Percy Jackson: Interview Outline: Section 13 His family background related to reindeer herding Tape Reference Number: H2002-09-14 Percy Jackson talks with Bill Schneider and Eileen Devinney in Kiana, Alaska on January 28, 2003.

Eileen Devinney: And I suppose for -- to give some background for everybody, we have a little bit of background on there, and I was thinking maybe we should write down who your parents were, what their names were.

Percy Jackson: My parents -- my dad is Frank Jackson and Clara.

Eileen Devinney: And were you born in Kiana or out in the country?

Percy Jackson: Uh-hum. Just around the bend up here at Squirrel River. That's the place reindeer herders were staying there.

Bill Schneider: What was that reindeer herding camp called?

Percy Jackson: I -- I don't know. They --

Bill Schneider: What was the herd called?

Percy Jackson: Kughmiahak (phonetic). They called them Kughmiahak, them reindeer herders.

Bill Schneider: But did each -- some of the herds had names, like Deering herd or --

Percy Jackson: I think this one here was Kiana.

Bill Schneider: Kiana herd.

Eileen Devinney: Do you remember about how many reindeer were in that herd most of the time you were growing up?

Percy Jackson: Yeah, there was quite a few. And when -- before they -- the last time when they checked them, there was 12,000 reindeer.

Eileen Devinney: Wow.

Percy Jackson: And after that, they all disappear.

Eileen Devinney: Do they think they joined up with caribou and --

Percy Jackson: Yeah. Them caribou took them away.

Eileen Devinney: Yeah, big problem. And then was that -- that was the end of their reindeer herding?

Percy Jackson: Uh-hum. That was the end. But the other guy had reindeer down below, though.

Eileen Devinney: Down near Noorvik maybe, or --

Percy Jackson: Across from Noorvik.

Eileen Devinney: I don't think about this area as much for reindeer as I do places further towards Kotzebue and that, so I was kind of surprised.

Percy Jackson: They keep the reindeer at that side, even around Candle area, Kiwalik.

Eileen Devinney: Yeah

Percy Jackson: Kiwalik.

Eileen Devinney: Yeah.

Percy Jackson: My wife's brother had a reindeer herding over there, too, in Kiwalik.

Eileen Devinney: So when -- when do you suppose was about the last year that people had herds up around this area?

Percy Jackson: I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember what year. I know it should be around '60s.

Eileen Devinney: And then when -- when did you work on the NANA Museum in Kotzebue? Was that in the '70s?

Percy Jackson: Yeah, I think so. Yeah, it's around '70s.

Eileen Devinney: That must have been one of the biggest buildings in town at that time.

Percy Jackson: Uh-hum. Yeah, I was working in Fairbanks that summer and toward the fall, around August, they called me from Kotzebue to go work there, in that museum. Here, one guy was lucky, he was going to fall from on top there where there's lots of snow, that snow start moving, he was going down, and all of a sudden he hit the little nail, roofing nail on top. That thing stopped.

Eileen Devinney: That would be a long fall.

Percy Jackson: Yeah.

Eileen Devinney: Did it catch on his clothes and --

Percy Jackson: No.

Eileen Devinney: -- he just grabbed --

Percy Jackson: Just with his hands.

Eileen Devinney: Oh.

Percy Jackson: He said he prayed while he was going down.

Eileen Devinney: For something --

Percy Jackson: That little roofing nail stopped him.

Eileen Devinney: Gee. I bet he wanted to do work lower to the ground after that.

Percy Jackson: Oh, he didn't put safety belt that time. We had to have safety belt when we were up there.

Eileen Devinney: For good reason.

Percy Jackson: Uh-hum.

Bill Schneider: Okay. Well, thank you very much.

Percy Jackson: Uh-hum.

Bill Schneider: That was good.

(End of recording)

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