In the Interior of Alaska this takes skill and intimate understanding of all of the cycles occurring in the environment. Hunting, fishing and gathering of berries, tea and other vegetation, and the preparation and preservation of these foods involves an intricate body of knowledge.
Nothing is wasted in traditional subsistence practice.
Animal furs and skins are made into beautiful clothing and other useful and necessary products. This page tries to give you a feeling for subsistence lifestyle. It also focuses on the way Native science and Western science are blended at Ella B.Vernetti School, involving the whole community. Where a story came from is an important part of any traditional storyteller's introduction, it tells the listener a great deal about it. Mary Lena follows traditional oral storytelling style by beginning with the storyteller, Eliza, who told her the story, and acknowledging the person who told Eliza the story.