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I went to Juneau for a Ku.éex’ (Koo.éex’) …
… and stayed for a funeral.
A year ago in May I was given a Tlingit name. A great honor that carries a huge responsibility. Even though I had a name, I was not able to use it in public until it was presented to me as part of a formal ceremony, during a Ku.éex’.
That was supposed to happen in November of 2011 but a death in the clan caused the party to be postponed until October of this year.
What is a Ku.éex’?
The Ku.éex’ is a ceremony in which the deceased member or members and ancestors of a clan are remembered. It is a time for the surviving clan members to push away their sorrow after a year of mourning, to celebrate life, to reaffirm their social and kinship bonds, and to ceremoniously present their clan at.oow (clan regalia, objects, songs and stories). It is a time to honor the members of the opposite side—moiety—who comforted the grieving clan and who assisted with the funeral as well as the burial or cremation.
I was adopted into my Tlingit family by my “sister” Carolyn. She and her husband John have been teaching me and guiding me with regard to Tlingit customs and culture for the past couple of years.
In 2008 I had an opportunity to participate in a “canoe journey” from Hoonah to Juneau as part of Celebration 2008. It was my introduction to Tlingit culture and it was amazing! It was the beginning of a change in my life that it indescribable.
In 2010 I had another opportunity to participate in another “canoe journey” for Celebration 2010 – this trip from Angoon to Juneau.
Where’s the beach?!
This was another amazing trip where I continued to explore my life and found a wonderful group of people who I wanted to be around.
This is the trip where Fred and I became fast friends … so much so that he arranged with his mom to adopt me as his sister (we met on the first trip in 2008 but didn’t really connect at the time).
Michael Penn / Juneau Empire
Elders of the Wooshkeetaan clan of Auke Bay greet paddlers and elders aboard three canoes, one which completed a journey from Angoon, during a Coming Ashore Ceremony at the Auke Recreation Area beach on Wednesday 06/02/2010
Shortly after this trip, I was on my way to Tribal Journey in Washington for a canoe journey that would change everything. It was an eye-opening experience and the place where I determined that I was no longer willing to settle for a marriage that was dead and a love that was long gone.
I wanted the type of relationship and love that I was seeing with other couples. One of mutual love and respect. I wondered why I didn’t have that in my life… I had no idea that I could and would have this as part of my life.
As it turns out, I am fortunate that Fred’s mom did not adopt me when she was planning to… Fred and I did not intend on falling in love, it just happened. We were friends first, lover’s later. Had I been adopted as his sister, we would not have been able to be together… I am fortunate that Carolyn was willing and wanted me to be part of her family. Fred is Raven (Yéil) and I am Eagle (Ch’aak’)
My Tlingit family is:
XUNAA KWÁAN a.k.a. KÁAWU: HOONAH TRIBE OR PEOPLE FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE NORTHWIND WOLF/EAGLE MOIETY Wooshkeetaan (Shark) Tóos’ Déx’i Hít (SHARK BACKBONE HOUSE)
My Tlingit name is: Ah Dah Néik.
Plans interrupted: Fred was not going to be able to come up for the party because of his work schedule but he ended up flying up the day after I arrived when we found out his mom was not expected to live the night.
She had been invited to the party to represent her family and her house. I was sad to learn that she was not going to be able to attend when she fell and fractured her pelvis. Just a few short days later the family was gathering at her side saying goodbye.
Fred was in Point Roberts working a fish opening. He had to bring the boat back, a six-hour trip, catch a plane in Bellingham to get to Juneau. He arrived at about 9:30 PM and his mom passed at just about 10:40 PM that same night.
It was a difficult night for everyone. Fred chose to return to the Ku.éex’, surrounded by friends and family, supported in his time of grief.
I didn’t know his mamma for very long. The time she spent with us was precious and I wish that she had been my mother-in-law for the past 20 some years… but alas she was not.
Fred and his mamma – November 2011
Fred’s family is:
XUTSNOOWÚ KWÁAN: ANGOON BROWN BEAR FORT, a.k.a.: XUDZIDAA KWÁAN — BURNT WOOD TRIBE RAVEN MOIETY Deisheetaan (Beaver) Yéil S’aagi Hít (RAVEN’S BONES HOUSE)
His Tlingit Name is: Xá.naax’
He comes from a large family, most of which were in Juneau when his mom passed.
This is not exactly how I envisioned meeting everyone.
A lovely service for Fred’s mama… Yáxh Woo Aat
As always, facing death and dealing with grief is difficult. Families either come together or pull apart. Having been through this not too long ago myself, my only goal was to be there for Fred and support him as best as I could.
