Debby Dahl Edwardson

A young Iñupiaq boy anxiously awaits his father's return from a whaling trip, gazing out at the fat flakes his Aaka (grandmother) calls "whale snow" - the snow that "comes when a whale has given itself to the People." Joining in the communal celebration that follows - the hugging and crying, gathering and feasting - Amiqqaq discovers aġvaktuni quiviasuun, the "whale happiness" that comes from the spirit-of-the-whale's sacrifice. But where, Amiqqaq asks his Aapa (grandfather), does the show more spirit-of-the-whale go after the feast...?

A lovely picture-book, which combines a warm family tale with luminous watercolor illustrations, Whale Snow offers a sensitive, and culturally accurate, portrait of the Iñupiat people's physical and spiritual relationship with the bowhead whale. A glossary of Iñupiaq terms, and a brief afterword, provide additional information for the young reader.

As someone who supports the subsistence hunting and fishing rights of the indigenous peoples of North America, but who also has some serious problems with whaling, I am grateful to Debby Dahl Edwardson for this book, which really clarifies the central role of the bowhead whale in Iñupiat culture. Although not Iñupiaq herself, Edwardson raised seven half-Iñupiaq children in Barrow, Alaska, and really seems to understand her subject. Annie Patterson, also a resident of Barrow, captures the serene coldness of the Arctic landscape, as well as the warmth of its people, in her gorgeous art. All in all, a beautiful and enlightening book - one I would imagine would be particularly useful for teachers and librarians doing units on the indigenous peoples of the far north. show less

Blessing and her brother Isaac leave Anchorage to live with their grandmother on an Alaskan island after a domestic violence incident between her mother and boyfriend Stephan. Blessing feels out of place in this distant, spartan village where everyone seems to be a relative even though she's never met them. It is the place however, where Blessing discovers her culture and feels a part of her tribe in a way she never did before. The author married into the Iñupiaq culture and there seems to show more be a sincere authenticity in presenting Blessing's story. show less

This is a different kind of survival story. This is survival of the spirit not the body. It is about how kids forced to leave their homes manage to learn new things without losing their cultures.

This historical fiction story tells about a Inupiaq boy named Luke who was sent with his brothers to a Catholic boarding school from his home in the north of Alaska. It records the things that happened to these Native kids when they were forced to leave home for their educations. Almost immediately show more the youngest brother Isaac who is only six is taken from the others and sent away to be adopted by a family in Texas. Luke and Bunna, and even their families, have nothing to say about it.

This story talks about the mostly well-meaning volunteers who educated the kids and tried to make them into good Christians. It talks about the rivalry between the Eskimos and the Indians that exists in the school and the white staff who can't tell the Indians and the Eskimos apart.

The story also tells about a white girl named Chickie who was at the school too. Her father was a storekeeper in a remote village. Chickie identifies with the Eskimo kids she grew up with. The story is filled with kids like her and with orphans. They all band together and form friendships.

I loved the language of this story told from a variety of viewpoints - Luke's, Chickie's, Sonny's who is the Indian son of a fatherless family who has lots of responsibility for his younger siblings, Amiq's who is the Eskimo son of a father who drinks, Donna who is an Indian girl who was orphaned and raised until boarding school by another missionary nun.

We see a number of events through their eyes. We see the army testing the kids with a radioactive drink to see why they are able to survive above the arctic circle. We see the reaction to the assassination of the first Roman Catholic president. We see the protests about proposed nuclear explosions above the Arctic Circle and we see protests about hunting laws.

This would be a good story to read with kids to talk about history. The author tells us that most of the events really happened to various Native kids at government and private boarding schools. Luke is based on her own husband's story. show less

I listened to this, which I admit is a different experience than reading it. It's one of those books that draws you in to a story to the point that you'll also find yourself googling details. It's set in the 1960s at a point when the world wasn't sure how to deal with the cultures in Alaska. The church (mostly Roman Catholic) and the U.S. government both took a rather callous attitude towards the people there. But this book isn't about that, it merely serves as a backdrop to a story about show more growing up and the loss and change that comes with it. Highly recommend for youth reading 10ish on up. show less