Gwichyaa Zhee (Gwich'in for "house on the flats")
By the Rev. Canon Ginny Doctor
One of All Saints' Wichita Falls seven outreach programs is to assist with expenses necessary to teach and train Native leaders in the vast interior of Alaska. Of the 24 congregations in the Interior Deanery, only seven can be reached by road. The other 17 congregations can only be reached by airplane, boat or snow machine. Most of the churches in the Interior are simple one-room log structures, without offices, phones or indoor plumbing and often heated with wood-burning stoves. Only nine of the 24 congregations have resident clergy; however, this does not mean that the other 15 churches are not active. Strong lay leaders take responsibility for the life of many of these congregations, while others struggle to keep the faith alive.
The Yukon River dominates the geography of the Interior Deanery. It is 1,875 miles long, 1,400 of those miles lie within Alaska...the remainder in Canada. The people of the Interior rely on the river for transportation in the summer months, and for their food supply...a run of salmon that arrives usually in mid-June.
Gwich'in Anglicans have been in world news over the last several years as prominent opponents of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Almost 20 years ago our General Convention at Phoenix passed a resolution, at behest of Gwich'in people, opposing exploration in the Refuge. – Owanah Anderson
The Rev. Canon Ginny DoctorLater we walked over and Annie told us to help ourselves. Anna dished up two bowls of moose nose. I said to myself, "I am just going to eat this fast and get it over with." So, I did, didn't look at anything or anyone, just ate moose nose. It was okay. Anna looked at my empty bowl and asked if I wanted more and I told her no because I knew she would want more.
The Ven. Anna Frank
She looked away and then said, "You weren't supposed to eat the hair." If I had been watching Anna eat, I would have learned that. I broke one of my own rules; we always have to watch what people of the land do when we come from outside of that land. So, now I probably have a moose hair ball in my stomach!
Things have changed in Gwichyaa Zhee since 1993, especially with St. Stephen's Church. Our work in Fort Yukon is bounded in a great history. The English came from Canada down the Yukon River and brought mission when the land was still Russian territory. American Episcopalians established mission among the Athabascan Indians at Fort Yukon in 1898; the present little log church building was erected in 1942.
St. Stephen's is resplendent with many saints, both militant and triumphant. The years without full time clergy have taken its toll on our facilities but not the hearts of the people who remain steadfast, faithful Episcopalians. Last June, one of our Gwich'in clergy accepted a call to St. Stephen's. Mary Nathaniel was a deacon for many years but
St. Stephen’s, Fort Yukon, AK My purpose for this trip to Fort Yukon was two–fold. Firstly, all of our facilities are in need of repair and I needed to get a sense of what we should tackle first and what kind of resources are available in Fort Yukon.
Secondly, Mary asked me to help her do training in the use of the Book of Common Prayer and teaching confirmation class. Mary is often called upon to travel to Chalkyitsik, Birch Creek, and Beaver, three Gwich'in villages without clergy, and wanted to train lay readers to do Morning Prayer and funerals in the event she was unable to travel to them. We trained two women and two men. Now we have to follow up with encouragement.
Gracie Thomas, trainee, with the Rev. Mary Nathaniel
in a birch grove
After the training, we talked about the Mission House that sadly is caving in. Mary presently lives there and would like to stay there if we can fix it. She remembers the Rev. Walter Hannum, one of those militant saints who was the priest at St. Stephen's in the 1950's. He had a choir that she sang in and said she remembers those hymns from the 1940 Hymnal. She also remembers Father Hannum having classes in the Mission House. There was a long table with him and other men sitting there, teaching and learning. This was the Yukon Flats Training Center where Father Hannum trained folks like David Salmon, Titus Peter and Donald Oktollik. He was preparing them for ordination and all three were ordained by Bishop Gordon. All three are now saints triumphant.
Maybe what we did here today will inspire and excite the hearts of others to take on the ministry. I keep telling folks, "It's OUR ministry. It's OUR responsibility. Father is not coming home!"
St. Stephen's church has a moose hide frontal with tiny bead embroidery, made to honor
returning veterans from World War II. Among the women who helped make the frontal was Hannah Solomon, now age 103. She
made tippets for seven presiding bishops from James DeWolf Perry (1931-1937) to Frank Griswold (1998-2007).After church we went out to the home of one of the Church Committee members. She cooked a delicious goose dinner with all the fixings. We dined at her outdoor kitchen and I can't remember a goose tasting so good. It was snowing cotton wood, and that means the salmon are on their way. We ate, talked and shared many laughs. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and it reminded me of my homelands when my grandmother would cook all day Saturday so she could feed everyone on Sunday afternoon.
Soon it was time to climb aboard the Navajo Piper and head back to Fairbanks. Gwichyaa Zhee is one place that I don't wonder if I'll be back because I know God draws me there. This is a holy land with many holy people, past and present. We, with the help of our supporters have to keep the holiness going just like those two rivers, the Yukon and Porcupine keep flowing and going.