Deisheetaan (Burial) Box
There are a lot of things to be taken into consideration… with the memorial service behind us the next big milestones are the 40 day party and then a Deisheetaan Ku.éex’ next year.
There isn’t any way to describe how I feel about Fred. Other than blessed, and fortunate. My heart is full. I am happy. Nothing feels as good as this does.
A casualty of the divorce…
Well, it’s official… the house is now on the market.
4449 Julep Street, Juneau, AK (you can see more pictures via the listing/link)
Sad to say, the house has to be sold as part of the divorce. I bought the house 10 years ago. Funny story really… I didn’t want to even look at it. When we moved to Juneau in 2001 we lived in a 4-plex for a year and during that time we looked at 56 different houses.
Prices were high, houses were horrible. They really were. Juneau’s housing market is tough and there is a shortage of housing in the community. Finding reasonably priced housing is even more difficult so when something like this comes along it doesn’t last long on the market (I hope that is the case this time too).
Our realtor kept saying… “you really need to look at this cute little ranch style house”… I had driven by it a few times and was not at all interested.
Why? It looked like a box car! It was long and narrow and brown. Finally the realtor convinced me that I needed to look inside. I did… I set one foot in the door and fell in love. It was perfect. It gets light all day long. We watch the sun come up over Thunder Mountain and set through the trees in the evening. I loved sitting in my floataway chair on the back deck enjoying the sun and the day. It was awesome!
It’s even better now. The bathroom was remodeled a few years ago and I just had the carpets replaced after we moved to “America” last week.
The house has a huge back yard. It is cleared but I never got to do anything with it. My dream was to have a garden against the neighbors fence where the sun hit perfectly and then I wanted cobbled paths and raised beds along with a fire pit. It never happened. Oh well, a girl can dream can’t she?!
I also like that it sits back off of the street. It is a BIG lot! So many possibilities…
I moved back to Washington state last Friday… not what I wanted to do, but again the divorce has been dictating a lot of what is going on in my life right now. Everything works out the way it should. I was planning on moving back to Washington for a while to assist my father and mother. My daddy ended up passing away sooner than we expected but I came down anyway. No time like the present. Luckily my current position allows me to work from a distance, for now.
Juneau, Alaska is an awesome community. I just love SE Alaska. It makes me sad that I had to move. Luckily I have to return regularly for work so I’ll be able to at least enjoy the beauty of it when I am there. Fred and I also have family there… grand kids, Tlingit family, and friends (who are like family). That is just the way Juneau is.
The opportunity for outdoor adventure is fantastic… here is my blog about my hiking adventures in SE Alaska (and beyond). Actually the opportunity for all sorts of things is right at your finger tips. Juneau has a huge arts community including theater, symphony, arts… one potential negative? If you like to shop this may not be the place for you. Yes, we have some awesome local shops in town but if big stores and shopping malls are your source of entertainment you are in for a big let-down.
The Juneau Economy isn’t doing all that bad either… here are the Economic Indicators.
If you don’t live in Juneau now, you need to know that we are located in a temperate rain forest – the Tongass National Forest. It is beautiful but it is wet. I have two things I say about that – 1) Rain – nothing a little gortex won’t cure & 2) well, I can’t remember the second thing but I am sure I will as soon as this post is published. Did I mention that you can see the Mendenhall Glacier from my front porch? (No it’s not Russia, it’s better).
This is not the view from my house, but it is within walking distance... pretty nice don't you think? Nature's playground!
If you are interested in relocating or if you live in Juneau and possibly interested in the house please contact my realtor – he’s awesome!
Hippo’s Great Adventure
Well, Hippo made it to Bellingham safe and sound. He was very busy on the ferry… a few stops later and we were in Bellevue by late afternoon (had to stop and get something to wear to my dad’s services).
The move was pretty stressful – getting all of our things packed and loaded and getting the house ready to list for sale. Not to mention getting far enough ahead at work that being “off-line” for four days would not be an issue with my employer or my students. A move from Juneau to “America” is not inexpensive and requires barging your worldly possessions from port to port.
We couldn’t have done it without the wonderful people at Reliable Transfer (LOVE THEM!) and Juneau Real Estate (LOVE THEM TOO!). Let’s not forget our wonderful friends and family who also assisted us along the way with moving preparation… you know who you are and we LOVE you like crazy!
And, of course, I could never have made this move without my WONDERFUL MAN – he is a Godsend!
