burn diary posts
This morning about 6:00 AM, Jonah Nukapigak put out a net on the Kuukpik River for the first time this season. He had hoped to catch a good number of the big whitefish called anaaqliq so he could prepare them for the whale feast tomorrow . He went back this evening with his nephew Isaiah …
To anyone who may have wondered where one finds a freezer big enough to store a whale in, this is where: in the earth, which here is permafrost, frozen all the time. Each crew digs its own hole deep into the frost, widened out a bit at the bottom. Bruce Nukapigak descended into the ice …
Right at midnight, the crew hung the flag over the village baseball field, which then became the place of Nalukataq. The EMN crew was started by the late Edward Maniksaq Sr and his late wife Ruth in 1957. Family members believe the lower flag may have been sewn in that same year by Ruth. It …
About a week ago, EMN crew members cut bowhead meat and maktak (skin and blubber) into strips and pieces, placed them in these buckets in this cool, unheated room and came back every now and then to stir the mix and let the air in. It is now fermented mikigaq and is ready to be …
I planned to cook oatmeal after I finished that first coffee I mentioned, but Margie and Lynx still slept, so I decided to go to Abby’s instead – under my own leg power. Enroute, this Cessna passed overhead. My own little Citabria was still whole and in good flying condition the first time I set …
At Abby’s, I ordered a half pound cheeseburger, onion rings and Pepsi. Scrumptious! Abby makes the best cheeseburger and onion rings in Wasilla. The waitress then asked if I wanted a piece of pie and of course I did, but normally I would say “better not.” Today, after the bike ride, I said “okay but …
As a child, how many seemingly stranded little birds did I attempt to “rescue?” All died, every one. In February, I had major surgery to fix the damage another surgeon had unintentionally inflicted upon me two years ago and it flattened me. I have been working my way back and so took my first bicycle …
When school got out for summer vacation two or three weeks ago, almost all the Frequent School Buses disappeared. But now they are back – not as many nor as furiously frequent as before. Summer school, I guess, plus various athletic, scholastic and church camps young people get involved in during the summertime. I came …
Photo by Bill Hess. I did visit Scot’s grave, as Carmen suggested. A short distance away, I found this grave marked by no plaque, no stone, no identification – marked only by grief and love.
Photo by Cengiz Yar Jr. @hfwh for @burndiary. Photo: A Kurdish People Protection Unit (YPG) fighter stands guard at a frontline position in the war against The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Rojava Syria.
