in the shadow of glacier-studded mountains, Lende's warmhearted style brings us inside her small-town life. We meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local lumber yard; their five children; and a colorful assortment of quirky friends and neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fishermen, native Tlingit Indians, and volunteer undertakers—as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land. Like Bailey White's tales of Southern life or Garrison Keillor's reports from the Midwest, NPR commentator Heather Lende's take on her offbeat Alaskan hometown celebrates life in a dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful place. Heather Lende's new book, Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics is available now.


Shadows on the Koyukuk

Shadows on the Koyukuk

Author: Jim Rearden

Publisher: Graphic Arts Books

Published: 2014-04-04

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 0882409301

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“I owe Alaska. It gave me everything I have.” Says Sidney Huntington, son of an Athapaskan mother and white trader/trapper father. Growing up on the Koyukuk River in Alaska’s harsh Interior, that “everything” spans 78 years of tragedies and adventures. When his mother died suddenly, 5-year-old Huntington protected and cared for his younger brother and sister during two weeks of isolation. Later, as a teenager, he plied the wilderness traplines with his father, nearly freezing to death several times. One spring, he watched an ice-filled breakup flood sweep his family’s cabin and belongings away. These and many other episodes are the compelling background for the story of a man who learned the lessons of a land and culture, lessons that enabled him to prosper as trapper, boat builder, and fisherman. This is more than one man's incredible tale of hardship and success in Alaska. It is also a tribute to the Athapaskan traditions and spiritual beliefs that enabled him and his ancestors to survive. His story, simply told, is a testament to the durability of Alaska's wild lands and to the strength of the people who inhabit them.


Our Alaska

Our Alaska

Author: Mike Doogan

Publisher: Epicenter Press (WA)

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780945397946

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A rich collection of personal stories -- both whimsical and contemplative -- in which the writers open their hearts and homes to reveal the Alaska that few tourists ever see.


Our Alaskan Winter

Our Alaskan Winter

Author: Constance Helmericks

Publisher: Epicenter Press (WA)

Published: 2019-02-15

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9781941890448

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Connie and Bud lived a nomadic life with the eskimos during the winter. With Spring, they migrated east with the Eskimo to the Mackenzie River Delta in Canada where they took a flight to Edmonton.