Alaskan Books

Alaska’s Little Chief and Alaska’s Secret Door are non-fiction Alaskana children’s books, presenting living mentors: First Traditional Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference, David Salmon as well as Emmitt Peters, record-setter of the 1975 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Includes curriculum CD Mush with 10-year old David Salmon and his pet ermine through Gwich'in Athabascan traditional life. In the 1920s, an epidemic forced David, today's First Traditional Chief of the Interior, and his father, to leave their village and trap for eighteen years in No Man's Land. The fur-bearing animals (wolverine, fox, ermine, marten, lynx, and wolf) of Alaska were their daily and closest companions. Alaska’s Little Chief - Written by Judy Ferguson; illustrated by Nikola Kocic; published by Glas. Alaska's Little Chief is the Athabascan people’s presentation of traditional life. In October 2005, the response to Alaska's Little Chief and Alaska's Secret Door at Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention was overwhelming, confirming that Alaska’s Little Chief and Alaska’s Secret Door fill a gap: portraits of Native elder personal sagas, windows of our unique heritage. Unusual for a children’s book, ALC and ASD include maps, bi-lingual glossaries and a full letter from Chief David Salmon. Through dynamic, colorful paintings of living heroes, Native and non-Native children are swept off the road system and immersed into the vast majority of Alaska where most will never go: the Bush where the river is the only road.

Through the eyes of five-year old Clint Ferguson, Alaska’s Secret Door sweeps the reader via the Ferguson family’s canoe into the Athabascan culture of the Yukon River. Leaving behind both the Tanana River and the road system, the Fergusons pass through a seemingly invisible door and discover the sweeping river highway, the artery into the heart of Alaska. At Ruby, the Fergusons meet the unforgettable Mary and Paul Peters and their son, Emmitt Peters, winner and record-setter, of the 1975 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Through the Peters family, Alaska’s Secret Door is a child’s intimate portrayal of fish camp, smoked moose hides, native ice cream, wind, sand and salmon. From paddlewheels to the shaman’s exotic kazhem at Shageluk, Secret Door is a child’s door into Alaska’s fantastic plethora. Includes curriculum CD Alaska’s Little Chief and Alaska’s Secret Door are non-fiction Alaskana children’s books, presenting living mentors: First Traditional Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference, David Salmon as well as Emmitt Peters, record-setter of the 1975 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. In October 2005, the response to Alaska's Little Chief and Alaska's Secret Door at Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention was overwhelming, confirming that Alaska’s Little Chief and Alaska’s Secret Door fill a gap: portraits of Native elder personal sagas, windows of our unique heritage.