Raising Ourselves

Velma Wallis

Book cover for Raising Ourselves
Book cover for Raising Ourselves

Raising Ourselves

Raising Ourselves

Velma Wallis

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Description

Velma Wallis shares the love, loss, and struggle that mark her

coming of age in a two-room cabin at Fort Yukon, Alaska, where

she is born in 1960, the sixth of thirteen children. Family life is

defined by the business of survival: Haul water from the Yukon.

Kill a moose. Chop firewood. Feed the sled dogs staked around

the cabin. Run the trap line. Catch salmon. It is a time of innocence

and laughter, too, as the children escape into a world of

play under the midnight sun.

The once-migratory family has settled at the confluence of two

she is born in 1960, the sixth of thirteen children. Family life is

defined by the business of survival: Haul water from the Yukon.

Kill a moose. Chop firewood. Feed the sled dogs staked around

the cabin. Run the trap line. Catch salmon. It is a time of innocence

and laughter, too, as the children escape into a world of

play under the midnight sun.


Critical Reviews

RAISING OURSELVES is sad but never bitter. What it describes is harsh and wrenching. Yet, ultimately, this is a book about hope and survival.-Kenai Peninsula Clarion

"...Told with integrity and a powerful reality. This is a riveting account of Gwich'in village life, revealing peril and hardship as well as innocence and mysticism."-Jan Harper-Haines, author of COLD RIVER SPIRITS

As deftly as her mother revealed the inside of the marten den, Wallis reveals the complex, often dysfunctional world of her family and rural community.-Juneau Empire

Writing from the inside with heart and a keen eye, Wallis creates a nuanced and intimate picture of rural Native village life.-Homer News

"Once more, Velma Wallis shows her deep understanding of the traditional cultures of the North and reveals the heart of a true storyteller.--Joseph Bruchac, author of SACAJAWEA

Publishing Information

Publisher: Epicenter Press (WA)
Pub date: 2003-09-01
Length: 218 pages

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