My dad’s “internment” services are tomorrow… watch out for news of a roof falling in at the very presence of our entire family (many whom haven’t been to church in a VERY long time!) a very small family gathering (so there should be very few casualties)… then back to unpacking and getting settled in our new home. It is good to be home…
Life continues on and we will adjust as time passes. I’m still going to miss Juneau and the rest of Southeast Alaska.
Links:
Hippo’s adventure with Papa and Molly
Going to make this quick… Our granddaughter gave me a little purple Hippo the night we left town… She insisted Hippo had to come with us. He’s on an adventure and I’ll blog more about it later.
We are just leaving Ketchikan and will be out of contact completely now until Friday (38 hours from Ketchikan to Bellingham – no stops).
The furry kids are doing well and so are we… Bye bye Alaska, we are going to miss you!
Wow…
A beautiful day in Juneau, Alaska is pretty hard to beat.
Current temperature: 7 degrees Fahrenheit (subtract 20 for windchill).
It is supposed to be this way all week. While I am not a fan of super cold weather I’ll take this over hot weather any day!
At least it isn’t rain blowing sideways. I would however prefer the 20+ feet of snow that other areas of Alaska are getting.
No complaints here – we are out enjoying the sun and the views. Every day of rain in Juneau is worth just one day of this beautiful scenery.
I’m going to miss living here. Not to worry, I’ll be adding things to my LIFE LIST that I want to be sure to do when we come back. It makes me very happy that I spent last year exploring the area and enjoying the world around me.
You can read about those adventures here – There and Back Again – Alaska
What happened to Winter in Juneau?
Really? Really? It is January 7th and even though Juneau had a winter storm warning while we were away for the holidays there really is no “snow” to speak of and we have come home to snain… wind and rain with more in the forecast… really? Ugh!
At 8:45 PM it is currently 41 degrees outside. It is raining so hard that I can hear it pounding on my roof and driveway from inside the house (while watching a movie!)
Talk about BORING!
Nothing going on around here... darn it!
JUNEAU BOROUGH AND NORTHERN ADMIRALTY ISLAND- INCLUDING...JUNEAU 8 PM AKST SAT JAN 7 2012 UPDATED .TONIGHT...RAIN. TEMPERATURES REMAINING AROUND 40. SOUTHEAST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH. .SUNDAY...RAIN. HIGHS AROUND 38. SOUTHEAST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH. .SUNDAY NIGHT...RAIN MIXING WITH SNOW LATE. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH. SNOW LEVEL 700 FEET IN THE EVENING. LOWS AROUND 30. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. .MONDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS AROUND 33. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. .MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS 21 TO 27. SOUTH WIND 10 MPH. .TUESDAY...CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS AROUND 33. .TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH .WEDNESDAY NIGHT...RAIN AND SNOW. LOWS AROUND 31. HIGHS 33 TO 38. .THURSDAY...RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY. HIGHS AROUND 35. .THURSDAY NIGHT...SNOW AND RAIN LIKELY. LOWS AROUND 28. .FRIDAY...CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS AROUND 30. .FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS AROUND 22. .SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS AROUND 28. http://pajk.arh.noaa.gov/Misc/text.php?zone=025
Notice a trend here? RAIN
At this point in time I should be out skiing or snowshoeing not wading through puddles.
LIFE LIST #1 – Hike the Chilkoot √
Well, the first item on my Life List was a goal that I had in 2011 to celebrate my 45th birthday.
In December of 2009 I decided that I needed to start getting outside more in this beautiful place that I live and thought it would be fun to keep a blog of my adventures – as as a way to keep me accountable to myself. There and Back Again – Alaska was launched and you can read about my motivation for starting the blog on the “About” page.
My big goal? Living in Alaska is wonderful and there is so much history and culture that you can live your entire life here and still never touch the tip of the “ice burg”… Juneau is the Capital for the State of Alaska and is rich in mining history. It was often one of the first stops for miners on their way to the Klondike.
The Chilkoot Trail is a historic marvel and a huge challenge. I wrote pretty extensively about the trail itself in a post 2011 Here I Come!!! Planning for the Chilkoot Trail. I listed a lot of links about the trail and a search of my blog will also pull up another list of posts related to that trip and my preparation for the hike.
We reached the Summit! July 4, 2011
My friend flew out from Michigan to join me for the hike. She was AWESOME! I never could have done it without her.
I wasn’t thinking that I would ever want hike this trail again but just a few short days hours after we finished I was already plotting how I would do it the next time.
