by Peter Twitchell
When I left my home in Bethel I knew I would miss our subsistence way of living and the people of southwest Alaska and the Yukon.
I will never forget the land, the tributaries of the great rivers and the local lakes and streams of our waterways. That is the part of Alaska where I grew up subsistence hunting for 3/4’s of my life.
I miss hunting all seasons, picking berries, and subsisting with the people I grew up with. It was a simple life and everyone shared and loved each other – brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers. We were one with the land and got along before all the bureaucracy of government.
I traveled day and night on the river and the Ice Road. My children grew up there and loved the land and all it’s gifts just like me and my ancestors.
Soon it will be Christmas but let’s not forget to give thanks for Thanksgiving for the good life we’ve lived together.
Living in the city – it’s a little more complicated then living with my people. I would like to thank all of those people who share their salmonberries and especially the smoked whitefish in the spring. This part of my life hasn’t changed.
Have a blessed Christmas season and never forget that Creator God is the reason for the season. He taught us to love and share with each other and not hoard the gifts of the land and to continue the teaching of our ancestors. Our grandparents, grandmas and grandpas, and parents and how our way of life has kept us together.
The other thing that has sustained me and kept me sane is music. Its light and its free. I grew up as a baby with music in my heart, my soul, my mind. Thanks to my parents and others who shared it with me.
I’ve been sharing music with others since I was 16 years old and still going strong in my heart. I loved singing in the Moravian Church choir and publicly with my musical friends. Music and friends I love sustained me and kept us above the dark world out there. Alussistuaqegcikici. Piurci.
