Lessons Learned at Fish Camp

In May, right when I was supposed to be traveling to the field, the ice kept me and my crew in Fairbanks for a few days. Around the same time, I called Don Charlie in Nenana to ask about ways I might share my research with Nenana village. He said, Our Tribal Council meeting is tomorrow, I can put you on the agenda. After a bit of thought, I agreed. On May 18, the very same day I was supposed to load my whole crew up in boats and set up camp on the lake, I drove down to Nenana's Tribal Hall and was invited to come to fish camp later that summer.

Flash forward to July, and I'm back in Nenana. I'm learning how to bead and make baskets, heating up tea on a fire, and laughing at the boys who have turned log splitting into a kind of game. I'm hearing wonderful stories, learning about the history of a place, and watching the Tanana River cruise by.  Eva Dawn Burke, who made this entire experience possible as the tremendous camp coordinator, is introducing people, telling stories, and loading the next activity out of her pickup, somehow all at once.

I feel in many ways like the seven days I spent over two weeks at Fish Camp taught me more than I had learned during my entire graduate school career about how people live in this amazing landscape. I got to share a little bit of my research by bringing out artifacts from the Bachner Site and obsidian for flint knapping. But mostly, I refilled tea and coffee cups, listened, and laughed with the fantastic folks who make up the Nenana community.

At the end of camp, a potlatch was held to honor the Elders and young people who made the camp possible. We enjoyed amazing traditional foods, like agutiq, whale blubber, smoked salmon, and moose stew. We saw many beautiful crafts get handed out to elders and volunteers. Despite the many challenges that face river communities like Nenana, their traditions showcase resilience and strength, flexibility and opportunity,  present in strong communities.

Sometimes, it really seems like the weather is trying to tell you something. This May, I think the cold weather was trying to say, Slow down! I'm glad I listened.

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