You can see some of the photos from the trip here:
Chilkoot Trip 2011 – FaceBook Photo Album
33 miles, 5 days, 2 countries… lot’s of laughs, a few tears… priceless memories.
Where in the World is Miss Molly?
chattingwithspirit made the following comment on my Juneau by Moonlight post and also asked some questions…
What an [utterly] beautiful place you live in.
Yes, I do live in a beautiful place. People save their whole lives to come and visit a place that I am privileged to live in and enjoy on a daily basis.
I looked it up on Google maps and my goodness you are in a very cold area!
About the cold: Juneau is actually located in the Tongass National Forest. A temperate rain forest. What this means is that we really do not get all that cold. We do however get wet.
I remember when I was moving to Alaska and my mother-in-law exclaimed that she didn’t understand why we would move to a place that was sooooo cold… in all actuality we were moving to a more moderate climate than where we were in Montana at the time. That location was extreme – too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer… as Goldilocks would say, “[Juneau] is just right”…
There is an assumption that ALL of Alaska is cold. Take a look at the following graphic and you will get an idea about why all of Alaska is not “cold”… (Juneau is located at the marker).
Yes, when looking at the map Alaska is “way” up there toward the Arctic AND much of it resides above the Arctic… however, like much of the rest of the US Alaska has distinct regions and climate zones. People often assume that the very cold temperatures found in places life Fairbanks (-60+) are common for all of Alaska and that just isn’t so. Fairbanks also is known for warm summer temps (80+). Much like where I lived in Montana – too hot and too cold for me.
The other misleading picture when looking at Juneau on a map is that you see “white” so you automatically assume that is it cold and snowy. Juneau is surrounded by ice fields and we do experience a natural cooling/air conditioning but it is relatively “warm”. We have seasons up here – the wet season, monsoon season and the cold and wet season… All kidding aside we enjoy the outside all year round. Good rain gear is essential but not required.
One of my favorite bookmarked sites is the Juneau Forecast Office of the National Weather Service. I look here often to see what is up with the weather although the forecast has very little to do with my plans for outdoor activities. My other favorite site is the Geophysical Institute which published the Auroral Alert/ Forecast.
Just wondered … and hope you don’t mind me asking …. what do people do for a living all the way up there?
It is probably easier to just post a link to our Economic Indicators for Southeast Alaska. Juneau is the State Capital so naturally we have a large amount of “government” jobs – both State and Federal. With each change in administration in State Government there is a shift away from and to Juneau with State jobs depending on the focus of the Governor and whether or not they value Juneau as the capital as opposed to Anchorage (as the largest population base). Juneau is the Capital of Alaska, contrary to some people’s belief that the Capital is in Anchorage – but this is a sore subject for many.
Tourism is big up here but that is mostly seasonal – May through September.
Mining, natural resources, transportation (logistics), and construction.
Education and Healthcare employ a number of people of as well.
Just about anything that you can imagine really, however while we have retail stores “shopping” as people might think of the term is not something one would “do” here in Juneau. When we are interviewing candidates we let them know that if they like to “shop” as opposed to hike, that Juneau is not really a place that they would enjoy.
Me, I am an educator. When I moved up here I was in healthcare. I am looking at what I want to do in the future and I do know that it involves less of what I am doing now and more of what I enjoy, which is outdoor activity related, writing and photography. I just have to figure out how to make a living out of my interests.
Have you always lived there or did you ever live somewhere else?
I can’t tell you how many times I get asked that question. I was more excited that I was not asked the usual questions about Sarah Palin (insert GAG here).
I grew up in Washington State (not DC) in the Seattle area. I lived in Montana for a little over eight years and then back to Washington and then Alaska. Alaska is by far my most favorite place to live.
The plan was to relocate here for three years, advance my career and then move on. Well three years came and went and I was offered different “advancement opportunities” but I loved it here so much that I chose to stay. I have pretty much abandoned my “career” for a better life… there is a lot to be said for quality of life. That included filing for divorce after staying married way too long – which I hope will be resolved soon… feels good to be moving on in so many areas.
My partner and I are headed to Seattle for a little while to assist my parents. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with them… they aren’t getting any younger. But, we will be headed back to Alaska at some point. This is home now and I just don’t think we could stay away forever.
Other tidbits….
Another interesting though somewhat frustrating misconception is that Alaska is not part of the good ‘ol US of A… just ask any business in the lower 48 when you ask them to ship to Alaska and they tell you that they don’t ship internationally. Really? Yes, while there are times when Alaskan’s would like not to be part of the US, we are. It would be great if we were treated that way and not treated like we are a foreign country.
