Playing With Fish And Other Lessons from the North - Softcover

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According to the Yupaik Eskimo of Alaska, fish are not to be played with. Itas an adage instilled in children thatas as basic as looking both ways before crossing the street, but at its heart lies a concern for nature. Yupaik traditions are tested each generation by this peopleas struggle for survival, the admonition not to play with fish has been further tested by the arrival of sport fishing from the south. Worlds are collidingawhose will emerge unscathed? Robert J. Wolfe, a cultural anthropologist from California, spent twenty years in Alaska documenting the traditional hunting and fishing practices of Alaska Natives. During that northern sojourn he discovered much about sustainable relationships between people and nature and about the basis of meaningful communities. In Playing with Fish he has crafted a series of thought-provoking essays on nature, culture, and the human condition that convey unsuspected lessons from the North. In contrasting California and Alaskaaworlds far apart yet connected by peoples, cultural traditions, and ecologyaWolfe not only draws distinctions between compass points, he also conveys memorable stories about nature and life. He depicts bears and humans as both neighbors and ancient adversaries, and how cultural views about bears can destroy or preserve those relationships. He shows us Alaskan villages where security is found not in locks but in neighbors, unlike electronically sealed suburban California homes, their lawns studded with security signs. And he describes the peaceful resolution of conflict between California bird hunters and Eskimos of the Bering Sea coast over declining geese numbers, where small humanizing acts tipped the balance in favorof cooperation. Blending insights into subjects as diverse as music and chaos theory, Wolfe challenges readers to reflect on their own personal conduct within nature and within our multicultural world. "Playing with Fish" is a delightful and insightful collection of modern parables that offer a new way of looking at cultural and ecological issues, reminding us that the road between two worlds is always a two-way street.