Tundra Plants

Here is a just a sample of the many plants that grace the tundra.

#1 - Overhead view of a horse tail (tayaruq) - Use it in yupik soup or the eskimo ice cream. It grows along the edge of the water.

#2- Tall Cottongrass (Pikniq) - eat the roots either raw or boiled.

#3 - Overhed of Kipnuk - Notice all the water. Bering Sea top - River right - Shallow ponds everywhere else.

#4 - This reed is weaved with drying Tomcods or Flounders.

#5 - Black Alpine Bear Berry (Kavlak) - don't eat. They are not sweet.

Kipnuk photos so far

Here are some pics from the year thus far.

Top to bottom

1. Clam digging - procedure: Rake the mud Bering Sea floor. Hit something hard pick it up. There is a sand bar off screen right, don't think we just jumped out of the boat.

2. Flight back to Kipnuk, 2nd and 1st year teachers. Our principal is sitting in the back on the left. His name is Jim, like me.

3. Bela's eye - one of my favorites of the year

4. Red bucket - Strong Arms - Short hair - I miss the hair.

5. Heating oil drum - garden hose we get our water from.

jb

Eskimo Ice Cream (akutaq)

Here is a picture of eskimo ice cream. The black stuff is blackberries tundra stlye and the white stuff is sugar and crisco whipped together by hand, no mixer, hand. Somethimes they even put tiny pieces of white fish in the mix. They have many different family recipes, but my favorites are salmonberry and blackberry. To eat, all you need is a spoon. They don't put akutaq on anything, just straight out of the container. Usually they eat after a good steam with some juice to rehydrate or out on a hunt. They consider it desert.

jb