St. Michael Missions Trip Pt. 7 Yupik Culture

One of the really great things about being in St. Michael this trip was being able to see the residents putting up fish for the winter. The primary fish they were processing was king salmon. One of the testimonies given at the Sunday service was thanksgiving for the strong fish harvest. Apparently it stronger than in recent years and their drying racks were filling up.

Speaking of drying racks, they were lots of places. I passed by one home and the entire porch was a lined with drying fish, little huts made of driftwood and what might be considered a "clothesline" in our neighborhood sufficed for drying fish. The blue tarp is also employed quite often for the occasional rain shower. What would we do without our blue tarps?

Apparently the men do the catching and bring it home, the women do all the processing. Did I mention I like some aspects of Yupik culture? Actually the women really seem to love it. I really mean that, they seem to very much enjoy working with the fish. They visit and work away. Each one seems to do a certain part of the work. The oolu knife is very much a work tool there. They have several of them, different sizes and with different shaped blades. No tourist item here, they are very sharp and not for show.

In a matter of maybe two or three minutes the fish is gutted, headed and filleted. It is then placed in a brine for a time and "washed", then hung over a pole in the drying hut or porch or clothesline. The winds blow and keep the bugs off and gently dry the moisture out of the meat. The heads of the fish are collected for "dog food". The rest is taken out to the bay to feed the King Crabs which they also catch for free. It is fascinating to watch them go about their work. They were quite patient with us asking questions and looking over their shoulders.

Oh, just a little moral to the story, don't get caught stealing salmon out of the net. That little harbor seal learned that lesson the hard way. Actually, they were very happy to get the seal. They render the seal fat for oil, into which they dip most all their food, especially the dry salmon. In the harsh environment the Yupik people live in this provides long lasting energy and body heat to stay warm in spite of the cold and wet. You don't stay warm long eating twinkies in the cold of St. Michael. One friend who tried some described it "like turning on a heater inside your belly". I'll take his word for it until I need to try it for myself. Not that I am afraid mind you. I'm just not cold at the moment.

From the looks of things the ones out there working will eat well this winter. Less business for the AC perhaps but lots of prime king salmon to enjoy.