Martina Lauterbach, Transcript Section 9

Community Health Aide Program Project Jukebox

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KAREN: When -- the community used to be -- I can't say the name.

MARTINA: Kwiguk.

KAREN: Kwiguk?

MARTINA: There's two -- there's Kwiguk, which was mostly like a summer, you know, because it had a cannery.

KAREN: Oh, okay.

MARTINA: The Post Office was in Kwiguk. The AC store where Axel and Pearlie, you know, ran it was -- it was Northern Commercial at that time. Was in Kwiguk. And very few people lived there. And the school was in Emmonak. So, you know, people that wintered in Kwiguk used to have to come to Emmonak for school.

And Kwiguk, you know, caved in. There's no more. It's all gone. You know. And you know, like from the current --

KAREN: From the river? The erosion?

MARTINA: Yeah. River current. Yeah. Erosion. Yeah.

KAREN: Wow. So that's why everybody moved to Emmonak?

MARTINA: Uh-hum. Yeah. And so the Post Office was moved to Emmonak and stores were moved to Emmonak.

KAREN: Do you remember about what year that might have been?

MARTINA: I can't -- well, the BIA schools came in '58, '59. So it was around that time, I think.

KAREN: So yeah, when you were a health aide, it was all Emmonak by that point?

MARTINA: Yeah. Yeah.

KAREN: Okay.

MARTINA: There might have been one person living in Kwiguk.

KAREN: So when you were a health aide, you'd always -- you were single and many of the women who were health aides, you know, they had kids that they were taking care of and all that. So I often ask about the support they got and how -- in balancing that. But with you being single, you still had the need for some family support, I'm sure. How did that work?

MARTINA: Oh, it was -- I was living with my parents at the time. And I had six brothers that I -- under one roof. So it was pretty crowded.

But you know, they supported me in a lot of ways. I didn't have to cook, I didn't have to bake bread, you know, like the other married health aides had to do, you know, when they were -- they had to go home, cook supper, bake bread. And you know, I didn't have to do that, so I -- my family support was pretty good.

KAREN: And they were encouraging and supportive of you going on to nursing school?

MARTINA: Not really. My, you know, parents didn't want me to leave, but I was an adult, so...

KAREN: Yeah.

MARTINA: They supported me in going to high school, you know, high school and stuff, but they didn't really want me to go on further. I mean, in those days, you know, you stay home, get married, have kids, and that.

KAREN: Yeah. What do you think inspired you to do what you did?

MARTINA: Well, I guess I was determined that I was going to go further, you know. I wanted to -- that was my dream. And so when the time came, you know, I did it. I mean, applied for grants and got that and started, you know, going to nursing school.

KAREN: Uh-hum. Can you think of anybody in your life as a mentor or particularly important teachers that have been important along the way?

MARTINA: I guess there was a teacher, my 8th grade teacher, he kind of said that -- you know, told me that you know, you're smart. You can do it. And you know, I guess, you know, at the time he told me that, I was being kind of lazy, not doing what I needed to do in -- as an eighth grader.

But I think that kind of said, well, he says you're smart, you know, you can do it. And you know, when I was in high school, I was, you know, pretty -- I was on the honor roll the whole time I was in high school. So that -- so he would be the, you know, person that, you know, kind of opened my eyes to what I could do.

KAREN: Do you remember his name?

MARTINA: Robert Henry. I think he -- he might be -- he died. Yeah. And he even wrote that when I went to high school, he wrote that in my -- I guess they have to send notes --

KAREN: Right.

MARTINA: -- you know, to the high school and stuff, and he put that in his notes, she can do it.

KAREN: Oh.