Fort Wainwright soldiers introduced to Native culture
FORT WAINWRIGHT - Even though the building was warm, Morgan Solomon donned his heavy-duty ceremonial parka before addressing the audience. The black velvet coat trimmed with wolverine fur denotes Solomon is head of his household, a good provider for his family and that he is worthy of respect.
"It's waterproof and tough and built to last," Solomon explained to the crowd at Fort Wainwright on Friday.
His lesson in parkas was a way to introduce soldiers to Alaska Native ways, a part of the American Indian Heritage Month celebration the Army hosted for its troops and for the public. Solomon was joined by Native dancers, musicians and crafters, all willing to share a slice of their culture with fellow Alaskans.
"It's an opportunity for a segment of our culture to be celebrated," said Sgt. Billy Carmichael, equal opportunity adviser for the 172nd Brigade. "We want everybody to celebrate the things Native Americans have done for this country."
Fort Wainwright has been hosting the event for at least a decade but opened it to the public this year. "We're surrounded by the culture," Lt. Jarrod Crockett said. "We just don't recognize it all the time."
Telling the crowd with a big grin on his face that he is a "full-blown Eskimo," Solomon said, "If you've never seen an Eskimo, you're looking at one."
Although Solomon, 67, lives in Fairbanks now, he grew up in Wainwright - the village, not the fort - and has spent considerable time in Barrow, where he is a member of a whaling crew. He served in the Army from 1954 to 1960 and in the Alaska Territorial Guard throughout the 1960s. He said he experienced little prejudice while he was in the service.
Solomon told how people in northern Alaska depend on subsistence, including the spring and fall whale hunts. Harvesting seals and whales from the ocean and hunting caribou, the Inupiat continue the life of their grandparents, Solomon said.
"As it was yesterday we live it today," he said.