Читать книгу Racing Toward Recovery. The Extraordinary Story of Alaska Musher Mike Williams Sr. онлайн

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There was a strong belief in God. My parents wanted us to respect the God who controls all of the universe and all that he made. That is what they told us and what they taught us. Every week we had Sunday school teachers. Sunday was a very respected day in my family. My mom and dad did not want us to do anything on Sunday except to rest. That’s what we did. It was a rest day. We didn’t go out hunting or fishing. That was a big influence on me. The Elders were consistent with my mother and father. All the Elders who came to our house taught me about their belief in the Creator.

Those Elders, my parents, uncles, and people of those generations, grew up speaking Yupiaq. Some of them learned English, some of them did not. My generation, people now about sixty years old or more, was the first generation to focus on learning English. My generation made the shift. The older people were highly educated in Yup'ik ways and traditional teachings. Before contact with the whites they were very healthy people. They did not have problems with their teeth from eating sweets, diabetes, alcohol misuse, or any major regular health problems.