Henry Jackson Sr.: Interview Outline: Section 8 Changes in the environment, climate, and animals Tape Reference Number: H2002-09-01 Henry Jackson Sr. talks with Bill Schneider, Hazel Apok, and Eileen Devinney in Kiana, Alaska on February 27, 2002.

Bill Schneider: When we think about the history and talking about the history, have you seen some changes in the environment or the climate?

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Yeah. It's -- everything's changed. They say when missionaries come, you know, everything's changed. No -- hardly any Eskimo dances, dancing going on. All the time when these missionaries come, you know. Here in Kiana, they used to have Eskimo dances, some days. And then missionaries come and told the people that isn't right. I don't know. That's what they say anyway. I don't know myself.

Bill Schneider: But have you seen changes in the animals or --

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Yeah. Yeah. The animals, them days we didn't have any caribous at all. All we had was rabbits and ptarmigans for meat. Muskrats and all that, you know. No moose, no caribou. And starting '40s, late '40s, I guess, that's when the caribou, moose start coming from -- from Fairbanks, they say that the smoke, forest smoke, drive them over this way, I guess. And then caribou start migrating, too, by that time, late '40s, they're coming back of our yard, you know. There was reindeer herders here -- Erik Wilson down there. Louie Commack, them over at Selawik over there them days. And when caribou start coming, they took all them reindeers away.

Bill Schneider: Was that recently?

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Yeah. '50s, I guess.

Hazel Apok: I remember --

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Yeah.

Hazel Apok: I remember going to Arthur Gray's reindeer.

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Yeah. Deering just lost theirs last year, a bunch of them, go with caribou. Karmun's herd. Changes like that, you know.

Hazel Apok: Was it Arthur Gray or Lawrence Gray?

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Lawrence Gray.

Hazel Apok: Lawrence Gray. Yeah, I remember went to his herd.

Henry Jackson, Sr.: Yeah, there was a quite a few guys. York Wilson, Louie Commack, Lawrence Gray. Also government herd, Chester Seveck used to be the chief herder there, I guess.

[Top]