Lights of The Caribou
BY LELA OMAN
( Continued from last issue >
“We traveled many days fol
lowing the range of mountains be
tween Kobuk and Noatak. When
midwinter came we passed head
of Noatak River. At night when it
was clear we went out to watch
for aurora borealis, but there
was no sign of them. We knew
when the skies are clear the cari
bou were under these bright
streaks of light. So, we called
them ‘Lights of the Caribou’.
“I have never known the coun
try become so barren than it did
these months. This mountainous
wilderness was hard packed down
with snow and downy with many
flakes of frost. Not a living thing
we found that we could kill for
food.
“The dried fish and berries
were rationed among us, and we
had one meal a day. Soon we were
given as little as a couple of ber
ries. I could see that everyone
was losing weight. The clothes we
wore hung loose on our bodies.
Still we traveled north, not know
ing that we might come back
down this trail.
“Finally one night we saw the
aurora borealis north of us! Under
them we knew were a herd of
caribou. They shone down bright
ening the whole sky, although
there was no moon that night.
Older ones said that they were far
away. That the food would not
last us that long. The hope that
we had was not with us that
night. Thinking that we might
come upon many caribou around
the bend of the mountain had
kept us going. Aurora borealises,
Lights of the Caribou, looked very
far that night. Our most anxious
night.
“We sat around on the snow,
quietly, by our skin tent. In the
pit of my stomach I felt hollow
ness. When, finally, I took my
eyes away from the bright streaks
of light, I saw loose snow slither
ing by in harmony with the whis
pering soft breeze. Will this im
personal, ghostly, moving snow
make mounds of snowbanks start
ing from our frozen bodies? Or
will we somehow survive this
cruel, frozen world and see our
Kobuk again? Not one of us knew.
“‘Here we are facing a certain
death, with a so-called ahngott
kook (medicine doctor) among us!’
Bessie, the most outspoken one,
taunted. Will she start a quarrel
at this desperate moment!
“ ‘Kahruk (Doctor Charlie), I
challenge you! If you perform to
night, Bessie and I will make you
clothes with fine stitches and fan
cy trimmings. Make the caribou
come nearer.’ Kind-hearted Han
ah begged her husband for a mir
acle. I knew she felt sorry for
him, but there was no one to turn
to.
“ ‘I better try—taking a chance
will not hurt.’ Doctor Charlie an
swered with no confident airs.
What he was about to do was no
child’s play. When he performed,
it was always absolutely neces
sary. A man of few words, true,
humble, and kind. Still capable of
great performances in helping his
people. In the past his instructions
given wisely were obeyed without
questions. He was very good
looking, not yet thirty years old.
And was already full-pledged
medicine doctor. Not self-appoin
ted nor did his parents, who had
died while he was very young,
plan for him to be. But he was
picked out by the spirits of his
dead ancestors. To carry on the
power which had been theirs in
life.
“In the large skin tent, with an
open fire burning in the middle,
we sat in silence. Waiting for the
three younger children to fall
asleep.
“Doctor Charlie sat on a brown
bear rug close to the fire, puffing
up smoke from his long home
made pipe.
“When the three children were
sound asleep in their sleeping
bags, Doctor Charlie asked for
his drum, which Hanah unpacked
from a large sealskin bag. Along
with a long, thick oogrukskin
rope.
“At first his song had no words,
just a hum and ‘eeyah-yah.’ As he
sat softly beating on the drum, I
could hear him mentioning a
name now and then.
“ ‘Many of our ancestors were
strong ahngott-kooks (medicine
doctors), I know their souls walk
this earth. Will somebody among
them hear us calling for help?’
His body now was shaking as he
sang louder and he commenced to
jump around the now dying em
bers of the fire. Skin tent shook
with the vibrations of his drum,
and inhuman cries came from his
throat. He looked like now he was
not responsible for the actions of
his body. And all of a sudden he
became quiet and asked to be tied
with the skin rope.
“Hanah, familiar with the pro
cedure of the performance, lit his
pipe and gave it to him. She also
tied a short doubled rope around
the handle of a little hatchet and
set it on the dirt floor. Charlie
was sitting down now and my
father at the other end, started
straining towards the opposite
directions. The rope was tight and
there with it .tied around his neck,
sat Charlie, calmly puffing smoke
holding his pipe with one hand.
“Hanah, I knew, did not dare
look at her husband. What if
something went wrong!
“ ‘Wheezz—wheezz, not tight
enough. You have more strength
than that!’ Doctor Charlie was
choking when the rope slackened
a little. I could hear his lungs
and throat laboring with the
nerve-racking ‘wheezz.’ Like in a
tug of war I saw the rope tighten
until I thought that it would
break. Now he was smoking com
fortably, with a peaceful smile on
his face. The four struggled to
keep the rope tight for what
seemed an endless time. Choking
so many times now he seemed
like he had a mammoth’s strength.
Bessie kept flashing her large
brown eyes at him. Perhaps she
was putting all the pent-up hatred
into her strength. She and Hanah
might have been good friends un
der different circumstances. Many
of her unpleasant troublemaking
had been caused by this man that
was being hard to kill. Yet, very
very hard to kill, while taking it
calmly! Not paying attention to
the straining four persons unless
the rope slackened a little.