When you look at Alaska superimposed over the US you will see that the land mass stretches from border to border and coast to coast. Where I live it is accessible only by boat or plane. That is a hard concept for some people to grasp. We have more miles of hiking trails than we do roads. Taking a look at Alaska’s geography is pretty interesting. Very different depending on where you are in the state, much like traveling in the different areas of the US.
Other misconceptions:
We do not all live in igloos – few people actually do. We do not all have sled dogs, although there are a lot of ATV’s and snowmobiles.
There are as many types of living situations as there are people and communities. Everything from small remote villages to metropolitan areas.
Of course I can’t help but be a little facetious, this next picture is one of my favorites…
These pictures should put things into perspective and hopefully I have answered some of your questions.
Alaska is a beautiful place and I believe that everyone should come for a visit – five separate trips of at least two weeks each to cover the major areas. Heck, I have lived here for over 10 years and I have barely scratched the surface of what there is to see and experience.
Alaska is not for everyone. I can’t tell you how many times that I have interviewed people who have “dreamed” of living in Alaska. I have a knack for knowing who will stay and who will go… typically if a person lasts more than three years they will be a permanent resident of Alaska. Most people don’t even last a winter.
Juneau by Moonlight…
What a beautiful day. I’ve been in search of sun to see if my new transition lenses are working… no luck on the sun – or at least direct exposure to the sun – but I did get some photos of the sun on the mountains. I’ll have to wait for another day to see if my glasses are doing what they are supposed to.
With today’s full moon I wanted to attempt to get some night scenes.
I have absolutely no idea what I am doing and most often just point and shoot.
Sometimes I get lucky and most of the time I like my photos - fortunately with digital cameras I can shoot and delete and shoot and delete.
It is fun to experiment with different techniques and even though I have no intention of doing anything other than enjoying my photos I am continuing to learn how this whole digital camera thing works.
The coolest thing about tonight at the glacier? It was very dark and the moonlight made the glacier glow. After I stopped taking photos we heard a very loud rumbling. At first I thought it was the sound of the airplanes taking off echoing against the mountains. It wasn’t. It was the glacier calving – something I have yet to see in person.
We were standing nearly a mile away from the glacier but after a minute or so we could see the waves coming toward us across the lake and then we heard the ice cracking and moving as the waves hit the shore just a few feet from us.
It is a pretty awesome experience, I just wish I could have seen what must have been a large amount of ice breaking away from the glacier.
I just may have to go back tomorrow to see how the glacier has changed since the last time that I saw it.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
I’m not crazy… sometimes it just looks that way
I’m really not crazy (if I say that more than once does it mean that I really am crazy?)
We went for a ride today with our motorcycle friends… the other crazy people. This was the official “Cold Turkey Ride”, or so I am told. It wasn’t all that cold. 39 F here in Juneau today. It was actually a pretty nice ride. As I have always said, with good rain-gear anyone can overcome the challenges of the weather.
The streets were clear for the most part and no ice to speak of. Yes, as evidenced by the photo above, we do have snow on the ground but the rain over the past few days has cleared up the streets – at least to a reasonably safe standard for riding.
The following video is a collection of photos from our rides this year. One thing I can say for sure is that I LOVE these people. Salt of the earth, give the shirts off their backs, type of folks. They are family and I love them all.
During the “riding months” here in Juneau people will show up on Saturday’s at the Carr’s/Safeway here in Juneau and ride together. Rain or Shine. Doesn’t really matter what type of bike you ride really – just as long as it has two (or three) wheels and an engine.
A lot of fundraising happens with this group too. Poker runs raise money for the homeless and youth, the Robert F. Valliant Memorial Toy Run raises money and collects toys for the local hospital to make sure that each and every child has a toy when they are unfortunate enough to have to be in the hospital for some reason. We also ride on Memorial Day, 9/11 Memorial Ride, in honor of various club members who have passed on (The Ken Brewer Memorial Ride and the Joey Tagaban Memorial Ride) and any other reason that we can think of to get out on the road and have some good and safe fun.
I only recently (relatively) gotten involved with motorcycle riding and socializing with these great people – you can blame that on Fred – I know my mom does. I even took the Rider Education Course with Juneau ABATE this summer and earned my motorcycle endorsement. I won’t be riding with the larger group anytime soon – I’ll be a passenger for a while yet while I build up my confidence – but I am looking forward to getting my own bike and learning how to ride it safely.
Well, I have to run… Fred and I are headed off to a Holiday Dinner with our motorcyle family… guaranteed to be lot’s of fun… it was last year.
