In this Book
- Learning to Like Muktuk: An Unlikely Explorer in Territorial Alaska
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Oregon State University Press
Fascinated by the foods of indigenous Alaskans, such as muktuk, strips of whale skin and blubber, she took every opportunity to learn about Native Alaskan peoples and their food cultures. As she gained knowledge, Penelope Easton identified the need for public health personnel to know and appreciate the dietary traditions and adaptations of the region and became an advocate for preserving native food customs.
Learning to Like Muktuk draws on her detailed field reports, photographs, letters, and other documents, some of which may be the only remaining descriptions of native Alaskan foodways from the period between the end of WWII and statehood.
Easton describes helping hospitals and children's homes with food procurement and service, preparing regional nutritional information materials, and working with public health nurses conducting classes for adults and school children. Threaded through the narrative are stories of her adventures: a tumultuous flight through a glacial storm and spending the night on the frozen tundra, traveling with a daredevil bush pilot, and witnessing the harvest of a whale carcass.
Penelope Easton’s memoirs convey a new perspective on the interactions of Native and non-Native groups at a critical point in Alaska’s history. Learning to Like Muktuk will enthrall readers interested in public health, indigenous foods, and the hazards of exploring the Territory.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. 1-6
- Chapter 1: Juneau, Home Base
- pp. 17-32
- Chapter 3: Anchorage, My Second Home
- pp. 45-58
- Chapter 5: Kodiak, The close of 1948
- pp. 73-82
- Chapter 8: Yukon gold, Fairbanks
- pp. 107-116
- Appendices
- pp. 165-180
- References
- pp. 181-182
- Acknowledgments
- pp. 183-184