I Am Eskimo: Aknik My Name

By Paul Green

Book Overview

A half century ago, Inupiat Eskimo Paul Green was dismayed by a writer who arrived in his village, stayed briefly, then flew home to print nonsense. So Green began writing down his own stories--about his life, Native foods, legends, games, animal habits, even "rubbing nose kiss." Each of these authentic stories, written in Green's distinctive voice, offered delightful insight into his culture and times. Another notable Alaskan, George Aden Ahgupuk, added his pen-and-ink drawings, and the first edition of I AM ESKIMO was released in 1959, the same year that Alaska became a state. Today this collection is a classic, translated into other languages, excerpted in several textbooks, and collectible as the first title for the fledgling publishing company that would become Alaska Northwest Books. Ahgupuk's drawings are prized among collectors and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art's permanent collection.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882405888
• ISBN13: 9780882405889
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books
• Length: 85 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Eskimo stories from Northwest Alaska

This terrific little book tells a mix of traditional folktales and the author's own experiences as an Inupiat Eskimo of Northwest Alaska. Paul Green lived from the end time of the traditional Eskimo culture ca. 1900 into the 1970s and seems to have been cheerfully comfortable and confident in both. A plus: the book is written in Village English, the curious and charming dialect spoken by older Alaska Natives all over the state, even today. Another plus: sketches by George Ahgupuk, a famous Eskimo pen-and-ink artist.