Breakfast at 5;30 a.m. and hop on the bus for the ride back. More rain and drizzle and no view of the famous Mt. McKinley. Come to find out only available for view 28% of the time-hey I don't remember reading that in all the tourist propaganda. Time to move on down the road with a stop off in Neena. Keith liked the idea of the Federal Court being house in a cabin. This little town of 450 people sits on the Tanana River and the mouth of the Neena River-formerly a happening place to move goods up and down the river to get supplies to the villages.
Now that we've seen them, I'm afraid Buba is a little too interested in the dog sled. Just what we need a pack of dogs to go with the ATV on the farm.
Buba enjoyed "chicken fried steak" at the Rough Woods Inn. This was his kind of place. They don't bother taking down the Christmas decorations-tree included. This is Buba's dream and he has bee
n begging Boca for years to give it a try. So moving on up the road to Fairbanks, known as Alaska's Golden Heart. More of that gold mining stuff. Lots of panning for Gold for the tourists. Buba said I would be good at it....
n begging Boca for years to give it a try. So moving on up the road to Fairbanks, known as Alaska's Golden Heart. More of that gold mining stuff. Lots of panning for Gold for the tourists. Buba said I would be good at it....We capped off the day attending WEICO-WORLD ESKIMO INDIAN OLYMPICS. This unique event has been held since 1961 with the intention of embodying the values that make the culture rich with strength, endurance and togetherness. Pride in heritage and indigenous culture was evident. My favorite? The fried sweet bread! Very much like our Greek Loukamades.
WEIO: The games that are played by these people display the preparedness one needed for survival. They require skill as well as strength, agility, and endurance. In this manner, the people could at least teach the children that they had to be tough to make it on their own, not just in one area, but in all. The games left no part of the body untested. In the past, whenever there was a gathering of families or villages, there were feasts, dances, and games. Often, when these gatherings took place, a messenger was sent to neighboring villages to extend a formal invitation. Today, these games are played during the Fourth of July and Christmas holidays. To better appreciate the background of these games, envision yourself in a community village hut three hundred years ago with the temperature outside at 60 degrees below zero, and everybody in attendance celebrating a successful seal hunt.
While the young men are demonstrating their athletic prowess and strength, the umialiks, or whaling captains, are on the perimeter of the hut looking with great interest at the young adults - one or more of these young men would be incorporated into their whaling and hunting crews - the fastest, the strongest, the one showing great balance and endurance to pain would be the top pick. The games range from ear pulls, ear weights, four man carry etc. Here are a few highlights:
Eskimo Stick
PullIn this event, two athletes face each other sitting on the ground with their feet pressed together and knees bent. A stick one-inch in diameter is placed between them where their feet meet. Each athlete grabs the stick, position their hands so that one person's hands are on the inside, and the other's hands are on the outside. All hands must be touching. Using the legs, arms, back, and a sure grip, the contestants then attempt to pull the stick away from their opponent. The winner is that person who is either able to pull the opponent over, or who can pull the stick out of the opponent's hands, on tow out of three attempts. Each round, the athletes will alternate positioning of their hands. Strength is an important commodity to have when bringing a seal in from the hole in the ice.
Alaskan High Kick : This is a game of balance where the athlete sits on the floor below a target with one hand grasping the opposite foot. With his/her remaining free hand planted on the floor, the athlete springs up and attempts to kick the target with the free foot. After kicking the target, the athlete must show balance upon landing - he/she is at the original position before kicking. Height is the objective.
NALUKATA
Q (BLANKET TOSS)
Several walrus skins are used for this event. The skin has holes on the edges so that rope can be looped through all the way around and used for handle grips. One person gets in the middle of the skin and stands there while being tossed. With a good coordinated effort on behalf of the pullers, the person being tossed can get as high as thirty feet in the air and lands on his/her feet without falling down. This is quite similar to a trampoline, with the only difference being that people are the springs and they can move to catch an errant jumper. The Nalukataq is done in the whaling communities in the spring if there has been a successful whaling season. It is been part of the whaling feast activity as long as people can remember. There are two schools of thought as to why this sport is being done. One is for the simple exhilaration is provides, and the other is for spotting game over the horizon. The judges look at balance, height, movements in the air - sometimes you can see jumpers dancing or running in place - and all around form and grace when determining a winner. Sometimes, flips and somersaults are done to the delight of the pullers and spectators.
Miss World Eskimo Indian Olympics-Impromptu Speeches ( I bet this is where my pal Palin learned her terrific speech making).
And the best MUKTUK EATING CONTEST! The entire muktuk-eating affair lasted only a few minutes as about 20 competitors raced to swallow one-and-a-half inch cubes of whale skin and blubber. 
The double-layered delicacy, cut into small chunks resembling black-and-white toy blocks, consisted of one strip of tough, rubbery whale skin and a softer layer of blubber. The contestants perched over their hunks of muktuk around a plastic mat taped to the floor, ulus in hand and battle-faces on, as many among the crowd of several hundred descended upon the action. After the starting whistle blew, heavy-hitters had pounded down their muktuk before some contestants had even sliced theirs in half. They say it tastes like nuts. Buba tried to sign me up as he said I was a natural but they figured out I was looking too Serbian and not enough Eskimo. Even Pleep would have none of it. Eskimo Pie anyone?
The double-layered delicacy, cut into small chunks resembling black-and-white toy blocks, consisted of one strip of tough, rubbery whale skin and a softer layer of blubber. The contestants perched over their hunks of muktuk around a plastic mat taped to the floor, ulus in hand and battle-faces on, as many among the crowd of several hundred descended upon the action. After the starting whistle blew, heavy-hitters had pounded down their muktuk before some contestants had even sliced theirs in half. They say it tastes like nuts. Buba tried to sign me up as he said I was a natural but they figured out I was looking too Serbian and not enough Eskimo. Even Pleep would have none of it. Eskimo Pie anyone? 
