Eskimo Dancing

Thank you to the leader of the Diomede drummers and dancers, Chris, for giving me permission to post this video.

moonlit morning

everything still and quiet

Thanksgiving Festivities

 

Thanksgiving Dinner for the entire community.

 Sistuq tried to teach me how to eskimo dance!

Grandma Alice, one of the beloved elders in the community.

 One of the sweet 1st-graders. Every time she sees me, she says, "I love you, Miss Beck!"

 The drums are made with walrus skin and ivory handles. The men have to spray water on the drums in between songs to keep them from getting too dry. The mittens and gloves on the floor are used for the dances.

 Relaxing on the gym floor, listening to eskimo music.

 One of the 10th-grade girls. She aspires to see the world, specifically Fiji. She is a smart cookie too!

 The Diomede Eskimo drummers and dancers. They are amazing!

 Teaching one of the teachers how to eskimo dance.

 One of the students. His love for eskimo dancing and singing is evident.

 Sweet smiles. Our principal made these kuspuqs for the all the girls kindergarten through 7th grade.

 This man works at the post office and is the father of one of our seniors. He went to Moscow in '84, so we compare our Moscow stories. He also was a part of the Bering Sea Friend Expedition in the '80s. He knows a lot about the history of Diomede and is a great resource whenever we have questions about the island.

Teaching the younger girls.

Thank you, Amy!

I have good friends. Really good friends.

polar opposites

This is a shout out to my super-cool friend Margaret who is currently working at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. I'm a little jealous that she has access to underwater observation tubes. Why can't Diomede have such things?

I might be a little biased...

I

but pumpkin bread tastes SO much better than muskox soup.

Compare & Contrast Weather

From Cnn Weather.

earthquake

See that? That's straight from the U.S. Geological Survey. Magnitude 4.3. I realize that's not that strong of an earthquake, but was I supposed to feel this? 'Cause...I didn't feel a thing. Then again, our house has been shaking for the past few days due to the wind, so maybe I am just used to it.