Eskimos return home
CULTURAL exchanges brings understanding and appreciation to those visiting as well as to the hosts.
After a week of hot sun, traditional farming and fishing on the Yanuca island near Beqa, a group of 14 Eskimos returned to their home in Alaska to face winter, according to an article published by The Fiji Times on October 17, 1988.
During winter in Alaska the temperature goes below minus zero and the land is covered with snow.
“But we go back with a lot of memories of great fun we had on the island,” group leader Josh Weiser said.
“The heat took a lot of adjusting to, but we got used to it after a while.
The group from a small village in Alaska called Chevak Tanqik arrived in Fiji on October 9.
They were members of the Chevak Tanqik Inuit Theatre, a group which performed traditional Eskimo dances and educated people on Eskimo tradition.
The theatre was similar to Fiji’s once world famous the Dance Theatre of Fiji
The group members were chosen to represent Alaska at the EXPO ’88 in Brisbane, after which they spent two weeks in New Zealand before travelling to Fiji.
The request to travel to Fiji was arranged through the East West Centre in Hawaii.
“We wanted to come and see how the Fijians lived and how they kept their culture intact,” a member the group, Robert Martin said.
Mr Weiser said the Fijian
The culture is very similar to ours and we both fish and farm for living. But we don’t use spears anymore ...
– Vera Weiser
way of life was similar to theirs.
“The only difference is the temperature,” he said.
“The slowness of the pace of life has been very enjoyable.”
Another member of the group, Vera Weiser, said the week she spent in the village reminded her of how she was brought up.
“We used to live in oneroomed houses and we did not have any electricity or running water. But now we are more advanced and have telephones and electricity.”
The group was billeted with separate families in Yanuca and had first hand experience at farming and fishing.
“The culture is very similar to ours and we both fish and farm for living. But we don’t use spears anymore when we fish and it was a good experience using two spears.”
The group enjoyed the Fijian food even though it was different.
“The dalo was quite nice even though we have nothing similar to it in Alaska. The different types of vegetables were also very tasty.”
Mr Weiser said the group enjoyed drinking yaqona and taking part in dances held in the village to entertain them at night. The group went on a tour of Suva on Saturday before they flew out of the country.