I was fortunate enough to spend a week at a summer camp called Dig Afognak. It is run by the Native Village of Afognak. They put on three different weeks of camp, each with a different theme for kids in Kodiak to learn more about the Alutiiq culture and history. I attended Earth/Harvesting camp, but they also have a survivor camp and a music/language camp this summer. Most of the kids who attend are Native, and there were a variety of different presenters and teachers who taught the kids sewing, carving, group games, how to harvest plants, bear safety, zipline, and language. My job was to escort a group of kids (ages 9-14) through the different activities, but I got to participate in each activity alongside the kids. I also slept in the kids' dorm along with 3 other teachers so we could help them at night if they needed anything. This was such an amazing experience! It was humbling to be a student again. I think it's safe to say that I am a bit of a slow learner, and that I am decently unskilled in many areas (I actually stabbed myself in the leg with a carving knife while trying to carve my paddle). I was amazed at how hard it was for me to remember the sounds in the Alutiiq alphabet, or retain Alutiiq vocabulary words for more than 45 seconds. It was a great reminder that learning is hard, and I am hoping that it turns me into an even more patient and accommodating teacher this fall.
One of my favorite parts of the camp was being able to watch everyone process the animals after each hunt. Since I am not native, I didn't participate in the hunts, but each time something was shot, it was brought back to the beach and everyone pitched in with helping clean and process the animal. It was fascinating. In the picture below, some of the adults are cutting the coat off of two of the sea otters that were hunted that morning. In all, 8 sea otters, one seal, 11 fish, and 3 deer were caught this week. Marya showed me how to scrape the extra muscle layer off of the seal intestines. They can be used to make rain gear!
My favorite single moment at camp was one evening when we gathered on the beach to learn some Alutiiq songs and dances. There is a group of young men and women who dance and sing, and a couple of them were at camp with us, so they led us through some of the songs. We learned one about seal hunting (my new favorite), one about a whale giving itself as a gift to a village, a banya song, one about a spear being returned to the people, and countless others. I felt very lucky to be included in this celebration of culture.
But this was just day one, and there are a lot more experiences to share..
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