Alaska Adventure Day 10: Aqutak, how to skin a rabbit and more

Editor’s note: This is the tenth report in a series written by the Mt. Blue Middle School students who arrived in Anchorage, Alaska on Wednesday, Aug. 25 to begin a 10-day educational exchange trip. Teacher Tim Shumway, who returned to teach in Alaska, will serve as the students’ principle guide. To read an overview of the trip, click here.

By Victoria Newbill

Waking up this morning was kind of hard. We had to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual because we were planning on Skyping with the Cadillac Community eighth graders back at Mt. Blue. It was so nice seeing all my friends, and now I miss them even more.

Afterward, it was time to make Aqutak (pronounced AH-GOO-TAUK), also known as Eskimo ice cream. We were really excited. First we had to take the bones out of the fish (the salmon we caught earlier in the week) and squeeze the water out of them. We also had to clean the berries and pick out all the leaves. We took the Crisco and whipped it until it was fluffy. Next, we mixed the Crisco, fish, sugar, and berries. Mercedes Thomas, one of the students here and one of our aqutak-making teachers, told me that we had to flatten the aqutak and put a large cross in it so that it would be blessed.

When we finished, some of the students explained and showed us what certain kinds of furs are used for. My favorite fur is the beaver, because it’s so soft and it’s waterproof. Then, in Mr. Shumway’s class, we read the Alaska Native myths and legends. Myths have been used to teach children things like respect, obedience, patience, and other useful skills and attributes.

After lunch, all 10 of us went to the pre-school, primary, elementary classes and read with the little kids. I had a girl named Jaylean. She and I had been hanging out the entire week. I helped her read Green Eggs and Ham, and a couple of other small books. All of the kids in the school then gathered in the gym to watch Mr. Stahr, another teacher here, skin a rabbit. I saw and watched on the bleachers with Erin and our new friend Lisa Thomas.

Next, some of the students from Crooked Creek taught us the games they play for NYO, or the Native Youth Olympics. We got to compete in any of the games we wanted – one foot high kick, one arm reach, wrist carry, stick pull, and Eskimo leg wrestling. Erin and I kept competing, and she beat me in the lower body strength games, and I beat her in the upper body strength games.

After all the kids went home, we all hung out and played cards. Ms. Simpson, Rachel, and I help out the school by organizing and alphabetizing shelves in the library. Later, after a salmon feast, we had the students come back for a social. We ate the aqutak and talked, and then gathered on the bleachers to listen to stories from and elder, the village tribal president. The stories were about the culture and the different things they believe in.

Most of the girls we had been writing to for the entire year spent the night with us here at the school. We played and ran around, ate (real) ice cream, and watched a movie. Now, everything is winding down and it is much quieter. We all woke up this morning knowing we had to make the most of the time we had left here, and I’m pleased to say that I think I’ve reached that goal.