“At last his head hung limply
on his chest, pipe still intact in
his mo'tlth. Hanah felt for his pul
ses and shook her head. Father
had some trouble untying the
rope. It was tied on nothing but
his neck skin. Neck was broken.
Now they stretched him out by the
open fire, which mother had
stirred and laid more firewood on,
and covered him with an old
oogruk skin which had been used
to cover kyak.
“Soon after, we heard happy
shouts by the sky-light which was
open so the smoke could escape
without filling up the room.
Shouts, like people make when
happily dancing, in Kahruk’s
voice. His soul was free from this
cumbersome body, which cannot
leave the ground, and was now
stretched out lifeless. In a mo
ment his voice died away towards
the North. He was traveling
through the air. I tried to see him
with my mind. His shouts were
happy shouts of glorious freedom.
Was be traveling towards the
bright streaks of light now? How
long will he be away? I imagined
him to be traveling fast, in this
blue cold night, like no one can.
“Any of you asleep yet?” We all
answered “No” at once. Many
nights my father had put us to
sleep with stories. When one child
goes to sleep, he would stop. I
remember now so many stories I
never saw the ending of. “Last
night you had to go to sleep when
the story became very interest
ing!” I was often scolded by my
sisters and brothers. “I didn’t
know when I fell asleep,” I would
shamefully answer. Now I tried to
rub the sand out of my eyes. Per
haps, if I sit up I would stay
awake. No, I did not dare, my
father would not like it. The yel
low playing light ceased to play
at the ceiling.
(To be concluded)
f-.-.... .’
RADIO PROGRAM
ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE — NOME FIELD
_____J
Monday
4:05—Baseball Game
6:00—News
6:15—Sports News
6:30—Revenuers’ Romp
7:30—Stroke of Fate
8:00—Bud’s Bandwagon
8:30—Father Knows Best
9:00—Arthur Godfrey
9:30—FBI in Peace & War
10:00—Gordon MacRae
10:30—Bob and Ray
11:00—News
11:15—Sports Final
11:30—One Night Stand
12:00—Music from the Nite
1:00—Sign Off
T uesday
6:26—Sign On
6:30—Smiley Burnette
6:45—Rise and Shine
7:00—News
7:15—Rise and Shine
8:00—News
8:05—Rise and Shine
8:30—Morning Devotions
8:45—Ronnie Kemper
9:00—Tennessee Ernie
9:15—Dave Garroway
9:30—Coffee Concert
10:00—Fred Waring
10:30—Personal Album
10:45—Curt Massey
11:00—Bill Ring
11:15—Morning Melodies
11:30—Piano Portraits
11:45—Strike It Rich
12:00—At Ease
12:15—Today’s the Day
12:30—Platter Parade
1:00—Lum and Abner
1:15—Hillbilly Jamboree
2:00—News
2:15—Let’s Go to Town
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—News
4:05—Baseball Game
6:00—News
6:15—Sports News
6:30—Revenuers’ Romp
7:30—Last Man Out
8:00—Bud’s Bandwagon
8:30—Junior Miss
9:00—Groucho Marx
9:30—Six Shooter
10:00—American Music Hall
10:30—B:b and Ray
11:00—News
11:15—Sports Final
11:30—One Night Stand
12:00—Music from the Nite
1:00—Sign Off
Wednesday
6:26—Sign On
6:30—Smiley Burnette
6:45—Rise and Shine
7:00—News
7:15—Rise and Shine
8:00—News
8:05—Rise and Shine
8:30—Morning Devotions
8:45—Ronnie Kemper
9:00—Tennessee Ernie
9:15—Dave Garroway
9:30—Coffee Concert
10:00—Fred Waring
10:30—Personal Album
10:45—Curt Massey
11:00—Bill Ring
11:15—Morning Melodies
11:30—Music from S. Amer.
11:45—Dude Martin
12:00—At Ease
12:15—Today’s the Day
12:30—Platter Parade
1:00—Lum and Abner
1:15—Hillbilly Jamboree
2:00—News
2:15—Johnny Mercer
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—News «
4:05—Baseball Game
(AFRS program schedules subject to change without notice.)
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Nome Directory
ROTARY CLUB
OF NOME
James Walsh, Pres.
George Bayer, Secty.
Thursday Luncheon
Northwestern Alaska
Chamber of Commerce
MEETS
EVERY TUESDAY NOON
BOYD HARWOOD, President
ALASKA CHAPTER HO. 1
Order of Eastern Star
Meets the third Monday of each month.
Jane Perkins
Worthy Matron
Evelyn Branson
Secretary
LESLIE A. STEVENS
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
—4t>6 First Ave. West, Nome, Alaska—
10 to x2 A.M. - 1 to 5 Pm.
Phone Main 82 — P.O. Box 208
ANVIL LODGE
No. 145
John Cooley, W.M.
y' Norvin W. Lewis, Secy.
Meets 1st and 3rd Thursday each month.