Blessed...

[StrawberryFields]

I saw that you made it back from your trip. Can you tell us anything about it?

[Blessed]

Hi!!!

Yes, I am back. I had a wonderful, wonderful time! The dance went well. Being in a bush village is quite a different experience than living in our comfortable homes!!! Running water for one is so precious to me again... LOL.

Here is a link with some photos so you can get a brief look at what my 9 days was like.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blessed_tls/...hHLjmCBPc6i8KYe

Being adopted into a community like this was such an honor. I learned many things about myself, this wonderful culture, how Zion will be and a deeper understanding of who God is.

Each day I would practice my dance with the elders. I was so nervous, but with their advice, I loosened up and the dance went really well. Even to the point I had fun with it.

I ate tradtional yup'ik food and learned to live the yup'ik way. Most of the homes there have no running water or flushing toilets. It is a hard life and there are many problems in the village with various addictions, etc, but the people are very loving when you take the time to be still and just listen.

If you have any questions let me know! I am glad to be back!

[StrawberryFields]

WOW! THANKS!

I enjoyed see the photos and YOU!

I can see that this was something very special. Did you go alone? How did you come to be invited to do this? Were there others who were also doing this?

[Blessed]

4 years ago I got pregnant with my 3rd child and it was very unexpected as my husband had had a vasectomey. I did not like the idea of having another child do I told my husband I needed to have some time away to think things through. I did not know if I wanted another child.

I wanted to go somewhere where no one knew me and I knew no one. Far, far away. A friend of mine was finishing her dissertation up on Special Education with eskimos in this village and she needed to go back for another visit. She told me I could go with and be her scribe. Sounded like a good idea. I had wanted to return to Alaska and to visit a bush village and a remote one at that sounded perfect.

We were to stay for 3 weeks and one week in Anchorage. When I arrived in Anchorage she told me plans had changed and that she could not go. This was hard because my airfare had already been paid. So I decided to go anyway even though no one knew me and I later found out no one knew I was coming.

I went anyway. After arriving and no one picked me up at the airstrip I just started walking and heard music. I followed the music into a hall and the elders were practicing for potlatch. I saw a lady sitting and went and sat by her. She askedme if I was with a newspaper. I told her no. She asked if I was with a state agency. I said no. She asked me why I had come to Stebbins and I said I was on vacation. She said good. :-)

I stayed with her for 3 weeks and at the end she adopted me. She is the chief elder. She called me to first dance and since then I had been trying to get back to do it.

In the village since its inception only a handful of "white" people have been called to dance with them and have been adopted into their community. The night I first danced there were 4 others who were also doing theirs... They were all from the village.

It is an honor and not everyone is called to dance. It is only when you hear the Spirit of the Drum and the elders know you have heard it that you are called.

It was awesome. My yup'ik name is Unago which means "when tomorrow comes."

My name is Tamara and they pronounced it like "tomorrow" all the time. They knew I had been trying to return hence my name... :)

[StrawberryFields]

Originally posted by Blessed@Mar 7 2005, 02:49 PM

I went anyway. After arriving and no one picked me up at the airstrip I just started walking and heard music.

WOW AGAIN!

This seems really symbolic to me. Many people die without ever hearing the music.

Tamara, you are a very brave woman. I think that there are many women who would have liked to have done what you did. You needed some time, so you found a place to go and despite the hardship of going somewhere strange without your friend, you overlooked that and went anyway. I did something similar when I was much younger by I only went 1.5 hours away and I went to stay with my Grandma . The time was well spent though and all went well. The hardest thing was my Grandma feeling like I had run out on my young family. If I could go back for a re-do I would choose somewhere where no one knew me.

Wonderful Story and thank you for sharing it.

Do you have any desire to go to Egypt?

The baby was born and all is well?

[Blessed]

Oh huge part of it... I almost lost the baby when I was there, but thanks be to God I didn't. Went into premature labor.

She was born, Hannah and she proves to me each and every day God knows what I can handle better than me!

Of course, I would love to go there, but next trip on my agenda is Kenya. Looks like October time frame. Another long story!

LOL

[Guest curvette]

Wow. Cool story! What an adventure!

[Lindy]

Thanks Blessed for sharing, story and pics! :)

Question for you.....what were the fishheads doing on a stick (if that was a stick)?

[Blessed]

That was not a stick. It was grass rope.

[Lindy]

Originally posted by Blessed@Mar 9 2005, 05:59 PM

That was not a stick. It was grass rope.

oooook....I will change that to what were the fishheads doing on a grass rope?

[StrawberryFields]

For me the pulling out of Bird Feathers was pretty sick, well at least that would be difficult for me.

What are the feathers used for?

[Blessed]

Originally posted by lindy9556+Mar 9 2005, 08:29 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (lindy9556 @ Mar 9 2005, 08:29 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Blessed@Mar 9 2005, 05:59 PM

That was not a stick.  It was grass rope.

oooook....I will change that to what were the fishheads doing on a grass rope?

They caught close to 400 herrings and dried them. part of my "give away" to those in attendance is to give them food as well as all kinds of gifts. I spent close to three hours chopping the heads and tails off of this fish. We give the fish meat to them. The heads on the rope was just a photo of what I had done.

And yes, SF, pulling the feathers was terribly disgusting. As I was pulling the feathers off of the neck area the entire spinal column came out along with blood and blood. Ewwww. That is why I have the expression on my face because I could not help but laugh... it was sooo gross.

But when in Rome... :)

[shanstress70]

Blessed,

Those photos are awesome! It is so great that you had the courage to go the first time. Now you must feel like you have another family in another place.

I admire you!

I LOVE snow, and would love to visit a village like that, but I believe that after a week or so, I would be ready for some sunshine! Did you get tired of the lack of sun?

How much of the year do they have weather like that?

And my last comment, the photo entitled 'Village dance', I was tempted to say something about Micheal Jackson, but then realized he's not even worth joking about these days!

Take care, and best of luck on your travels!