A few years passed, and then one day a big ship like none had ever seen before was visible on the horizon. They saw it anchor off from a place that would later be named Golovin Bay. They saw people similar to the traders bring boats ashore loaded with supplies. They did not know that a trading post would soon be built at this location.
Nutchuk and other men later went to see the action and hopefully make some good trades. Nutchuk returned home with a sack of white flour in a white bag. The traders said it was good to eat. Nutchuk may have thought it was the white man’s version of a seal poke full of something good. Setting it down in Kiachook’s home, he carefully opened it. The bag was full of white powdery stuff, almost the colour of snow. He took a pinch to taste-it did not taste good to him. Kiachook and Nedercook each took a taste; both said it was no good. Due to his limited understanding of the white man’s language it was not what he expected. He took it down to the sea and dumped it in the water, saving the sack. It did not take long before the villagers to learn that flower can be mixed with water, made into small balls, and dropped into boiling water and cooked. At first some did not get the water hot enough at the start and it returned to runny goo. When frying pans became available, balls of dough were cooked in hot oil.
Another day Nutchuk brought home some calico cloth for his wife and Nedercook. The two women had quite a time trying to cut this with their ulus. Both decided to make a covering for their squirrel skin parka. Which they wore the fur side to body. The covering would be for special occasions. Sewing this by hand was different from skin sewing. The cloth was valuable because it took all of the biggest white ermine skins that Nutchuk had caught for several years. He had to trade fifty large for enough cloth to make one parka covering.
A fifty pound sack of flour they had to give two pairs of fancy mukluks, one tall and one of the regular length.
If the Eskimo wanted one empty milk can they would have to give the store keeper one whole seal skin, cleaned and tanned by using the alder bark that turned the skin side a pretty red. They also traded for beans and potatoes. The women learned to soak beans overnight, boil them the next day without any seasoning, let the beans cool, then mash the beans by hand, adding cooked boiled potatoes, mixing both together until fluffy, then adding seal oil as if they were preparing eskimo ice cream.
Women from the villages who moved to Golovin to be near the new store, sewed up garments as fast as they could to trade for enough food for their families, because this was not a good place for wild game. Nevertheless, natives started moving to Golovin from up the Fish River and other places. Some of the men worked for the trading post. They learned how to build with lumber and nails; some built cabins for their families. Nothing elaborate, just a square box like building. They did not worry about furniture. Never having any, they figured they did not need any. They soon learned that they had to have some kind of stove and the pipe that was needed for it. Because this new kind of home was not warm and snug like their igloo, on windy days the cold air would come through the cracks.
Sometime later Nedecook and her mother moved to Golovin for the summer. The same spring a young white man arrived on the first steam ship from the States. George Daniels (this was not his real name.) came to work for the trading post. Nedercook by now had overcome her fear of white men and would go with her family to trade at the store. Sometimes she would go with her young friends.
Nutchuk and other men later went to see the action and hopefully make some good trades. Nutchuk returned home with a sack of white flour in a white bag. The traders said it was good to eat. Nutchuk may have thought it was the white man’s version of a seal poke full of something good. Setting it down in Kiachook’s home, he carefully opened it. The bag was full of white powdery stuff, almost the colour of snow. He took a pinch to taste-it did not taste good to him. Kiachook and Nedercook each took a taste; both said it was no good. Due to his limited understanding of the white man’s language it was not what he expected. He took it down to the sea and dumped it in the water, saving the sack. It did not take long before the villagers to learn that flower can be mixed with water, made into small balls, and dropped into boiling water and cooked. At first some did not get the water hot enough at the start and it returned to runny goo. When frying pans became available, balls of dough were cooked in hot oil.
Another day Nutchuk brought home some calico cloth for his wife and Nedercook. The two women had quite a time trying to cut this with their ulus. Both decided to make a covering for their squirrel skin parka. Which they wore the fur side to body. The covering would be for special occasions. Sewing this by hand was different from skin sewing. The cloth was valuable because it took all of the biggest white ermine skins that Nutchuk had caught for several years. He had to trade fifty large for enough cloth to make one parka covering.
A fifty pound sack of flour they had to give two pairs of fancy mukluks, one tall and one of the regular length.
If the Eskimo wanted one empty milk can they would have to give the store keeper one whole seal skin, cleaned and tanned by using the alder bark that turned the skin side a pretty red. They also traded for beans and potatoes. The women learned to soak beans overnight, boil them the next day without any seasoning, let the beans cool, then mash the beans by hand, adding cooked boiled potatoes, mixing both together until fluffy, then adding seal oil as if they were preparing eskimo ice cream.
Women from the villages who moved to Golovin to be near the new store, sewed up garments as fast as they could to trade for enough food for their families, because this was not a good place for wild game. Nevertheless, natives started moving to Golovin from up the Fish River and other places. Some of the men worked for the trading post. They learned how to build with lumber and nails; some built cabins for their families. Nothing elaborate, just a square box like building. They did not worry about furniture. Never having any, they figured they did not need any. They soon learned that they had to have some kind of stove and the pipe that was needed for it. Because this new kind of home was not warm and snug like their igloo, on windy days the cold air would come through the cracks.
Sometime later Nedecook and her mother moved to Golovin for the summer. The same spring a young white man arrived on the first steam ship from the States. George Daniels (this was not his real name.) came to work for the trading post. Nedercook by now had overcome her fear of white men and would go with her family to trade at the store. Sometimes she would go with her young friends.