Roger Atoruk: Interview Outline: Section 12 Fourth of July celebration and games played in the old days Tape Reference Number: H2002-09-07 Roger Atoruk talks with Bill Schneider, Hazel Apok, and Eileen Devinney in Kiana, Alaska on February 27, 2002

Bill Schneider: Do you want to talk about festivals like Fourth of July?

Roger Atoruk: Fourth of July? Yeah. They used to have games when I was growing up, what mostly -- what we call is qiputaq. It's just like horseshoe, but we use our small -- small sticks instead of horseshoes. And just throw them. They used to have all kinds of games.

Bill Schneider: On Fourth of July?

Roger Atoruk: On Fourth of July.

Hazel Apok: And Christmas week, too.

Roger Atoruk: And Christmas week, too. Yeah.

Hazel Apok: Those were the two main events.

Roger Atoruk: And they still have it now. But it's different than -- different than what when we were growing up.

Eileen Devinney: How was it different?

Roger Atoruk: Well, different games and they -- the people that run it, they don't know about the old games, what -- what the old-timers used to do.

Eileen Devinney: Would you like to be able to show people?

Roger Atoruk: Oh, yeah.

Eileen Devinney: That would be kind of fun to bring some of those back --

Roger Atoruk: I would like to -- I would like to show them a few things about old-timers, old-timers games. Like mana manaa, and aakuu. Qiputaq. These old -- these young people, they don't know about those.

Hazel Apok: And anaktaqamif [term for games of competition and skill].

Roger Atoruk: anaktaqamif is --

Hazel Apok: Scissors like broad jump or whatever.

Roger Atoruk: Two teams on one each side, one team on each side, and really used to work hard to be -- to try to win.

Hazel Apok: What used to be the prizes them days? Fur?

Roger Atoruk: I don't know of any -- there wasn't any prizes.

Hazel Apok: Just to see who --

Roger Atoruk: I don't know.

Hazel Apok: Yeah. What's mana manaa? Maybe you could describe some of the games.

Roger Atoruk: I don't remember. I don't really remember how it is. Maybe Percy, Percy Jackson or Tommie Sheldon, they can explain about those old timers games. mana manaa, it used to be a good game, but I don't remember about how you play it.

Hazel Apok: I played it once before, too, and I forget it.

Roger Atoruk: I used to play it, too, but I don't -- I don't remember how it is, how it is played.

Hazel Apok: What was that other game you mentioned? There's mana manaa, qiputaq, and --

Roger Atoruk: Aakuu.

Hazel Apok: Aakuu.

Roger Atoruk: Aakuu. There's two sides standing on -- on same -- same number on each side. They used to have something, you know, like holding something here, and then they said they'd call a name, a person's name on the other side. And they would say -- they would say that person's name and say "akuu, aakuu." And that person is supposed to come over, come across from the other side, and stand in front of that person that's saying aakuu. Without smiling. Not smiling. Not supposed to laugh. If she smiled or laughed, she'll have to go back without nothing. So that -- that person that's saying aakuu would tell her to do something. Just to make her laugh. Like how does -- how does -- "how does a loon holler?" Or how does a -- "how does a fox make noise?" And that person that come across would say -- try to do what -- what -- what she's told to do, what he's -- without laughing. If she smiled or laughed, she would have to go back with nothing. That was a good game. That used to make everybody laugh. They don't know about that.

Hazel Apok: No.

Roger Atoruk: First time you hear about that?

Hazel Apok: No, I've heard about that. Yeah.

Roger Atoruk: You heard about it.

Hazel Apok: I think I might have even played it once.

Roger Atoruk: Uh-hum.

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