Roger Atoruk: Interview Outline: Section 13 What people should know about Kiana and changes in the environment, climate and daily life 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: Is there -- are there some parts of the history of Kiana in this area that we should put down on the record for people to know, for your grandchildren and for visitors to the area?

Roger Atoruk: Well, I've been thinking about that. I know I'll be -- I'll think of something later on, after I go home. Cause I'm glad this is happening. I've been thinking about doing this even before I hear about -- about it coming because I have a lot of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Bill Schneider: Right.

Roger Atoruk: And they won't know about Kiana history. I'm glad you're doing this so they -- so they will all know about Kiana.

Bill Schneider: Yeah. Can we put this down? I'm picking up a little bit of sound on it. One of the things that people are talking about all over is environment change and climate change. What do you observe here, in your life here?

Roger Atoruk: Well, there's been a lot of changes. A lot of changes. Like I said, there was no electricity, no water and sewer. We have to haul our own wood. And there was hardly any -- not very much what we have in the stores, you know. There used to be flour and sugar and coffee in the stores, but now we have about everything. Like frozen foods, eggs and vegetables. That's a lot of change. And we have TV, telephones. There's been a lot of changes in my lifetime. From -- from growing up to right now.

Hazel Apok: Didn't it used to seem like in the wintertime it used to be almost like daytime outside, you know, when the moonlight?

Roger Atoruk: Yes.

Hazel Apok: It used to be real bright and like it's dim now. I've heard it -- heard people say, you know, it's not bright like it used to be when we were growing up.

Roger Atoruk: I know. Maybe -- maybe because there was no electricity in there.

Hazel Apok: Yeah.

Roger Atoruk: There was no electricity. Just everything seems bright maybe. Yeah, used to be cold, too. Colder than it is right now. We used to have real cold spells, long cold spells during winter. I think- and we used to have big snowstorms, too. But now we hardly have any snow, big snowstorms. Not very cold. Like right now it is warm out there, it's about 20 degrees out there now. I think right - in the old days it used to be 40, 30, 40 below.

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