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Fishing Qagkumiut Style - Part III

KYUK
Published September 7, 2018 at 11:14 AM AKDT
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Christine John's strips in her smokehouse.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Christine John is happy that she got all the fish she needs for winter 2018-2019.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Christine John's strips.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Christine John (left) and her 1-year old granddaughter, Esther Sakar (right).
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Live cottonwood.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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George River. At the left corner of the photo there is a lovely elderly couple from Crooked Creek.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Agnes Andreanoff smiles as she looks at her husband, Mishka.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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80-year old, Mishka "Johnny Boy" Andreanoff inside the George River.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Love birds, Agnes and Mishka Andreanoff.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Agnes and Mishka Andreanoff enjoy their evening inside the George River.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Crooked Creek, AK.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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The village of Crooked Creek, AK.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Barb Carlson checks the chute at the Sleetmute fish wheel.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Barb Carlson enjoys her conversation with Nathan and Jarraine Underwood.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Upriver fish, dog salmon.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Margaret Bobby at the Sleetmute fish wheel.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Barb Carlson (left) and Margaret Bobby (right) at the Sleetmute fish wheel.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Left-Right: Barb Carlson, Jarraine Underwood, Petra Harpak, Margaret Bobby.
Nathan Underwood
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Margaret Bobby's cutting table right on the Kuskokwim River at Midway.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Margaret Bobby's fish inside her smokehouse.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Margaret Bobby's view of the Kuskokwim River from her kitchen table in Midway.
Margaret Bobby
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Barb Carlson and Nathan Underwood enjoy talking about fish.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Sleetmute boats.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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I'm on my way to meet Pete and Jeannie Mellick.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Pete Mellick on his deck in Sleetmute.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Petra Harpak (left) interviewing Pete Mellick (right).
Nathan Underwood
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Pete Mellick enjoys his company with Nathan and Jarraine Underwood.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Pete Mellick.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Jeannie Mellick, Pete Mellick's wife.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Jeannie Mellick of Naknek, AK.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Upriver strips.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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The view from Little Mountin Village. The mountain you see is called Turtle Mountain. I'm on my way to Napaimute.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Cutting fresh fish upriver near Napaimute.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Northern bluebells.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Nas Avakumoff cutting fish near Napaimute.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Nas Avakumoff cutting fish right on the Kuskokwim River near Napaimute.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Kristy Wise cutting fresh fish.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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23-year old, Kristy Wise cutting fish right on the Kuskokwim River.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Kristy Wise's cutting table.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Nas Avakumoff's fish.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Kristy Wise (left) and Nas Avakumoff (right). Granddaughter and grandmother team up to put fish away for the winter. Now this is love.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Checking the Napaimute fish wheel. From left to right: Mark Leary, Jacob Wise, hidden in the back is Jarraine Underwood and Nathan Underwood.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Taking the chute box out.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Oops, the dip net broke. Need to lift the chute box up to spill the fish into the boat.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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From left to right: Jacob Wise, Nathan Underwood, and Petra Harpak.
Mark Leary / Native Village of Napaimute
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The best coffee can only be made outside.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Stopped at Little Mountin Grave Site little ways above Napaimute.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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The head stone of Palassa Hoffman. Palassa's first husband was Joseph Chaney. Her second husband was George Hoffman.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Palassa Hoffman's head stone.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Unknown graves at Little Mountin Grave Site.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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I'm at the Aniak airport getting ready to leave my journey. Map of Aniak airport and the Aniak Slough.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Leaving Aniak.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Kuskokwim River.
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Hello Tundra Ridge. I'm finally home!
Petra Harpak / KYUK
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Thanks to all the Qagkumiuts for sharing your personal stories about fishing qagkumiut style.
Petra Harpak / KYUK

The further upriver I go, the fewer fish camps there are. Upriver residents, or qagkumiuts, get fish that have puss in them, climate change may have affected the fish.

As I fly home I am hoping everyone got the fish they need for winter. This trip exploring fishing qagkumiut style has given me more respect for upriver people because they are cutting fish which my family downriver would never eat. We downriver don't know how good we have it.
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