A while back, a reader introduced me to “Shopping for Porcupine”, a collection of stories written by Seth Kantner about growing up in Arctic Alaska. Kantner’s college educated parents moved from the Lower 48 to build a home out on the tundra of western Alaska, and raised Seth and his brother in a sod igloo many miles from the nearest civilization. The book tells stories of a fascinating life, and includes some pretty amazing images as well.
I couldn’t get enough of Kantner’s writing, so I picked up a copy of his only other nonfiction book, a collection of short essays titled “Swallowed by the Great Land”. It’s a more recent version of the Seth that grew up in the wild. His brother moved away to pursue a career, and his parents left the sod igloo on the tundra to become farmers in Hawaii, of all places. Seth alone remained, but even he became somewhat civilized, moving to the coastal village of Kotzebue, about 150 miles from the igloo, which by bush Alaska standards, means it isn’t too far away to visit regularly.
The essays in “Swallowed by the Great Land”, many of which were previously published elsewhere, are organized into five major themes: the igloo, the people, food, weather and modern problems. All are based on life in this unique place, its beauty, its people and its challenges.
The igloo is where it all began, and the center of a number of Seth’s stories. Though home is now many miles away, he spends a considerable amount of time back there, hunting, gathering and simply enjoying life as he did as a child. Imagine being able to return to your childhood home, untouched and unchanged for decades. Seth does it multiple times a year, most notably making the trip on snowmobile each spring and staying until breakup makes boat travel possible.
Hunting and gathering has been at the core of Alaska Natives’ lives throughout history, but conveniences from the modern world have helped TV dinners and candy bars replace seal oil and caribou meat. That said, many villagers still rely heavily on the land for a great deal of their diet, and folks like Seth choose to heavily invest time and effort into securing the food they eat on a regular basis. Stories surrounding caribou hunting, salmon fishing, berry picking and Arctic gardening all highlight the struggle and reward of simple food.
The land is nothing without the people who inhabit it, which is why I always enjoy writers who can dissect characters and tell their story to a reader. That’s why I’m such a fan of John McPhee’s work, and Seth describes local folks in the same manner. Places with few people seem to bring out bold characters, and rural Alaska has no shortage of either.
Weather is always a challenge in a place so far from the equator. Extremes in temperature, daylight and wind are the norm here. Seth tells stories about battling with the weather, and some aspects of it you just come to accept, like frostbite, thin ice and overflow. He also tells how nature got the best of one man, a survivalist who left for the mountains never to be seen again.
Finally, the last section of “Swallowed by the Great Land” talks of change, and Seth gets a little political with his thoughts on climate change and impending development. Northwest Alaska is experiencing more weather extremes, making it tougher to travel and hunt, and impacting fish and wildlife. In addition, the State and mineral interests are pursuing a project to build a road system to these remote villages, going right through the wilderness where Kantner grew up, and turning up the ground in a series of open pit mines. There are multiple views on this, and Seth isn’t afraid to share his. The road would bring convenience and jobs, but it would also forever change this land, the people, and the wildlife that has sustained them for generations. Kind of like the airplane did. And then the snowmobile. Change is tough, and when outside interests seek to turn the landscape upside down for a few extra dollars, that’s not an easy pill to swallow. Especially if all you want to do is continue to live life the way you’ve been for decades. But sadly, nothing, and no one, is left alone forever.
“Swallowed by the Great Land” was published in 2015. Kantner also wrote the popular novel “Ordinary Wolves” and a children’s book “Pup & Pokey”.
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