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Always Getting Ready
Yup'ik Eskimo Subsistence in Southwest Alaska
Photographs from James Barker's book on the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta
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Seals' Month, Kittiwakes' Season
Lola Evan, Peter Evan, Wassillie Evan, and David E. David from Kwethluk. 001
Seals' Month, Kittiwakes' Season
John Abraham and George Chimugak, Toksook Bay seal hunters, study ice conditions.002
Nelson Island hunters push through the ice toward open water.024
Thomas Akerelrea, Scammon Bay, seal hunting.025
Simeon and Paul John pull a bearded seal onto an ice pan, Nelson Island.026
Prevented from seal hunting by ice conditions, Willie Hanson, John Chikigan, and Richard Agayar, all from Alakanuk, fish for tomcod.027
Successful seal hunters return home to Tununak.028
Martina Phillip skins her husband Joe’s seal, Alakanuk.029
Women of a Tununak family conduct a seal party, in which a young man’s first bearded seal is distributed.031
Blaise Tinker and Tom Tunutmoak in a firebath. Scammon Bay. The grass mothpieces filter the smoke.032
Leonard Raymond of Stebbins butchers a walrus.039
Frances Usugan holder dried seal gut, Toksook Bay.040
Birds Have Young, Breakup
Smelt Running Season
Phillip Foxie mending a salmon net, Kotlik.054
Hauling water from snow melt, Umkumiut.056
John Joseph and Joe Lincoln pulling nets in bad weather, Toksook Bay.057
Clifford and Bernie Tom pulling in a plugged herring net, St. Michael.058
Sophie Amadeus covering fish, Umkumiut fishcamp.059
Louise Kanrilak braiding herring with grass, Tununak.060
Wearing a seal gut parka, Jesse Paul from Kipnuk collects herring eggs deposited on seaweed, Nelson Island.061
Herring on dring racks, Toksook Bay.062
Ella Tulik taking down dried herring, Umkumiut fishcamp.063
Clara Akagtak storing dried herring, Umkumiut fishcamp.064
Simeon Tulik watches Sam Anthony play Lappball. Umkumiut.065
Pulling barrles of rendered seal oil to the boat, Umkumiut fishcamp.066
Evening clouds over Nelson Island.067
King Salmon
Salmon drying at the Hoover fishcamp near Bethel.074
Charles Hanson salmon fishing on the Yukon River, Alakanuk.075
Cutting and drying salmon, Black River fishcamp077
Repairing a salmon net, Black River fishcamp.080
"Scare-gull" made of a qaspeq on a fish rack, Bethel.081
Pulling a beluga whale onto shore, Black River fishcamp.082
Mike Uttereyuk butchering beluga, Black River fishcamp.083
Mike Kaganak and his daughter Alice at Black River fishcamp, talking by VHF radio to Scammon Bay.084
Marie Hoover with her niece and nephew, Samantha and Nicholas, at fishcamp.085
Store workers offloading supplies, Sheldon’s Point.086
Byron Hunter, Elia Charlie, and Oscar Rivers, Fourth of July at Black River fishcamp.087
Helen, Maggie, and Shirley Wasuli picking salmonberries, Kotlik.091
Harvey Alexie, Mountain Village.092
Charles Phillip, Kuskokwim river pilot.093
Harpoon tip.097
"Chuki" (Lucy) George, Umkumiut fishcamp.099
Ponds Freeze, Worst of the Moon
Alan Hanson and Joseph Smith resetting a blackfish trap, Alakanuk.105
Bringing in firewood, Bethel.106
Storm in Bethel.108
Elvina Turner, a nurse, visiting Lucy Link, Bethel.109
Watching dancing at the Tundra Fest, Chevak.110
Kwethluk Health Aide Betty Guy with Molly Owens of Akiak, at Kwethlu.111
Pete Abruska and Sinka Sakar at winter trapping camp.112
Father Guest blesses the waters for a prosperous fishing season in the coming year, Napaskiak.114
Time of Going Around, Time of Drumming
St. Mary’s men receiving potlatch gifts of akutaq and frozen salmon, Pilot Station.122
Jimmy Paukan of St. Mary’s and Raphael Jimmie and Gregory Joe, Sr. of Mountain Village, drumming at the Pilot Station potlatch.124
Edward Aguchak with Scammon Bay dancers.125
Magdalene Hoelscher of Hooper Bay joins Joe Ayagarak, Jr. and the Chevak dancers, Mountain Village126
Martina John, Paul Agimuk, and Francis Usugan, Toksook Bay dancers, at the St. Mary’s dance festival.127
Kirt Bell from Hooper Bay sings "Goodnight, Ladies" as he leaves an evening of dancing.128
Mary Ann Sundown (left) of Scammon Bay dances with Helen H. Smith, Katherine Bell, and Magdalene Hoelscher, all of Hooper Bay, at Cama-i (greetings) Dance Festival. Bethel.129
Andrew Evan and Robert Joe watch dancers, Mountain Village.133
Norbert Beans, Mountain Village.135
Theresa Charles, Cama-i Dance Festival, Bethel.138