Kenneth Frank (pictured on the left) interviewed by Bill Schneider with Sidney Stephens in Fairbanks, Alaska on February 2, 2002. Tape Number: H2001-113-05

Click on an outlined section below to access the transcript page with audio.

1) Observations on environmental and climate changes.

Elders\ growth of trees\ Brooks Range\ story -- lost lake up on Brooks Range\ spruce trees\ tree line -- going up into Brooks Range\ climate -- warming up\ moose -- moving up over Brooks Range\ coast people\ moose seen by coast people\ Venetie area\ Ice Age\ glacier\ Vivee nihjireegha' -- Native name\ mountain for lookout hill\ grass area\ tundra\ trees -- limit view of area\ birch\ cottonwoods\ Fort Yukon\ Christian Village\ early days -- 1900\ southside of Arctic Village\ caribou -- moving up on the Yukon river\ trees -- smaller in old days\ today -- big trees\ caribou -- fat|

2) Other changes that Kenneth observed and the observations of the Elders.

1962\ gasoline lamp\ flies\ early days -- people more obsevant\ birds -- people kept track of them\ blue color bird -- new bird\ Arctic Village\ magpie\ Fairbanks|

3) Elders say that time is going faster today than in the old days.

summer\ fall\ time -- going by quicker\ scientific time\ early days -- people didn't worry about time\ today -- watching time\ watch\ clocks\ start something -- stay until finished\ time system\ time -- going at same pace\ time -- see it differently\ seasons\ temperatures -- early days extremely cold\ cold weather today -- once in a while|

4) How cold is cold?

cold weather\ breath\ dogs -- predict cold weather\ dogs -- flip over\ trees\ willow\ birch\ cotton\ spruce\ trees frost up\ coats\ parkas\ extreme cold\ trees put on their coats\ parka -- gweheenk'oo gwitsi'i' dagwa ch'aa nanaa zhik\ environment -- plays a role in protecting the trees\ cold\ fire\ burn wood\ extreme cold -- will burn tree|

5) Are there other weather differences beside the change in cold spells? (Sidney Stephens asks)

Arctic Village\ months -- named after the events that are happening\ thirteen months\ full moon\ Shreenahn\ Passover\ ahtr'aii zhrii -- wind month\ wind -- comes in early day\ moose\ wolf\ losing ground\ five mile loop\ different areas\ lose spots\ today -- no wind\ cold weather\ weather -- getting warmer\ moose -- relocate themselves\ moose -- affected by lack of wind\ February -- Veegwaadhat\ Ah'traii zhrii -- wind month |

6) What about the snow levels, are they changing? (Sidney Stephens asks)

snow -- same height\ this year -- didn't get snow until after December\ start -- October\ snow -- usually get all the snow by November and early December\ rain\ harsh for animals\ caribou, moose -- depend on plants\ rabbits -- depend on snow to survive\ snow -- insulation\ powered snow|

7) Changes in the environment, changes in animals, and stories about large animals.

traditional story\ grandparents\ uncle -- Nathaniel\ shot -- water animal\ moose -- looked like moose with rubber skin\ animal -- got away\ horn -- looked like moose horn but different\ large animal\ elder -- heard thunder\ ice beaking sound\ creek -- broken up\ animal -- went up river\ grandfather -- told story\ animals that come from lakes\ fish with human head on it\ lake -- don't go to it\ fish -- will kill you\ detour lake\ lake -- around Arctic Village\ dzeeluk -- for mermaid\ Chandalor Lake -- Chehtj'ee van\ great grandfather\ historic sites\ dwelling\ good fish lake\ Little Squaw Lake -- Vivee chiriinlit|

8) Story about David Salmon and how clear things use to be in the old days.

