Inupiuraqta! Let’s speak Inupiaq!

Words and meanings by Esther Bourdon, translated by Josephine Bourdon

When my husband, David, and I moved from our Fourth and Division Street “old shack” in the center of Nome and into low income housing called Bering Vue in the late 1970s, we were happy. Our new home on East Fifth Avenue was a modest three-bedroom open floor plan and it was perfect for our growing family.

During that time, Bering Vue was at the very edge of town. The East side of Nome was open, marshy tundra scattered with many deep ponds. The 26-Plex, Nome Elementary School, new hospital and Country Store were not even built back then.

Although it wasn’t large, our home was quite comfortable. An enormous crimson-upholstered sofa recovered by Fred Green was the center of our living room. Atop the couch was a multi-colored granny square afghan I had crocheted. In front of the couch, was a painted circular wooden spool, which served as a coffee table. Stored below the spool were always three large Tang cans filled with Crayola crayons my children used to occupy their time coloring.

In the 1970s, television was fairly basic. There weren’t quite the number of channels like today. Programs like ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, The Lawrence Welk Show, and The Sonny and Cher Show were regular programs back then. Cartoons like Scooby Doo and Bugs Bunny could be viewed only on Saturday mornings. Midnight marked the end of television programing and The National Anthem played before the television’s colorful wide stripes appeared on the screen signaling an end to televised programming for the day. David had crafted a plywood shelf that was mounted on the wall, which became a shelf for our heavy, bulky TV. There was nothing ‘flat and light’ about televisions back then. He was very handy when it came to wood working.

Like many of your homes, the walls of our living room displayed family photos; especially traditional elementary school photos. Our children’s sports trophies and participation ribbons placed in prominent places throughout. Since Dave and I weren’t highly educated —2nd grade and 4th grade, respectively— we took pride in hanging our children’s school awards and recognitions.

Since I was a working mother, my husband was responsible for domestic duties and caring for the children. Once Josie, Brian, Mary and Wilson were fed, he’d send them to school via school bus. At that time, Dewey lived with my brother Andrew and mother in my family’s midtown home. Each day, Dave would reach into his dungaree. With a “Clink, clink, clink” and reaching deep within his pocket’s depth, using his right palm, he’d reach and give two silver coins to the kids. Fifty cents was the cost of their subsidized hot lunches. That’s quite a few coins over the many years they attended Nome Elementary School and Nome-Beltz.

Besides child rearing, David was tasked with caring for our family dogs. He didn’t complain very much about feeding them or taking them outside. Over the years, we were blessed with many family pets. Our dogs’ names were Sassy, Anchor (after Anchor Point, AK), Pepper, Tinker Bell, April Ann and a huskymix, whose name I can’t recall.

With creaky arthritic legs, David was drawn by the yip yapping of our family dog in the back yard. He rose from the kitchen table chair to investigate what the fuss was all about. “Is Pepper hungry again?” he wondered. Looking beyond the corner lot, and through the back door window, he spied the German shepherd’s twisted tether entwined around the wooden dog house beyond the four-post homemade clothesline. “Let me go untangle him,” and he would amble outside to untangle Pepper.

Prior to our courtship and eventual nuptials, David was a cook for a mining camp 30 to 40 miles north of Nome. Our Bering Vue kitchen was quite narrow; almost as narrow as a boat galley. Although cramped, the kitchen not only nourished our family, but was the center of our lives during the many years that we lived there. Like many of you, the emanating scents of home-fried potatoes, French toast, or David’s signature spaghetti were welcoming and comforting. David was really good at cooking for my family.

I have many fond memories of Bering Vue #44. From holidays to leisurely weekends, and preparing the kids for Christmas programs at the old elementary school at the center of town or visiting Santa at the National Guard Armory, our simple living was filled with special unforgettable moments just like you do for your families today.

Ini: house i-ni

inikut: our house i-ni-koot

inifaluraq: a little house i-ning-a-loo-ruck

qimmugun: dog qim-moo-goon

qimmuqtigut: our dog qim-mooq-ti-goot

Qimmuqtigut attiqkatuak Pepper-mik: Our dog’s name is Pepper.

qim-mooq-ti-goot aht-tiq-kahtoo-ock Pepper-mik.

(Esther Bourdon’s story/stories are not to be duplicated or used without written permission or consent of Esther Bourdon.)