Culture Week

So, this week was Culture Week at the school.  Because it was the first week of moose hunting, we were going to have a lot of absences.  So, the staff decided that, instead of fighting absences and make-up work, we would alter our curriculum to fit the needs of our community.  We allowed students who wanted to go moose hunting to go out (and even offered adults a fuel stipend for each student they took out on a cultural activity).  For the kids that came to school, we had activities that were culturally relevant as well.

Peeled poles for the fish racks

One of the finished fish racks

With the middle school and high school kids on Monday and Tuesday, we built a fish rack in the morning.  In the afternoons, we had elders come in and talk with the students.  

On Wednesday, the kids went down and split fish with ulus (traditional Alaskan knives) in the morning, and then we went berry picking the in afternoon.  

A selection of ulus

Splitting fish with an ulu

A rack full of split fish

Thursday, the weather was bum in the morning, so we had the kids work on pictures slideshows of this week the morning.  Then the older kids taught the elementary kids NYO (Native Youth Olympics) events.  They taught them the events below.  (I’ll do my best to explain how they work.  Unfortunately, I don’t want to post pictures with my students’ faces because I don’t have their permission to do so.  Instead I’ve posted links, in case my description doesn’t make sense.)  On Friday, we had a small NYO event for the elementary kids to show off their skills to the community, then we had a big potluck to finish off the week.  It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun!

NYO Events

• Kneel Jump - Kids start down on their knees.  They use their arms as leverage to jump up and forward onto their feet.  The goal is to land on both feet, with as much distance as possible.
• Stick Pull - Two kids start out sitting, facing each other.  Their feet are propped against one another.  They are holding on to the same stick (they take turns with their hands either on the inside or outside so it’s fair).  They pull on the stick until they pull their opponent completely towrads them or their opponent lets go.
• Seal Hop - Kids start out in a push up position (usually, girls have their hands flat on the ground, and boys are on their knuckles.  For our purposes and the age of the kids we were working with, we only taught them with their hands flat on the ground).  The kids hop across the floor in this position.  If you were really being judged, your butt would have to stay down.  Time doesn’t matter, only distance.

All these kicks require a little set up.  There is a ball (about the size of a softball) attached to a string, which is hanging over the top of our basketball hoops.  The other end of the string is attached to a weight which is placed on the floor so the height of the ball can be adjusted.

• Alaskan High Kick - First, the kids sit on the floor, facing the ball.  They hold one foot with the opposite hand (e.g. they hold their left foot with their right hand).  They balance on their other hand and kick the ball with the foot they are not holding.  The height of the ball is raised after each kick until the competitor can no longer kick the ball.
• One Foot High Kick - This one usually has a small running start.  The kids jump straight into the air, bending their kicking leg and kicking the ball.  They have to land on the same foot they kicked with, and keep their balance.  
• Two Foot High Kick - Very similar to the one foot high kick.  This one, kids jump with both feet, keep their feet together to kick the ball, and land on both feet, keeping their balance.