I've mentioned that my maternal grandmother was 1/2 Inupiat Eskimo. She lived above the Arctic Circle until her oldest son became seriously ill, and her entire family moved to northwest Washington state so that he could get treatment. That move involved a harrowing sled dog trip of over 600 miles.
My grandma died in the mid '70's, and like most kids, it never occurred to me to ask her stories about her childhood. Luckily, she did tell some stories to my Uncle Stu, who told his daughter Julie, and she wrote a short book with two stories of our grandmother as a child.
I warn you, the stories are heartbreaking. They're also beautifully written.
The book is available on Kindle, if you're interested.
Julie has also shared some pictures of our grandmother and grandfather. They take my breath away.
These were taken somewhere between Point Hope, Point Lay, and Kotzebue, Alaska. My grandma is the one facing the camera, with the big smile.
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