Alaska native Denny Akeya - whose Eskimo name is Yava - offers us "a recipe for cultural survival" in his latest offering God Created the Heaven and the Earth, Including Me, says Ian Mcintosh, Director of Cultural Survival. This short book is a girl for future generations of Alaskans - so they will not forget the old ways. The illustrated text describes how skin clothing is made, how green plants are stored for winter, the etiquette of sharing meat with other hunters, how to test the ice before walking on it, and so on. Denny was born in the village of Savoonga, Alaska, and has written down for the first time the lessons, rules and regulations he learnt from the elders while growing up. The names of the chapters reveal the breadth of Yava's scholarship: hunting rules, gathering food and plants, hunting gear, games and exercises, spiritual beliefs, marriage and duties, and celebrations. This book is highly recommended to readers of the Cultural Survival Quarterly and all those with an interest in the maintenance of the vital and meaningful lifeways of indigenous peoples.
Article copyright Cultural Survival, Inc.
