Nothing could be better than a few feathers in the mouth. Nolan is so happy to break the winter doldrums with a few retrieves. He will even put up with riding in the snow go sled to get a few birds. We saw thousands of birds and came home with two.
Monthly Archives: April 2009
Ptarmigan Gang
A sure sign of spring is a a gang of ptarmigan in the tundra. They are moving out of the mountains and out to the tundra to feed on tundra tea, berries and willow buds. There’s a little hanky panky going on too. Which makes them quite vulnerable to modern weaponry. Yummm!
Coffee Stand
The Mocha Latte’ craze is alive in Bethel. This is the BABS (Bethel Area Boarding School) business enterprise. They do a brisk business in the morning! Thank Goodness for small pleasures :-)
Camai:First Dance
Camai means Hello. It is also the name of the annual Dance Festival in Bethel. Dancers from around the world are invited to perform at this spring gathering. Inviting other villages to dance is a traditional Yupik activity. Each village has their own group, styles and songs.
The students in this photo are dancing their “first dance”. Notice the fur that they are standing on. This signifies a first dance. There are many customs, including a giveaway that go along with this tradition.
This is a happy festival where relatives from across the delta can visit with friends and family from other villages. Dancers from as far away as Sudan performed. Cloggers, break dancers, karate students, and ballroom dancers took their turn on the stage as well.