Dreaming of Travel
12/10/15 05:31
For many years, I have had an interest in reading and thinking about the north country. I’m a big fan of books about Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. I’ve never traveled to those areas, but dreaming of such a trip has been a constant adventure for me. One of the attractions of those places is the remoteness. There are miles and miles of roads through nearly empty territory with few people. And the people who do live in those places are a little less affected by the crush of modern life and little more attached to the old ways.
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely in Canada and it stretches across the Arctic Circle. It is just starting to form ice, but by sometime in November it will be frozen solid enough for the ice road to open. The Sahtu Dene people who live at the Deline settlement have access by road only November through April when the ice road proved access to the other side of the lake. When the lake is free of ice there are three fishing lodges accessible by boat. The main source of contact with the outside world is by small airplane year round. With satellite communications, the Dene people are not completely isolated and they have many struggles and problems that are familiar to other modern societies, but they have sought to preserve the old ways and the elders are a rich source of information about how people lived in isolation for generations.
Tuktoyaktuk is an Inuvialuit settlement on the shores of the Arctic Circle. Its name, somewhat anglicized, comes from the native word meaning “resembling a caribou.” The village is accessible by plane. There is a winter ice road connecting it to Inuvik, the end of the Dempster Highway and construction has begun on an all-weather road between the two communities. Because of the permafrost of the area, work on the new road can only be done in the winter when there is no chance of thawing the surface. A layer of gravel, ranging from 7 to 14 feet deep must be compacted on top of the tundra so that it will remain frozen and stable for driving. When the road is complete, it will be the northernmost community accessible by driving on the continent. About 80% of the people of Tuktoyaktuk are Inuit/Inuvialuit. In addition to a small non-Aboriginal population, there are a few members of other North American Tribes and a small Metis population in the community of about 850 people.
Alaska is home to a number of indigenous tribes including Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian and several distinct Athabaskan cultures. Each has a distinctive language. Most tribes were historically hunter-gatherer-fishing cultures prior to settlement by outsiders. During the time of Russian rule, some tribal people were forced into slavery, primarily to work in farming and mining operations. Russia also provided Russian Orthodox missionaries, who penetrated deeper into the interior of Alaska than British and American missionaries prior to the nineteenth century. The traditions of orthodox Christianity persist in many remote and isolated locations across the state.
Part of the attraction of the north country for me is the possibility of meeting and learning from these people. I know that opportunities for a tourist to make much substantive contact with people whose languages are different than min are limited. Any trip I might make would involve a lot of traveling in remote locations and very limited contact with the people. I can probably learn more about their cultures and lifestyles by staying at home and researching in books and on the Internet, but there is something about an actual visit that strengthens understanding.
The Gwich’in people of Alaska, an Athabaskan tribe, are a traditional people who are dependent upon the caribou for food, clothing and the maintenance of their culture. They have received attention in recent years because of their opposition to further drilling for oil in Alaska, They are particularly opposed to Alaska Governor Bill Walker’s attempts to promote onshore drilling as a way of increasing oil production. With oil prices low and the Alaska Pipeline running at only 25% of design capacity, Governor Walker wants to increase production to boost the state’s revenues. With no income or sales tax, Alaska is dependent on oil revenue for 90% of its governmental expenses. And the government of Alaska faces huge expenses, in part due to the costs of global climate change. Entire coastal communities need to be relocated to avoid being flooded by rising sea levels. With villages being washed away, the Governor is seeking any source of revenue available, and oil looms large in his plans. The Gwich’in people feel that their lives are threatened by the impact of oil exploration and drilling on the Porcupine Caribou herd whose calving areas are in the region the governor wants to develop. Leaders of the Gwitch’in believe that their native ways and ability to live off of the land are being threatened. As an outsider, it seems that the time may be short to observe the traditional ways as the pressures of modern industrialized society invade formerly isolated communities.
Of course there are plenty of opportunities to visit, listen to and learn from indigenous people right here in South Dakota. We have our own version of the Alaska controversy in the proposed Keystone Pipeline that proponents suggest will bring financial revenues to our state and opponents feel threatens the environmental quality and sovereignty of tribal lands. It is a big topic of conversation when we visit the Cheyenne River Reservation.
Maybe the allure of travel is not so much to discover the differences between ourselves and those who live in distant locations, but rather to discover our similarities. We have more in common than initially appears.
