Six Degrees of Whale Fest

While Kodiak is small enough for most people to be connected in some way or another, Meghan and I are always amazed at the wide variety of Kodiakan pursuits. The poster for this year's Whale Fest was designed by local Kodiak artist Robert Wagner. He is a budding artist best known for his 2005 full length film Cope and 2003's Equivocation. More recently, Wagner's multimedia production company, Kiluda Rock, is busy with a new feature shot on Kodiak Island - How to Survive . We'll let you know when it's available for your queue. Although we have not seen either of Wagner's two films, Meghan does have a Wagner original hanging in her office at the courthouse - a beautiful sketch of dark ravens on a bright green background.
This year's Whale Fest officially begins on Friday, but we'll be part of the audience for Patrick Saltonstall's lecture Alutiiq Marine Mammal Hunting Through Time, a whale-related event held at the Alutiiq Museum. As a BIG fan of Moby Dick, I for one am very excited. Now, hopefully we spot some flukes while Meghan's parents are in town during the Fest.

Blueberries - Cuawak

Today is gray and wet, and I have been thinking back to some of our early adventures here on the Rock. The pictures below were taken on a beautiful day we spent hiking the Anton Larsen Loop. The wild thing pictured below enjoyed sampling some of nature's bounty...

"The Kodiak Archipelago is home to two species of blueberries, the early blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium), also known the blue huckleberry, and the alpine blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum). The early blueberry is a spreading shrub that grows in moist forests and bogs at lower elevations. In contrast, the alpine blueberry thrives on mountain slopes and coastal tundra. Both species are prolific, creating large annual crops that ripen in late summer. The Alutiiq people typically gather blueberries in August and September. Blueberries are primarily harvested for food, although their juice can also be used as a dye.

Today, fresh blueberries are eaten with meat and fish, or added to Eskimo ice cream - akutaq - with a variety of other ingredients. Seal oil, lard, dried fish, fish eggs, sugar, and mashed potatoes are all potential additions to this traditional dish. They are also made into a variety of jams, jellies, and luscious deserts. In the past, blueberries were harvesting in quantity and preserved for use throughout the winter. In the Kodiak region, the Alutiiq families stored blueberries in seal stomach containers filled with water or oil. In Prince William Sound, they dried blueberries on special wooden grates over an open fire. The berries were then stored in containers and re-hydrated as needed. The Chugach Alutiiq also mashed fresh berries into a paste and spread them on skunk cabbage leaves. The paste was allowed to dried and then stored on the leaves for later use. "

This information comes from the Aluutiq Museum and Archeological Repository-a great resource for learning more about the rich history of the island and its inhabitants.