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CULTURAL IMPACT OF
THE EARLY AND MODERN FOREIGNER
Before pharaohs,
the early Native survived the lands and waters with primitive technology.
They had culture, history, tradition, philosophy, valid principles, and lessons
brought down from age-old techniques, survival skills, and taught the ancient
wisdom of Qaneryaraq - the Word or Oral Doctrine. They learned about Ellam Yua
(Person of the Universe), our Tangvagteput (One Who Watches), and laws relating
to social living, spiritual understanding, and their relationship to living
creatures and nature.
One day, a Shaman saw a dog team
with a foreigner coming from a far off land and investigated by spiritual means.
The stranger he saw was merely a man, a priest or missionary. But he saw
something wonderful, a brilliant light inside the sled, and went inside.
What he saw was the wisdom of Qaneryaraq
illuminated in written form, teachings of peace, love, and caring for one's
neighbor already in practice.
The idiosyncratic and cultural
indifference of the outsider brought the worst impacts. Historic
values were almost eradicated by missionaries and early schools. Threats
were made to strip children from parents if they were not brought to school.
Some priests also violated children. Not all priests were of such
character, but each of them human. Children endured physical punishment
for speaking their own language, and washed their mouth with soap, restricting
meals, or other racially motivated humiliation. They used scare tactics
saying they will "burn in hell" if they did not submit. Drums and dance
regalia were burned, and shamans were ridiculed and called "servants of the
devil". Illustrated material were shown with "devils and demons" to
convince people they were "heathen savages and devil worshipers".
Forced indoctrination and disrespect
to valuable history was being abolished by ill-founded methods under the guise
of spreading the Gospel. Natives accepted the Gospel, but were victimized
by overzealous missionaries to "advance
and conquest", and eliminate oral history,
cultural practice and moral belief. The greed of miners, fortune
seekers, and disease also caused devastation. Some churches made some
apology, but greed, disease and death will not.
Before missionaries, people buried
their dead above ground in boxes. The utensils, hunting tools, and
everything a person owned was placed above ground with the deceased, making easy
access to foreign looters. Houses were made of logs and sod, with a
portion of the dwelling build into the ground called Qas'giq. The people
lived together in close quarter. In the main communal house, when not
hunting or gathering, the men both young and old spend a part of their lives
together, where Qaneryaraq was taught.
Within Qaneryaraq was Yuyaraq (How
to Live), Pisungnaqsaraq (How to Hunt and Gather), Yungnaqsaraq or
Pingnaqsaraq (How to Strive to Live), Kenkucaaraq (Love and Respect),
Assingnaqsaraq (How to Strive for Good), Nepaicaraq (How to Have Peace), Nunam
Kencikllerkaa (How to Respect Land), Merem Kencikllerkaa (How to Respect Water),
Ungunsiim Pitarkaa (How the Animals Present Themselves), Cikiqengyaraq (How to
Give and Share), Anernerem Aiyuqucia (How the Spirit Lives), Ellangqengnaqsaraq
(How to Live Conscious)....and much more about life, the natural world,
spiritual living, and their relationship to Ellam Yua.
The women had smaller separate
family dwellings that also taught Qaneryaraq. The girls were taught their
role, while boys in their role at the Qas'giq. Today, we live above ground
in stick build houses, and bury our dead underground. We isolate our lives
from each other, with private ownership and separate indifference from one
another.
Children are taught in modern
schools today, with a new way of thinking under new hands. Hundreds come
with no inkling about the history and present condition of rural Alaska,
loaded with ideology, eccentricity, and the "No Child Left Behind". While
the western tools and knowledge becomes even more essential for the modern
Native, this generation authenticates the final assimilation.
Children are exposed to television,
game systems, and its insensitivity. "Television is a mind taker", one
Elder affirms, "It will steal your mind of what was good and turn it to evil".
What was sin and unnatural and an abomination thousands of years ago remains so
today. All of the laws, declarations, sitcoms, music and news stories promoting
homosexuality; adultery or sensuality will never make it less so.
Ellam Yua declares "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put
darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet
for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20).
Modern policy and economic devices
are driven by capital gain as god. There is nothing left to seize down
states. Will we become this disposable and relentless insatiable society?
A social order with chameleon laws to satisfy instant gratification, and the
unquenchable thirst to conquer and exploit? Will we guarantee anything for
the future?
The
future of rural Alaska urges the modern Native to give increased effort to
counteract, through unending education, sensible investment, historic and
cultural compatibility, specialized foundations, organizations and genuine
policy. Where ever the responsibility, history still lives. Children will
bring a renewed honor to Ellam Yua, the lands and culture.
John Oscar, Atsaq
|
- Final Report. Finding by the commission relating to past,
present and future Native Affairs. An
overview and summary of the Commission's substantial work, compiled through
hearings, research and deliberations brought forth by Alaska's Native People.
- What the Commission Found.
- by Valerie Walters, Student.
1867-Present. Presentation by major events, policies and dates.
-
by
Murray Lunderg. The 1884 Organic Act.
-
by Paul Ongtooguk. Alaska Native / Native American Bibliography. For
teachers and university faculty who are not specialists about
Alaska Natives
- University of Alaska. Students were
humiliated and physically punished.
- Civilizing the Savage
