Vincent Kvasnikoff was interviewed on September 11, 1997 by Ron Stanek of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Subsistence in Nanwalek, Alaska. In this interview, Vincent talks about living a traditional subsistence lifestyle as a kid, his growing up, education, and eventual work and family history. He also talks about fishing, people moving out of the village, and how things have changed in the community through time. In Section 12, Nick Tanape, Sr. is the interviewer, but he does not indicate whether this is a different interview or a continuation of the same interview.
Digital Asset Information
Project: Nanwalek and Port Graham
Date of Interview: Sep 11, 1997
Narrator(s): Vincent Kvasnikoff
Interviewer(s): Ron Stanek, Nick Tanape, Sr.
Themes
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Sections
1) Personal history
2) Growing up
3) Schools
4) Family
5) Military and marriage
6) Employment and changes in the village
7) Changes in the village (continued)
8) Activities
9) Chores
10) Changes in life
11) Migration of townspeople
12) Yum Yum tree
13) Fishing
14) Fishing tools
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Transcript
Section 1: birth date\ Native food\ subsistence\ hunting and fishing\ berry picking\ storing food\ food gathering\ sharing|
Section 2: helping the needy\ helping our parents\ hanging fish\ smokehouse\ packing firewood\ stoves\ chores\ lakes -- running away to\ speaking Alutiiq\ Dad spoke Russian\ Mom spoke Aleut\ learning English in school|
Section 3: parents -- teachers\ BIA\ no airport\ night school\ 8th grade graduation\ peoples' needs\ kids -- hard time learning|
Section 4: siblings\ 13 kids\ house\ airport\ crowded\ moved out\ beachcombed lumber\ built own house|
Section 5: Military Army Corps of Engineers\ Nanwalek\ Natalie -- wife\ 4 children\ Village Chief|
Section 6: health aide\ clinic\ airport -- maintenance\ streets\ roads and buildings\ general store|
Section 7: store\ housing\ electricity\ new school\ commercial fishing\ Tanape, Chris \ netting -- set\ company boats\ permit|
Section 8: games -- tag\ curfew\ childhood\ holidays\ helping others\ Christmas caroling\ Masking\ holiday foods|
Section 9: chores as kids -- packing water, dishes, scrubbing floors\ chores -- today\ changes\ Tanape, Mike|
Section 10: conditions today/ subsistence activities -- changes\ younger generation\ Sugcestun language\ Port Graham\ Nanwalek|
Section 11: Port Graham\ Nanwalek\ migration\ Seldovia\ Yalik\ priest|
Section 12: river\ fish\ tree\ Natalie\ Sperry and Pauline|
Section 13: Spring\ fish\ red salmon\ dollies\ dry fish\ sharing\ seasonal activities\ smoke house|
Section 14: harpoons\ hooks\ rods\ fish|