Carol Crane - L Is for Last Frontier: An Alaska Alphabet

An Alaska Alphabet

Written by Carol Crane and Illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe

To Bethel Logan, 1st grade teacher, who brings
the excitement of the Iditarod to her students every year
and to Shelley Gill, Alaskan friend.

Carol Crane

To my children Natalie, Matthew, and John.
May you always find the wonder and beauty in nature.

Michael Glenn Monroe

There are five distinct groups of Alaska Natives. All have their own beautiful creation stories of their ancestors. These stories are passed on from generation to generation. Their language, cultural beliefs, and the primary regions where they live are all distinct. The five groups are the Northwest Coast Indians, the Inupiaqs-Eskimo, Yupik-Eskimo, Aleut-Alutiq, and the Athabascans.

All of these great people still use each of their inherited hunting skills to subsist on land and sea. For transportation and hunting they use cedar canoes, kayaks, sleds, and snowshoes. However, today more modern vehicles such as snowmobiles are used.

Their clothing is often made of caribou and moose hide. The fur keeps them warm. A mothers fur-lined parka has a large hood for carrying small children. Gloves often have fur on the inside. Moccasins and insulated boots are an important part of their clothing. The sea hunters wear bentwood visors with sea lion whiskers. The number of whiskers shows their success in hunting.

Alaska Natives have many artistic skills. Chilkat weavers create perfectly skilled circles. Beautifully carved totem poles are found in Ketchikan and handcrafted Haida cedar canoes, 60 feet long are found here.

Tools are decorated with spiritual symbols to aid in hunting success. Baskets are made that have beautiful geometric designs and are known as the finest in the world. When food is stored for the winter, these great people celebrate using carved wooden masks and elaborate costumes.

Today, some Alaska Natives live and work in the major cities. Some still live off the land as their ancestors once did. In all, these great native people of Alaska will never forget their wonderful heritage.

A is for Alaska Natives remembering their ancestors way.

Fishing, trapping, hunting, and whaling, living on a great land today.

Alaska is called bear country because it is the only state to have all three species: The brown bear (or grizzly), the black bear, and the polar bear.

The brown bear has a shoulder hump and a larger head than the black bear. It has large claws for digging, and likes to eat berries, roots, and salmon. A subspecies of the brown bear is the Kodiak bear. It lives exclusively on Kodiak Island and the islands nearby. The Kodiak bear is the largest bear in the world, standing up to 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,500 pounds.

The black bear has a pointed head and is the smallest of the three bears. It likes to eat berries, honey, fish, and nuts. The black bear and its cubs climb trees to escape from predators.

The polar bear is a carnivore that lives on the Arctic ice pack. Its main diet consists of ringed seals, walrus pups, and stranded whales. It has a heavy white coat, a long neck, and small head. The polar bear uses its webbed front feet like paddles to swim through the water. A cub will hold on to its mothers tail and swim along with her.

B is for the three Bears, brown bear, polar, and black.

Mother bear with her cubs, hunts for a morning snack.

Cranberries are found on high bush, low bush, and bog shrubs throughout Alaska. The red berries are bright and shiny and are used for jellies, relishes, and drinks. The Alaska Natives use the berries for medicine.

Blueberries are sometimes called huckleberries. They are sweet and are used in jams and jellies. The Alaska Natives use them in a dessert called akutuq made of oil, fat, sugar, and blueberries. Where there are blueberries, you may also find bears. Mountain goats, elk, and deer alsolove to eat the berries.

Crowberries are also called blackberries. Alaska Natives cook them rather than eat them raw. They blend them with livers of cod or trout into a dish called tingaulik.

Soapberry is called the whipped-cream berry. Northwest coast native people whip the red-orange berries to make an Eskimo ice cream.

C is for Cranberries. People love them, so do bears.

Blueberries, crowberries, soapberries too, an Alaskan berry fair.

Denali is the name the Athabascan native people gave the high peaks of Mount McKinley. This wondrous mountain was named for President William McKinley. Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in the North American continent with a summit of 20,320 feet. The high crown of Mount McKinley continues to be a focal point for this great state.

During President Jimmy Carters term in office, a bill was signed establishing Denali National Park and Preserve. The park area is home to a variety of wildlife and more than 600 species of flowering plants.

Mountains crowned with snow, an awesome sight to see.

This ones called The Great One, Denali starts with D.

The bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States. There are up to 30,000 bald eagles living in Alaska. Eagles are known to live 20 or more years. After these eagles are five years old, the color of their head and tail feathers turn white. Eagles have very sharp eyes and can spot fish in the water a mile away. They have a wide wingspan of over eight feet. By law, eagles are protected from hunters.

Both the bald eagle and the golden eagle are found in Alaska. They are known as birds of prey, which means they feed mainly on the animals they hunt. Other birds of prey are hawks, falcons, and owls.

E is for Eagles, soaring, looking for food.

Swooping wings, sharp talons, a salmon for the brood.

The forget-me-not is Alaskas official state flower. It is a delicate little flower that grows along streams and alpine meadows throughout most of Alaska.

In 1926, a 13-year-old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, received 1st prize for his entry in a flag design contest for Alaska. The blue field of the flag represents the sky, sea, and mountain lakes, as well as the wildflowers of Alaska. On the flag are eight gold stars. Seven stars form the constellation the Big Dipper, and the eighth is the North Star representing Alaska, the northernmost state in our country. The flag became the official state flag in 1959.

The four-spot skimmer dragonfly is the official insect of Alaska. It naturally controls the mosquito population because it eats many of these pesky insects.

F is for Forget-Me-Not, it catches your eye.