Resilience
Written by: Rachel Nielsen, Receptionist, Administration Department
When my father William Komakhuk was 23 years old, he was offered a reindeer herding job by the Lomen’s Company in Nome to herd 3,444 reindeer to the Inuit in Canada and my father accepted. The Inuit’s food supply was sparse, so the Canadian Government requested that Alaska transport reindeer to the Inuit to train them to become reindeer herders so they can become self-sufficient. The initial time to herd the reindeer to Canada was 2 years but the actual time was 5 years. My father described it as a grueling time but he was physically and mentally fit to do this job. He learned to sleep walk while he herded the reindeer. He heard the reindeer noises as he sleep walked. He learned to navigate by the stars, knew when a storm was brewing, how to breed strong reindeer, where the best protective place to reside for the night and build emergency shelters, sew new gear using reindeer skins, utilize and improvise what the land provided and learned to speak English.
In the early spring, the eight herders looked for a place that was sheltered from the wind and rain, abundant water and lichen, easy to spot other game and had proficient vegetation. This special spot was for the pregnant reindeer to conceive their young and wait patiently for the newborns to become strong enough to continue their strenuous journey. He was well aware of all the predators and those who posed a threat to the herders and the reindeer.
Many major and minor incidents happened during this journey. One came to my mind very vividly. As my sleep walking father herded the reindeer, he was awakened by silence. He immediately ran to the front of the reindeer to determine why the reindeer came to a complete stop. He peered into a vast area and at the edge of a cliff, there was a shear drop of 300+ feet. He and the rest of the herders rounded up the deer and redirected them. When they arrived at their destination, most of the herd was bred and born during the trek.
We came from a hardy, persistent ancestry who were the ultimate survivors in one of the most harsh environments on earth. With that said, we as Alaskans have this bred into us and need to tap into this vast arena of adventure, wonder, persistence, strength, wisdom, courage, etc. on a daily basis.
