Mother Earth has tried to heal the planet by introducing covid 19 to the world.

Since then, the skies are clearer than they’ve been in years. There has been less smog because fewer people are driving. No cruise ships have been polluting the water in the canals in Venice and people say the water is clear and there are even swans swimming in them. The effects of this virus has been so profound that it has altered the trajectory of global warming.

The island I lived on over fifty years ago is a victim of climate change. By 2025, Kivalina is expected to be under water and will no longer exist. The trajectory cannot change quickly enough for this island to survive and the village will have to relocate in order to continue.

Kivalina is a barrier island 83 miles above the Arctic Circle. It is a long strip of land and when I lived there in 1964/65 it was only 13 feet above sea level. The winters are shorter now and spring comes earlier. This means the ocean freezes later in the year and melts earlier in the spring. Patchy ice makes winter travel and hunting dangerous. Because the sea ice has melted dramatically, hunters often have to travel further north to harvest seals. They can no longer hunt close to the village. In addition to this there has been a migration of fish, caribou, seals, and whales due to warming. Kivalina depends on the hunting and fishing and if there is limited opportunity to do this, the natives will be forced to buy food from the store which raises the cost of living.

Living there in 1964/65, my husband Tiger was fortunate enough to participate in the hunting and fishing. Seal hunting took place in early July and the men hunted seals very close to the village. When conditions were good, he and the men often came home with smaller seals as well as the bearded seals which could weigh up to 800 pounds and were 7 to 8 feet long.  How I dreaded it when Tiger came home from hunting because I was going to cut up the seals like the other native women did. Although I hated it at the time, I have often said to myself that I had an experience that few other white women have ever had. I am lucky and happy to  have had this experience when hunting conditions were good and Kivalina was not a casualty of the changing climate.  I also cut up and dried the fish, but now, temperatures are too warm to do this.

Reading the articles about life in the far north, I find so much has changed there. When I arrived mid-May, the ocean was frozen and the snow was up to my waist. Temperatures hovered around 20 degrees on my arrival and usually at this time of the year (mid-June) they lingered in the low thirties. The sun never set but even by this time, there was still snow on the ground. I often check the weather in Kivalina and am surprised to see that temperatures are often in the fifties with the real feel being even higher. Yes, climate change has arrived in the Arctic and there is little anyone can do except to pray that this small village that I grew to love will somehow survive. 

#DeanneBurch   #Kivalina  #Alaska  #thealaskanobodyknows #journeythroughfireandice

Off we went on a 7-day cruise to the last frontier — a cruise of Alaska. Our party consisted of 7, myself, my significant other, John, my daughter Sarah and her husband, their son and two daughters. We boarded in Vancouver and made our way up the coast passing magnificent mountains and beautiful forests. Our first stop was Ketchikan. John and I were asked by another couple on the cruise to take a private tour of the area. We were to see lots of bears and other wildlife. Big mistake. We saw nothing but bear scat and the area near Ketchikan. We came back from our excursion, had lunch and boarded the shop for our next stop which was Juneau.

Our cruise ship was definitely not part of the last frontier. There were several restaurants, night time movies outdoors, theaters with different shows inside the ship, and a spa all designed to keep the passengers happy. Two nights were designated as dress up nights and I imagined that this was something rare in the wilderness. Nights were always spent on board as we cruised in the land of the midnight sun. We could be awake at any hour, sit on the deck and watch the wonderful views as we cruised along.

Our next stop was Juneau, the capital of Alaska where Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her window. We never saw Russia but we saw plenty of whales on a whale watching expedition that we had signed up for. We watched the orcas as they jumped out of the water near our boat. Over and over again they frolicked and hunted. There were many sightings and apparently this was rare to see as many as we did. We had wonderful views of the Mendenhall Glacier. Later, John and I agreed that we wished we had landed on the glacier and gone kayaking around it. Whale watching had been quite an experience but kayaking around the glacier would have been even more exciting.

Two days are spent on board cruising around the glaciers and watching them calve as pieces break off massive chunks of ice into the tidewaters. The blues in the glaciers and the expansive area that they covered are perhaps not matched anywhere. Drifting in Glacier Bay and sailing through waters filled with icebergs is something many of us will never see. People on board crammed the decks waiting with their cameras to get the perfect photo.

The last port of call was Skagway, which is an old gold rush town full of restored historic buildings. We took a bus to a rocky wilderness area, clambering over high rocks to get spectacular views of the rugged wilderness.

Later we came back to lunch where my granddaughter panned for gold. Skagway with its tourist shops is in way a modern town but it harks back to the gold rush days as well. There are several historical buildings that have been preserved. The Red Onion Salon still operates today. It is a gateway to the past with a tour of the once famous brothel that existed for the gold miners. At Whittier we leave the cruise behind and head to Denali park. It is a beautiful area, and bright sunny day and we have a clear view of Mount Denali, the highest mountain in Alaska. We have all had a wonderful time on the cruise and shore excursion. We enjoyed the land of the midnight sun and were sorry to say farewell.

