Pilot Bread

When it comes to food, we can get almost anything. There are quite a few companies that specialize in Bush delivery. But it tends to be expensive. A loaf of bread can cost $8.59 and that wouldn't include shipping costs. I was asked if there was any food that was different here. Well, not really, but there are a few foods that are unique to the area. Salmon is quite plentiful and is usually dried into strips. It's sort of like a jerky. Each family tends to dry the salmon just a little bit differently from each other. The end result is wonderful. I must admit I do like salmon strips.

Another item that is unique to Alaska is Pilot Bread. Ask any Alaskan if he has had Pilot Bread, and I am certain he would laugh. Who hasn't? But to describe its taste is a little more difficult. It's called bread and then in small print it's called crackers. It looks like crackers. It has a faint sweet taste. Yet, the texture is neither bread nor cracker. So, what is it? Some say it's hardtack. And, I think I would agree with them.

We serve Pilot Bread for breakfast here at school. Our cook Annie puts peanut butter on it for the students. I could always try it at school, but our school breakfast costs $2.50 So instead, I bought a few boxes of Pilot Bread while I was in Bethel at a cost of $5.79 a box. I tried it out at home. I took a cracker/slice of bread/piece of hardtack and covered it with peanut butter. Then I added honey to it. Wow! This was really good. Now we would never serve it with honey at school, but at home that's what I do. I have it for breakfast or as dessert. I really like it. I have even had Pilot Bread plain, but I probably wouldn't recommend it that way. I liked it, but I tend to like starchy kinds of food. I'm that kind of girl.

Pilot Bread is a staple here in the village. I think it's unique to Alaska. I consider it to be a suvival type of food. Properly stored, it will last a long time. I have only two boxes at home. Next time I'm in Bethel, I think I better buy a few more boxes for my cache.

Welcome to the World

Welcome to the world, Jonathan. One of our teachers had a baby October 15, a few weeks ago. He is beautiful, precious, and priceless. And, he arrived in our village just a week ago. One doesn't have a baby in the village. You go to Anchorage to do that. At about eight months in the pregnancy, a woman goes to Anchorage to await the birth. The closest city to us is Bethel. It has a hospital, but if something should go wrong, mother and child would have to travel to Anchorage. Thus, to be on the safe side, everyone goes to Anchorage.

Jonathan's name was chosen with care. He has his English name, Jonathan Hosea, and he has his Yup'ik name Uqsungaq. As per tradition, Jonathan's Yup'ik name was the name of a man who recently died. If a person dies just before a baby is born, that is the name chosen. A second Yup'ik name could be given for any number of reasons. Jonathan's second Yup'ik name is Pugleqaq. This man is also deceased, and Jonathan was born on his birthday. Thus, to pay respect to this man and family, Jonathan was given a second Yup'ik name. Many children have two or three Yup'ik names. It's not unusual for us to have a number of students with the same name in school. That only means their birthdays are close.

What is unusual to an outsider is that the family of the deceased will address the child as if he/she were the deceased. For example, Jonathan's sister Claire has the Yup'ik name of Qerrat'aq. This was the name of our first grade teacher Fannie's mother. Fannie's mother died right before Claire was born. Now when Fannie asks about Claire, she does not refer to her as Claire but rather as Mother. - How's my mother? - She is asking how Claire is but refers to her as Mother. If Fannie should walk by Claire, she would say Hello Mother rather than Hello Claire At first, it is a little startling. But it is simply a way of showing respect to the deceased.

The Yup'ik name tends to be handed down from generation to generation. You can actually identify the area a person is from just based on his Yup'ik name. All my students have English names and Yup'ik names. Each knows for whom they were named. Family is very important here and remembering the deceased is equally important.

Welcome to the village, Jonathan Hosea Uqsungaq Pugleqaq Schneidler. This is an amazing place to be. You will be loved by not only your family but your extended families, too. May your life be wonderful as you grow up in the Bush.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is very popular in Akiuk. It's a holiday everyone seems to enjoy. Plus, it is a welcome diversion during freeze-up. Our Halloween activities began on Friday during the day. Our younger students made masks and wore them with their kaspeqs. The masks were laminated and looked so nice.


Then in the evening they returned at 5:30 to get ready for the parade and carnival. The students all met in Fannie's room and received their number. Right at 6, we went to the gym for the parade. The community sat in the bleachers while the students walked around the gym. The judges certainly had a tough time picking the winners. Here are some of the competitors:











It's family affair! Anyone can dress up and be in the parade of costumes. Here's Fannie, her son , and her daughter (a school board member), and her grandchildren.




The parade begins!





A dance was performed by the younger students while we counted the votes for the best costumes.



The winners are announced! Here's one. Paul was dressed like a little old lady who liked to move and dance a bit. He was a real hit!


After the winners were announced, the Carnival began! Here we have a child under two on her father's back holding a cup of water. Make it to the finish line and you're the winner! In the second game, we blindfolded the adults and threw candy on the floor. The one who found the most candy won a prize. In the last photo Curtis is holding his daughter. She must decide: Do I want the candy or the money? The candy almost always won!




The games continued until 10 PM. When the games began, I opened the student store. We were swamped! It was a late night, but everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.

The next day was Halloween and Haunted School House! Ah, yes, the dreaded Haunted School! We spent the morning decorating. At 1 in the afternoon, the trick or treating began. I hurried home for that and then returned to school at 4 for more decorating! Here are some photos of the day!



The little ones get tired going through the entire village, so a sled works just fine for them! All in
all, I had eighty trick or treaters and all of them said, "Quyana!" (thank you)

Here are a few of the kids at my house:







Now I must point out in this last picture that the girl is wearing her Carhartt bibs over her down jacket and still looks good! This is the way your bibs are worn here- especially if they are Carhartt.

Once 4 o'clock came, it was time to go back to school and get ready for the Haunted School House. We decorated five classrooms, the library, and the hallway. There were also games in the gym for the community. We opened the Haunted School from 7:30 to 9:30. My room was the haunted pre-school. I have a separate little room in my classroom where the preschoolers have class. We had lights leading into the room, but it was empty. We either snuck up behind people or scared them as they walked out the door of the preschool.


It was pretty funny watching the adults walk through the haunted school. Many of the women just held on to each other. What grandmothers won't do for their grandchildren! Anyway, at the end of the night, we opened the haunted school up to the little ones and we took them through as one big group with the lights are on. We were told to keep everything else the same, so I did. (Okay, I should have known better.)


My room was the first room visited. I used my lovely witch voice and told them to "Come on in. Don't be afraid. No one is in the preschool room." I kept saying "Oh. . . don't be afraid. . .no one is in the room." And, they all stood at the door and wouldn't go in. So, I finally said, "Look up at the door" and I did my witch cackle. I had a student with a wolf face peering over the door. So, I thought I would lead them in a scream. Well, they did scream. Then, they all took off running and two started crying. They kept screaming something about a witch. Oh well, we gathered them up again, removed the crying ones, and took the brave ones through the rest of the haunted school.


The next day at clean up one of my boys asked me to do the witch voice again. So, I did. And, he wanted to hear it again. So, I did it again and again. Finally, he looked at me quite puzzled and asked, Why do you keep talking about a dog? (I'll get you my pretty . . . and, your little dog, too!) So. . . here's the Haunted School House!

Carla, the librarian. The boys who were my helpers. And, Paul walking down the hallway.

The last photo shows Carla going into my infamous haunted preschool!






It was a successful weekend. We all have good memories of a good time.