NPT

The Tradition of the Nunivak Island Reindeer Herders
by Marvin Kiokun
Originally published in the Delta Discovery
September 24, 2003

It was of last century in the early 1970's when the Nuniwarmiut Herders last went out on foot along the 1500 square mile Nunivak Island. At the time they wore (ivrucig), comparable to the breathable waterproof boots made of sealskin along with raincoats made of seal intestine. This was a summer tradition when reindeer and musk oxen first were reintroduced in 1937 onto Nuniwar. At the time the reindeer crossed together with the caribou resulting in a larger and harder to handle herd than the Alaskan Reindeer.

At the time the Cup'ig (Qusngisurtet) went out weeks at the time sleeping on the tundra bed in their (imarniteq) seal intestine raincoats and waterproof boots. For food they ate dry fish and seal oil, coffee and pilot bread were luxury items. The people anxiously scanned the ingircuar hill for the smoke signals from the herders. This meant it was time for the support team to get on the boat up the river and wait for the herd to get inside the fence. On cue, they rushed up to trap the herd inside the fence and pushed them into the corral. The promise of fresh meat became a reality.

The term Nuniwar is translated, "to go camping or to build a camp" and true to its meaning, to the Cup'ig of Nuniwar, this applied to fish camp, seal camp, bird camp and of course, herding. The Cup'ig go back long before written history, and long before civilization. The Cup'ig and Supernatural, the Angalku were supreme in their realm, and they were also the most vulnerable. Living in the middle of the Great Bering Sea, the Cup'ig were hard and fierce, for they equaled the harsh, hard land surrounded by the sea and were good mariners. Despite their supremacy, they humbled themselves to the spirit in the sky who created all things and who could take away or spare what He created.

Long ago, when the land was new and the mountains breathed fire and smoke, the Cup'ig and the spiritual world existed side by side separated by a fine line between beings and spiritual realm. Through song and dance the story was told. The mask they used in dance mimicked the animal that clothed and fed them. The very existence of animals made it possible for the Nuniwarmiut to exist to this very day, which is why the Cup'ig gave everything he possessed at the festival. The land, sea and the sky provided everything he needed, through song and dance he showed his gratitude. He understood without such a virtue he would not exist and had no purpose of living. He also knew that he was not here not by accident, but by the virtue of the spirit in the sky. He so humbled himself to that spiritual realm.

The longer days promised the coming of the renewal of land, sea and the sky. The receding frozen land and sea promised life, the fauna returned and the plant grew to feed them, the never-ending cycle of creation was once again renewed for another year. The Cup'ig yearned for the Promised Land to be renewed after a long cold, bitter winter. The Cup'ig yearns to fill their caches with meat, seal oil, plants, and berries once again so they can celebrate the abundance of food with song and dance. Again, they can harvest the relentless abundance for now, the Cup'ig knew there was an end.

A messenger was sent to camps throughout the island and there was a festival planned, whether it was a reindeer festival or the bladder festival. They celebrated because their cache was full of fish, seal meat, berries, vegetables and seal oil. The boys met girls, the men met women, the Elders shared their knowledge and wisdom, and the story was passed on from the ones before them.

The new animal hide promised a warm parka and brand new boots to keep them warm through the long cold, dark winter. Caribou was a prized animal. Legend tells us that when the mountains opened at the base and swallowed the caribou, this was a bad omen. The food would be scarce in the coming winter and the caribou would not be seen.

We, the civilized Cup'ig have utterly forgotten, for the intimate relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom is severed permanently by civilization. The relationship, as old as Cup'ig, is altered for good. The independent Cup'ig is now co-dependant. It is at this time the herders, the very human beings that used the hides of animals that clothed them, and the people of the Nuniwar, depend on the outside sources for help. The herders depend on air support for supplies and transportation to the herd and back to Mekuryar.

The Cup'ig are now trying to revive the herders who trudge across the Nuniwar mile after mile following the herd 17 to 20 miles a day, pushing them north toward Mekuryar, so one day the herders might have a story to tell. There is always a story to tell at the dining table.

Just like the song and dance in the Reindeer Festival 2003, the Reindeer Herder is reborn into the new millennium. The Nuniwar Reindeer Herder, the Cup'ig proved today they are just as good as their fathers and the ones before them, the Nuniwar is their domain but for another day.