Villagers

The late Claire Fejes, a resident of Alaska for more than thirty-five years, one of the state's finest painters--and the author of People of the Noatak, a sensitive portrait of Native Alaskan life--once again takes us on a journey exploring the tradition and cultures of Alaska.

In Villagers, she embarks on an extended voyage up the Tanana and Yukon rivers to visit Native Athabascan villages along the way--New Minto, Galena, Koyukuk, Fort Yukon, Nenana, Kaltag, Rampart. She faithfully records in paintings and drawings, but above all in the words of the villagers themselves. The men, women, and children trusted Claire Fejes, and spoke candidly of their life, past and present, and their prospects for the future.

The Natives of Alaska, the Athabaskan Indians, are facing a momentous crisis. Hunting pressures have reduced the moose and caribou populations so central to their livelihood. Unable to provide for themselves, many must leave their native villages to look for work in the cities. Traditional practical skills are vanishing. Welfare ranks are swelling. The new generation finds itself in a dilemma: to remain true to ancestral ways or to adopt urban values. Few can speak Athabaskan; it was once illegal to teach the language in the schools. Faced with the intrusion of outside values and their own misfortunes, many have grown bitter and resentful--and hopeless. The incidence of suicide and alcoholic addiction in some villages is alarming. Recently, however, there has been a resurgence of ethnic pride among the Athabascan. They are becoming infused with a new and deep respect for tradition. Hope for the survival of the dené--the People--exists.

A timeless story deeply felt and generously illustrated, Villagers is the human drama of a people's struggle to retain its identity, in spite of threats from within and without.