- Grace

The Best of Both World

By Grace Belew

         For Harold Wilson, a native Alaskan, growing up in Nondalton, Alaska was never easy but, by speaking to this unique man, one gets the feeling that he is very proud of his heritage.
Wilson grew up in a very tight knit family, the youngest of ten siblings. His family frequently kept the Athabascan culture and tradition alive, even in these modern times. “In home life it’s very hard not to go modern, but we were traditional. It’s also hard not to be traditional in rural Alaska,” Wilson said. In his community it is vital that the community members provide for the town, just like it has been for generations. In Athabascan culture, the worst punishment possible is to be exiled from the community and be unable to help provide for them. Wilson told me a story of when he caught his first moose and how devastated he was when he was required to share his prized catch with the entire community. “The first kill of a young hunter was given entirely to the community, you didn’t get to keep any,” Wilson said.
In Wilson’s hometown the community members carried on the traditions of the past by teaching their children about the way in which they preserved food. When Wilson caught his first moose he had to learn more about this specific tradition. “In earlier days, about 80% of our food was smoked and dried. The easiest way to preserve it was in a food cache, we had caches 5-6 feet underground, into the permafrost,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s family and community, like their ancestors, depend on natural resources. They hunt and fish just like old Athabascan tribes did, but have the convenience of easy to travel. “Our lifestyle was very dependent on the land we lived off of. Still today, we do a lot of traveling (20-70 miles a day) to do this, it was made much easier by modern transportation,” Wilson said.          He and his family live in a very modern house with two stories, internet, and satellite. For Wilson and his family their modern home didn’t affect the way they maintained tradition. Products around Wilson’s home are exceedingly expensive, such as milk, costing $9.00 per gallon. In many aspects, it’s easier for the natives to provide for themselves the way they know best, instead of spending an excessive amount of money. “
         Harold Wilson really does have the best of both worlds. Not only is he enriched by his native culture, he’s also experienced in modern ways and has the skills needed to thrive in today’s changing world.