Roots
Written by: Stephanie Rogers, Data & Grants Compliance, Educational Services
We moved quietly through the house not turning on any lights. We grabbed our clothes, coffee and toast. There were no complaints even though it was 3:30 a.m. It was time to fish. It was summer in Naknek, AK.
We loaded the truck and the four wheelers and headed towards the beach. Traveling down the road each and every time was a treat for me. Everyone waved! Everyone knew who we were, where we were from and what family we fished with. This wasn’t odd. It is quite normal for other families and community members to know more about you than yourself. I was still a bit of an outsider, but accepted nonetheless as part of the Monsen family. I kind of giggle now thinking back; it almost felt like being famous.
I loved the summers I spent in Naknek. In the village, heritage seemed more revered than it did in the city. Every person in the village was important and had a purpose no matter how young or old. Everyone originated from Naknek, or from somewhere very near. In the city, it seemed that everyone originated from somewhere else.
Don’t get me wrong. I had a family with history, culture and lineage, but it wasn’t the same. Here I could smell the sea, touch the sandy beach and see what others had seen decades before. In Anchorage, I had family. Naknek’s families, had roots. I have carried this important lesson with me since the summer of 1985.
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