Raising Ourselves

Born in 1960, the sixth of thirteen children, Velma Wallis comes of age in a two-room log cabin in remote Fort Yukon, Alaska. Life is defined by the business of living off the land. Chop firewood. Haul water from the river. Hunt moose. Catch salmon. Trap furs. Take care of the dogs.

For a thousand years, the Gwich'in clan had followed migratory animals across the north. but two generations before, the people had settled where the Porcupine River flows into the Yukon. Now, the Wallis family has a post office box and an account at the general store, and Velma listens to Wolf Man Jack on armed forces radio. She discovers that her people have surrendered their language, traditional values, and religion to white teachers, traders, and missionaries. Flu epidemics have claimed many loved ones. Village elders seemed like strangers from another land. There is much drinking when the monthly government checks come, and that is when the pain comes out of hiding.

Raising Ourselves is an irresistible story of growing up Gwich'in. It is gritty and sobering yet filled with laughter even as generations of Gwich'in grief seeps from past to present. But hope pushes back hopelessness, and a new strength and wisdom emerges.