Salmon, David\ Black River\ head water\ mountain range\ White Mountain\ eastside\ Salmon Village\ Salmon, William -- David's father\ valley -- see the whole area\ Yukon Flat\ westside of Venetie\ ddhah dzak\ Johnny -- lived like big chief\ Chief -- Khaikwaii\ wealthy person\ people respect territory\ Christian Village\ Salmon, William -- tell stories\ Fort Yukon\ Birch Creek\ Salmon, David -- knows the country from his father's stories\ foggy\ today -- things are blue\ early days -- very clear\ air -- environmental damaged\ stars\ today-- see just bright stars\ stories of stars\ change in environment\ atmosphere|

9) Using the moon, stars, sun, and northern lights as predictors.

early days -- ceremonies with moon\ story -- little boy\ signs -- for weather\ today -- sun and moon give signs\ warm\ cold\ wind\ tells everything\ grandparents -- watched for signs\ signs -- color around the sun\ snow\ rain\ wind\ moon -- rings around the moon sometimes different colors\ abrasions -- mean something\ signs\ snow -- ring around the moon\ sundog -- vehghyuu gwaak'a'\ shree nitj'yaa digweel chaa -- Native Name\ hardship -- seven to eight sundogs\ war\ starvation\ something will happen in a family\ horn -- sundog tangled up\ northern lights -- tell you it will get cold\ northern lights -- red\ sign -- war, bloodshed\ Gwitch'in people\ believe\ survive\ be ready\ teepee -- ch'adhah zheh gwach'ok\ round house\ doorway will open\ people will go in the direction for survival\ signs -- still working\ signs -- used for calendar\ animals -- do something for a certain sign|

10) Do summers seem to be about the same as they usually been? (Sidney Stephens asks)

fall time -- warm\ snow -- it takes longer\ every year different\ losing lakes\ lakes -- caving in\ permafrost melting\ Arctic Village\ lakes -- become dry\ historical times -- good fishing\ Native Name -- those young white fish (name of lake)\ permafrost -- breaking ice\ getting warmer\ skin -- have abrasions|

11) The melting of permafrost on river banks.

glaciers -- melting\ uncle -- told of big ice\ 1930 area -- big ice in old place\ caribou -- go there in summer\ no mosquitoes\ 10 years ago -- little patch of ice\ Red Sheep Creek big ice up there getting smaller\ people -- do not watch events\ environmental direction\ political issues|

12) Things that can be done in the classroom with children to look at and monitor the environment.

winter\ what they need to survive\ red berries -- Native Name\ berries -- low to ground\ berry -- important for people\ ripe berries -- sheep is ready to be hunted\ sheep -- up in mountains\ caribou -- coming\ ground squirrel -- observe\ mosquito\ getting ready\ caribou calves -- small and good for clothes\ dry meat\ fall\ winter\ winter solstice\ mid winter -- hardest time\ cold\ food -- to survive\ warm -- do not need food to survive\ December -- Native Name, time of hardship\ arctic border lands\ surveys\ documenting\ yearly cycle|

13) Names of the months and the environmental descriptions.

different areas -- called different months\ Venetie\ Arctic Village\ Fort Yukon\ January -- Ch'anjaa\ oldest month\ wedging month\ wedging out meat\ hind legs\ muscle\ February -- Veegwaadhat, passover month, wind month\ March -- Chiizhin zhrii, eagle month\ April -- Ch'itreéizhii, one of the hawk months\ May -- Gwiluu zhrii, snows melts during the day, at night freeze over\ June -- Vananch'iighoo, duck lays eggs\ July -- Vananeets'anch'anzhii, ducks grew new feathers\ August -- di'ilii, caribou and moose have velvet on their horns\ September -- Dinjik zhrii, moose month\ October -- Vadzaih zhrii, caribou month\ November -- Divii zhrii, sheep month\ December -- Ch'atsal. hardship month, food scarce, night long\ September -- mating\ first summer start\ mosquito -- watch\ warm\ bear -- turn over\ change over\ cranes\ swallows -- fly up in the air\ swallows and cranes -- leave together\ crow\ pack sack is heavy -- tr'eekhwaa yahchik\ hunt for moose\ moose -- hard to locate in bush\ crow -- will tell you where moose is\ crow -- use for hunting\ crow -- tells you when the wind is coming\ scratch each other\ dill\ going to be windy -- deetrya' nihjoodrii\ helpful to culture\ grandmother\ vision\ cousin\ grandmother -- Frank, Sarah\ animal killing -- predicted|

Click here to go back to the top of the page