Module 4: Cultural Connections Part 1

I really enjoyed watching all three of the videos. I can say there are plenty of similarities between the people of Hawaii and the people of Alaska. We share the “island” living and the coastline eating. It is always neat to watch the similarities between the East Coast and the Pacific Ocean. We are full of fisherman and fishing lifestyles. I didn’t realize there were whaling ports in Massachusetts? That shows how little I know about the East Coast.
The differences between Massachusetts and the island lifestyles are the population make-up. The Massachusetts folk are a Heinz 57 of culture and diversity. Most of the Hawaiian footage was that of Hawaiians, as well as the footage from Alaska. I also felt that my hometown, Kodiak, fits in well with the Nanwalek culture and people.

EXTEND
• What other cultures do you know that live in the shadow of volcanoes?
• How does living on volcanic islands influence culture?
• What other related stories do you know?
When I think of volcanoes----I think of countries with many islands. Of course we have the Hawaiian islands, The Aleutian Islands, and….what came to mind for me was the Indonesian Islands. Perhaps it’s been the current happenings over in that area of the world, but I thought of them first. I also think of the Filipino People who are close and would be affected by the volcanic activity.
I live on an island that is shadowed by volcanoes regularly. With the constant worry of volcanic activity (most recently Mount Redoubt) on our island we are always prepared. Our ancestors have done a great job of teaching us, through storytelling) how important it is to be prepared. With the introduction of websites as http://www.avo.alaska.edu/
We are very fortunate to be able to monitor activity. In fact, when Kevin Costner was making the movie, The Guardian, he chose not to come to Kodiak with fear he may be stuck!

Science can impact indigenous cultures and their way of life in both positive and negative ways. Through modern day monitoring we are able to inform citizens very quickly of things as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami warnings. For this, we are quite fortunate. However, when we talk about interrupting religious areas to build stations, we are not taking into consideration the history and the importance of their way of life. Often, things happen for a reason---as my grandmother instilled into me. Science is a way of life---it has always been. Nowadays we just don’t do it by watching the weather, or watching the tides, or the constellations in the sky.
I am also fortunate to have spent some time in Hawaii and watch the way their stories have shaped their lives…. just as my heritage has shown me.

Quick story: My husband and I spent a week on Rarotonga, Cook Island for our honeymoon. We flew down and met the most remarkable lady, Peta. Peta was a native to the island. She was of simple existence, such as myself, and couldn’t comprehend the lifestyles of those who visited her island. We spent the week getting to know each other very well and when we departed, her last words to me were---thank you for being my friend, North Pacific Islander. Although we were of two different worlds, we were of very similar beliefs. We had become friends through our similar values of being Pacific Islanders.