Toksook Bay, Alaska
Fritzie Nevak plays with real walrus ivory tusks for his make-believe fangs instead of plastic replicas. His father carves the ivory into fine jewelry
Toksook Bay, Alaska
They don't close school just because of snow in Toksook Bay. So on this blustery February morning—with the temperature dropping to minus 10 degrees farenheit—two young girls set off for the grade school down the main street of town
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Grandma Therchik enjoys her grandchildren. The bonds of kinship are powerful in Eskimo society.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Simeon Julius and John Alirkar spend a few minutes watching Snow White with Larry John's family. A few days prior the television tower blew over, leaving video cassettes as the only option.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Nick and Laura Therchik wear the handiwork of Laura's sewing. Their mountain-squirrel parkas kept them warm in the Roman Catholic Church where it was so cold the holy water froze.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
The Sipary family dog chases the family ‘station wagon’ as they head 45 miles to the east for a religious rally.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Toksook hunters gather on an ice floe for a tea break while seal hunting on the Bering Sea. They shared 'steak of the north' - Spam on a Pilot cracker with their tea.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
The women laugh at my expense as Francis Usugan questions my manhood in Yupik. In their culture, only women attend a seal party at which the first largesse of the hunting season is shared.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Weekly bingo brings in half the income for the Toksook city council.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Baby Vernon plays pat-a-cake- with his aunt Agatha in their living room that is equipped for hunting season.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Anna Asuluk and Darlene Morgan, and shy Lucy Asuluk (middle) carry emperor geese shot by Anna's father to friends and neighbors who do not have a hunter in the family.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Larry John comforts his son who had meningitis. Larry arranged for a charter flight to take his son to Public Health hospital in Bethel about 100 miles east.
Clark’s Point, Alaska
Nick Chanar enjoys a communal steam bath known as “maki” after three days at sea in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Madeline Sunny
Bristol Bay, Alaska
Nick Therchik, one of Toksook's fishermen,on his boat in Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Toksook Bay, Alaska
Ben Chagluak loaded his house onto 55-gallon drums and towed it from the old fishing camp at Umkumiut to Toksook for a new start.
Yupik Eskimos
In the early 80’s I lived in a small Yupik village on Nelson Island on the west coast of Alaska. This documentary project resulted in a black and white essay published in the 1984 June issue of the National Geographic Magazine.