I loved our cruise but the tiny island that I lived on so many years ago is “my” Alaska— a place where I became the woman I am today.

#DeanneBurch   #Kivalina  #Alaska  #thealaskanobodyknows #journeythroughfireandice

Today all over the world, people are social distancing— giving up things they love and places they want to be. I think of the women I knew in Kivalina and realize how socially isolated they were from the rest of the world. The only way to get off the small island where they lived, was by boat, plane or dog team. There was one small store selling canned goods and cigarettes. Right now we complain about things we can’t do— shopping at our favorite stores, going to movies and to fine restaurants. Even today, in Kivalina there are none of those things available, although with the advent of electricity the outside world is brought to them by television. Many have telephones and are on Facebook.
When I lived in Kivalina in 1964,I felt isolated from everything I knew and loved. I was away from my family, my friends and the luxuries of having electricity and running water.

Looking back now I can remember the way the wind whipped through my hair as we travelled up river to get water and to go fishing. The air shimmered with a golden light and the water was pure and clean. I remember the way the cold seeped into my bones but I also remember being out on the trail with our dog team. We were alone on the trail and the only sound was the panting of the dogs and the sound of the runners as they glided over the snow. I remember how mother nature painted the sky in brilliant lavenders, peach and pink in the early fall after the midnight sun had passed and before the long hours of darkness settle in. These were the simple pleasures of life and ones that will be part of me forever.

Right now, we all have an opportunity to reflect on what is really important to us and to remember that we can live without the things we take for granted every day. I have just listened to a u tube video called the Great Realization. It’s a beautiful video and one to watch time and time again.

#DeanneBurch   #Kivalina  #Alaska  #thealaskanobodyknows #journeythroughfireandice #covid #socialdistancing

I have been thinking a lot about all that happened last week and realize if we have any type of prejudice, it’s because it was taught to us. It’s inexcusable and shocking the way blacks and other minorities have been treated. Looking back on my time in Kivalina in 1964/65 I wonder what these children were taught. Were they taught that white people were a superior race? Years ago, missionaries came in to the small towns in the Arctic and told the natives many of their beliefs were sins. They took away the Inuit’s drumming, dancing, and storytelling which was an integral part of their culture. I believe today these things are now accepted.

When I lived in Kivalina, the natives felt I should be treated better than they were. Several women told me they should scrub the floor for me – I shouldn’t have to do it myself. One time at a church gathering white people from all over Alaska came to see the first Inuit be ordained as an Episcopalian priest. Those of us who were white were treated to a white cake served with a fork, a napkin and on a plate. The Inuits ate a spice cake (my favorite, I might add,) with only a napkin.

Looking back to that time so many years ago, they were taught that white people were superior and expected to be treated in a better way than they were. It is obvious to me these people were taught that we were better than they were and should be treated accordingly. They had lost pride in their culture. And pride in their beliefs and way of living. It was the “superior” people who taught them these things and I wonder if this has changed at all since my time there. Our children have to be carefully taught and realize that all lives matter, whether their skin is black, brown, yellow or white. Only then will we see equality.

#DeanneBurch   #Kivalina  #Alaska  #thealaskanobodyknows #journeythroughfireandice

Welcome to my blog.  I decided to start blogging primarily because I wanted to talk about the book I hope to have published soon titled Journey Through Fire and Ice.  Although I want to talk about so many things that took place in the small village of Kivalina when I lived there, I realized I wanted to blog about other things as well. I have had a lifetime of experiences — some joyful and some tragic. How do we triumph over tragedy and learn once again to find the joy in life that we once had?

Many years ago, I lived on the tiny island of Kivalina, 83 miles above the Arctic Circle. My husband and I were two of four nonnatives. We participated in all of the activities of the Inuit/ Eskimo people and became part of their community. My husband Tiger hunted and fished with the men. I cut up seals, and tried to participate in all the activities of the women, hoping they would accept me. Much as I tried to adapt to the native way of life— a life that had none of the comforts of home such as plumbing, electricity and running water, it was difficult.

I always had one foot planted in my life at home with family, friends and all the comforts that modern day living brought. The other foot was planted in my life in Kivalina— a life I never expected would be so different. It was fraught with loneliness, and frigid weather. It was also a life of adventure and a life of tragedy.

My life has been so much more than the time I spent in Kivalina. I was 23 then, little more than a teenager. During my time there I came of age emerging from a child who believed in fairy tales to a young woman who was able to overcome tragedy and face the next challenges in my life. Please enjoy my blog.  I would love to hear your comments.

#DeanneBurch   #Kivalina  #Alaska  #thealaskanobodyknows #journeythroughfireandice