Mountain Village elders visit with Scammon Bay School students

FELICIA WASSILLIE

May 15, 2008 at 1:03PM AKST

For two weeks Scammon Bay School had two visitors: Raphael and Vivian Jimmy. Both were raised in Nunam Iqua (Sheldon Point) and live in Mountain Village.
While visiting Scammon Bay School, Raphael and Vivian talked with students from grades kindergarten to 12 about their Yup’ik culture.

Respecting parents and elders was one of their first lessons to the students. They said that every child should respect his or her parents, because they kept us warm and well-fed since we were babies. Parents are our first teachers, they said. Children should not talk back to their parents.

They also emphasized the importance of listening to parents. Raphael said that once children stop listening to their parents, they begin to regret, and regretting is not part of the Yup’ik culture. Young people need to listen to and show respect to what their parents and elders tell them to do.

Long ago our elders did not get the education that we have today. Raphael told the students that every child should obey his or her teachers, as they should obey their parents.

He told the children that the education that they have today is very good. He said that it’s much better than what he had when he was a kid. He said that a good education could make people successful in every aspect of their lives. The main thing he emphasized was that if you have no education, you have no future.

Another presentation was about the qasgiq. The qasgiq was a traditional meeting house for both boys and girls to come and listen to an elder speak. After everyone met in the house, they locked the door with a wood bar so that no one could go out. The speaker would not allow any horseplay in the qasgiq.

They said that if a person goes out while in the qasgiq, he or she doesn’t want to listen to the instructions of life and won’t live a long life. Raphael spoke about how a good listener will learn and live a long life.

One of the many crafts that Raphael made while he was in Scammon Bay was a wooden fish trap. The crafting of a wooden fish trap is a lost art in our Native culture. Raphael finished the fish trap in about two days.

He made the trap without the use of modern tools. He showed many young boys and girls the way to make the fish trap with just the use of his hands and mouth. It was interesting to watch him work, and hopefully some students will want to learn more about the art of the wooden fish trap.

Raphael and Vivian Jimmy would like to share their knowledge and skills with everyone. Those interested in having them present at a school can contact the Lower Yukon School District’s main office at (907)
591-2411.

Felicia Wassillie is an 11th-grade student at Scammon Bay School.