Amchitka and the Bomb: Nuclear Testing in Alaska

1. Among the Many Islands

1 / AMONG THE MANY ISLANDS Islands between sea and ocean Aleutian Islands ... mountainous bow ofstorms belt ofemeralds like the eagle's curved flight above you .... -RAYMOND HUDSON, "Summer's Bay" Alaska is an exceptional place by any realistic standards. It is the biggest M. state in the Union. It holds the most islands, the highest mountains, the largest glaciers. and the greatest number ofactive volcanoes over any of the other States. Although it was once only a small outpost in the old Russian empire. Alaska is now a giant among its sister states. Aptly. the Russians had called it Bolshaya Zemlya. or "Big Land," which is reflected in its modern nickname, the Great Land. Actually, the Russian Aliaska, or Alyaska, is an adaptation from the Aleut language meaning "the mainland" or "land that is not an island." It covers 586.400 square miles with uncommon natural beauty. extraordinary vistas, and monumental features. The land mass is so dominant that it overshadows the many islands that dot the seas surrounding it on three sides. Bordering the Beaufort. Chukchi, and Bering Seas. Alaska protrudes bulky and peninsula-like into the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. These surrounding seas greatly influenced Alaska's early development , providing resources and accesses for its indiginous people as well as outsiders. Most Alaskans today live in coastal areas with a dizzying crosshatch of straits, inlets, sounds, channels, passes, narrows. coves, bights, and bays. Alaska's coastline is over twice as long as the combined coasts of the remaining states in the Union.1 Two large island groups extend Alaska even farther to the south and west. The Alexander Archipelago lies alongside Canada, running 500 miles south3 AMONG THE MANY ISLANDS S east, while the Aleutian Islands point westerly from the mainland toward Asia, reaching into the eastern hemisphere in a narrow l,loo-mile arc. These islands make Alaska the state ofmany islands. The Aleutian Chain alone contains over two hundred of them.2 Before the Russians explored the region in the eighteenth century, the islands had played an important role in the lives of the Aleuts, Alaska'a indigenous people. A rich Aleutian Island mythology emerged from these ancient , Aleut homelands. Aleut stories traditionally included many heroic characters connected to their beloved island homes. Umnak Island was identified as the exact spot where Aleuts first descended from the skies. Another Aleut tale claimed that human mortality resulted as a punishment when the Deity was criticized for creating the Aleutians. An elaborate narrative was told of the Chuginadak Island Woman, a guardian spirit, whose adventures united island communities in peaceful cooperation. "Land Uncle," an emotive term. supposedly an original Aleut name for the Pribilofs , was also the title ofa favorite story celebrating these islands. Tigalda Island boasted of three mighty heroes: Daylight Lifter, Mainland Slayer, and Tusk Breaker-super heroes who conquered their non-Aleut Koniag enemies. In some legends. species such as sea lions, fur seals, and birds were magically changed into human form to benefit Aleutian Island life. In Aleut myths, the islands came first, the people later} Other Native Alaskan tales also emphasized the primacy of the islands. In the Southeast (as Alaskans call the panhandle), the Tlingit creator, Yeil or Raven, flew to a distant island where he, like Prometheus, appropriated fire for humans. Raven also gave his people the special gift of an island previously reserved only for land and sea animals. According to another legend, the Southeast's many islands were once human ancestors who had been changed into landforms by an eagle. In the north, an Inupiat creation story described the origin of Sevuokuk. now known as St. Lawrence Island. A mythical giant, with one foot planted on Siberia and the other on Alaska, gave Sevuokuk life by squeezing water from sand and stone scooped out of the ocean bed. When dried, the land stuck fast when thrown onto the Bering Sea. Even today, St. Lawrence Island is known as the "island between two continents:' Eskimo storytellers proclaimed the deeds of another giant who created Egg and Besboro Islands in Norton Sound. Little and Big Diomede Islands in Bering Strait were affectionately called "island brothers."4 (facing page) MAP 1. Alaska and the Aleutian Islands AMONG THE MANY ISLANDS 6 As interesting as these myths and legends have been, the islands ofAlaska also occupy key geographical positions that give them continuing importance . Situated on the northwestern flank of the...