This world is rich in natural beauty and there is much to see. But it is also deeply affected by our presence and our travels have an impact on the beauty that we seek to observe. I have been fortunate to be able to travel a great deal. And I’m sure there are more trips in my future. In the meantime, there is much that can be learned with books and online research.
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely in Canada and it stretches across the Arctic Circle. It is just starting to form ice, but by sometime in November it will be frozen solid enough for the ice road to open. The Sahtu Dene people who live at the Deline settlement have access by road only November through April when the ice road proved access to the other side of the lake. When the lake is free of ice there are three fishing lodges accessible by boat. The main source of contact with the outside world is by small airplane year round. With satellite communications, the Dene people are not completely isolated and they have many struggles and problems that are familiar to other modern societies, but they have sought to preserve the old ways and the elders are a rich source of information about how people lived in isolation for generations.
Tuktoyaktuk is an Inuvialuit settlement on the shores of the Arctic Circle. Its name, somewhat anglicized, comes from the native word meaning “resembling a caribou.” The village is accessible by plane. There is a winter ice road connecting it to Inuvik, the end of the Dempster Highway and construction has begun on an all-weather road between the two communities. Because of the permafrost of the area, work on the new road can only be done in the winter when there is no chance of thawing the surface. A layer of gravel, ranging from 7 to 14 feet deep must be compacted on top of the tundra so that it will remain frozen and stable for driving. When the road is complete, it will be the northernmost community accessible by driving on the continent. About 80% of the people of Tuktoyaktuk are Inuit/Inuvialuit. In addition to a small non-Aboriginal population, there are a few members of other North American Tribes and a small Metis population in the community of about 850 people.
Alaska is home to a number of indigenous tribes including Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian and several distinct Athabaskan cultures. Each has a distinctive language. Most tribes were historically hunter-gatherer-fishing cultures prior to settlement by outsiders. During the time of Russian rule, some tribal people were forced into slavery, primarily to work in farming and mining operations. Russia also provided Russian Orthodox missionaries, who penetrated deeper into the interior of Alaska than British and American missionaries prior to the nineteenth century. The traditions of orthodox Christianity persist in many remote and isolated locations across the state.
Part of the attraction of the north country for me is the possibility of meeting and learning from these people. I know that opportunities for a tourist to make much substantive contact with people whose languages are different than min are limited. Any trip I might make would involve a lot of traveling in remote locations and very limited contact with the people. I can probably learn more about their cultures and lifestyles by staying at home and researching in books and on the Internet, but there is something about an actual visit that strengthens understanding.
The Gwich’in people of Alaska, an Athabaskan tribe, are a traditional people who are dependent upon the caribou for food, clothing and the maintenance of their culture. They have received attention in recent years because of their opposition to further drilling for oil in Alaska, They are particularly opposed to Alaska Governor Bill Walker’s attempts to promote onshore drilling as a way of increasing oil production. With oil prices low and the Alaska Pipeline running at only 25% of design capacity, Governor Walker wants to increase production to boost the state’s revenues. With no income or sales tax, Alaska is dependent on oil revenue for 90% of its governmental expenses. And the government of Alaska faces huge expenses, in part due to the costs of global climate change. Entire coastal communities need to be relocated to avoid being flooded by rising sea levels. With villages being washed away, the Governor is seeking any source of revenue available, and oil looms large in his plans. The Gwich’in people feel that their lives are threatened by the impact of oil exploration and drilling on the Porcupine Caribou herd whose calving areas are in the region the governor wants to develop. Leaders of the Gwitch’in believe that their native ways and ability to live off of the land are being threatened. As an outsider, it seems that the time may be short to observe the traditional ways as the pressures of modern industrialized society invade formerly isolated communities.
Of course there are plenty of opportunities to visit, listen to and learn from indigenous people right here in South Dakota. We have our own version of the Alaska controversy in the proposed Keystone Pipeline that proponents suggest will bring financial revenues to our state and opponents feel threatens the environmental quality and sovereignty of tribal lands. It is a big topic of conversation when we visit the Cheyenne River Reservation.
Maybe the allure of travel is not so much to discover the differences between ourselves and those who live in distant locations, but rather to discover our similarities. We have more in common than initially appears.
This world is rich in natural beauty and there is much to see. But it is also deeply affected by our presence and our travels have an impact on the beauty that we seek to observe. I have been fortunate to be able to travel a great deal. And I’m sure there are more trips in my future. In the meantime, there is much that can be learned with books and online research.