Hazel Apok: Interview Outline: Section 8 Observing the environment to understand the changes Tape Reference Number: H2002-09-13 Hazel spoke with Bill Burke in Fairbanks, Alaska on April 3, 2002.

Hazel Apok: Spring breakups were big events for us because it would tell the elders what kind of summer we were going to have. I didn't know, you know, what they were looking at is important, but when I came back I learned that you have to look at change -- changes in the weather. You have to watch the first snowfall. You have to watch the first winter storm that comes in because when the grass lays a certain way or the -- the -- what do you call -- what does my brother call it? Or how the berms are created, you know, from the first winds. He would look at those things and -- and it'll tell him what kind of winter to expect and what to prepare for the winter.

So these are some of the things I would like to learn from our el -- especially from my brother, you know, what-- "what do you look for?" "What does it mean?" They have the knowledge about what it means, I don't. These are some things I would like to learn.

But they know just from looking at the stars where they're at which direction to go. What we might look at for -- for, you know, miles or not knowing in the dark which way we are going, they -- they look at the stars. They learn, they observe everything around them. And as I'm growing older and I've learned how to observe. I'm learning more, you know, about my own life around me.

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