Akiuk, Alaska

I simply can't resist showing you the village of Akiuk. I find it to be such a wonderful little hidden spot. This is what you will see when you enter our village. We travel by boat everywhere. There are no roads. I love riding in the boat. Our school has one boat, and one of the teachers has one. There are so many little inlets to travel. We have two villages close by: Akula and Nunapitchuk. Akula is across the river. It has the airport strip, post office, small grocery store, and hardware store. We have no store on our side of the river. That makes life tough when the river freezes up and when it breaks up. Travel is dangerous. The amount of time involved in freeze-up can be weeks. I'm not certain when freeze-up begins - sometime in early October, I believe.

Nunapitchuk is about three miles from here. The kids have told me that there is a restaurant here. I hope to wander over there before freeze-up. I've been told they serve burgers. I didn't ask what kind of meat is used, though.

Our mailing address is Kasigluk, Alaska. Kasigluk is composed of two villages: Akiuk, where I live, and Akula, across the river. Our total population is around 535 people, predominantly Yup'ik. In fact, English is spoken as a second language. I am learning to speak Yup'ik. I find it to be quite difficult. And, my teachers, who happen to be in kindergarten, will sometimes get impatient with me because they must repeat the words and syllables. Tonight one of my high school students said he would teach me hymns in Yup'ik. I think this will be a wonderful way to learn a language. We do have a church on our side of the river. It is a Moravian church, which is similar to a Baptist church. At the moment, our services are held at 7 PM Sunday evenings. Because we are a subsistence village, people need the time to work gathering food for winter. So, Sunday morning service just doesn't fit the needs of the people. I attend this church, and this is why he volunteered to help me learn the hymns. Our other church is across the river in Akula. It is a Russian Orthodox Church.

Our island village is small. To get to someone else's home you walk on the boardwalk. All homes are connected by this. The walk isn't long. It's only a matter of moments and you are at your destination. This is where I live. My door is on the right side. The front door is for Sue Nick, my neighbor. She has the larger side of the duplex. But I have the view. The Johnson River is behind my house. Sue is wonderful to have as a neighbor! Her children also go to school here. I must point out my propane tank. I do have heat and the ability to cook. No running water though.


The photo on the right is what I see to my right when I step on the boardwalk. The photo on the left is what I see when I walk a little bit around the bend to the left of my house.

As I said earlier, we have no running water. Instead, we use a honeybucket and/or an incinerator. I have both a honeybucket and incinerator. When I want to empty the honeybucket and incinerator, I have just a short walk to the black waste containers. It's not that bad now. But I think the short trip may be a little bit more challenging in icy conditions!

Dogs are very popular around here. We have many, many dogs. I know of no villager who has a cat. Animals are kept outdoors - period! Only the teachers have their dogs inside. Everyone else chains their dogs to its doghouse. I've been told that if a dog should bit or nip someone, it is shot. No questions asked. You might think most of these dogs are sled dogs, but they aren't. The most popular bred is a small terrier. Some of them are absolutely adorable! I do see the larger sled dogs, but I don't believe any are actually used as sled dogs. The snowmachines have replaced the dogs long ago! :)

The kids are pretty much like kids everywhere. They have their iPods, computers, bikes, basketballs, and backpacks. On a warm summy day, or a cool day, they are outside playing.Cell phones just came into the village last year. I have one and I have experienced many dropped calls. We are out in the Bush; it's hard to believe we even have cell phones. I know what you are thinking. Cell phones, internet service, cable tv, and yet no running water. Well. . . what can I say! I think Iwill leave the subject of running water to another day.

Here are some other shots of the village. Enjoy!

Here's a boat coming home.

The building on the right is the apartment building for the teachers. I don't live here. I'm in the duplex. This building has running water! It is the old school building.

This is our school. Notice how it is on pillars. Our land is perma frost. The pillars go deep into the ground.
This helps stabilize the building. Our school is also modular. It can be taken apart and moved if needed. Our land is slowly diminishing. It is believed that someday this community will be underwater.

On the left side of this photo, you can see the structure used for drying fish. This is done in the July. This family also has a vehicle. I'm not certain if it is still in use. We can use the river as a roadway once it freezes over. A few people in Akula do have trucks, but most people will rely on snowmachines.

Here are a few staff pictures. We had dinner together one evening. In the first photo is Carl, our principal, and Vicki and her father. Vicki's parents came to visit her for a week. They helped her set up her room and got to meet the staff. In the next photo is Paul and Deanna. They both teach high school and middle school. And, in the next photo is Denny, Tammy, and Karla. Tammy teaches 4th grade and Karla is our librarian. Denny is married to Karla. We are in Tammy and Pete's apartment. Tammy and Pete remodeled their apartment this summer. It is really nice. They live here year round.

That's it for the photos. I will post more later. :)