Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway

Speeches

Before the river freezes over completely, Panruk takes the clothes Qanrilaq’s family made for her and brings them to the men’s house and leaves them in a pile at his feet. That’s the sign that she doesn’t want to be married to him anymore. Taulan and Iraluq seem happy she has done this, and Minuk is, too. Grandma seems glad as well. Later, Panruk tells Minuk that Qanrilaq said he would kill all their baby girls. In the Yup’ik way, it’s custom to kill baby girls if times are hard or more children are not wanted. It’s up to the husband to decide which children live. Grandpa had kept all his girls. Panruk wants to keep all her girls, too.

When Mr. Hoff hears that Panruk has thrown Qanrilaq away, he comes to their house to speak to them. He explains why he is there and Grandma responds that in the Yup’ik way, it’s foolish to stay with someone incompatible. Mr. Hoff insists it’s contrary to the law of God. Grandma pretends as if she hasn’t heard him. She says she had another husband before Panruk’s grandfather, and she threw him away.

Mr. Hoff’s mouth is set in a stubborn line, and it’s hard to believe it’s the same person who is normally so cheerful and easy-going. He insists it’s a heathen practice, and it jeopardizes Panruk’s chance to spend eternity in heaven.

Minuk can see he cares a lot about Panruk, and she feels sorry for him. She gets up and brings him a tray with dried fish and seal oil. He shakes his head no, and Grandma’s mouth tightens. It’s rude for a guest to refuse food. He asks Grandma if there’s a reason Panruk dislikes Qanrilaq. Was he abusive?

Grandma responds that they don’t interfere between a man and a woman. It’s private. Mr. Hoff leaves, and Grandma says nothing more about it.

With Mr. Hoff, there’s no in-between ways. It’s all or nothing. He had a hard time getting people to listen to him in the summer when they were so busy, but now in the winter, he asks to speak to everyone in the men’s house once a week. Nobody wants to listen to Mr. Hoff, but it’s the Yup’ik belief that everyone has a right to speak.

After speaking to Grandma and Panruk and Qanrilaq, Mr. Hoff asks to speak to the men again. After he’s done, an elder stands up and explains that he once saw a terrible smallpox epidemic the Russians brought which killed more than half the people along the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers. The white people brought the illness, so he doesn’t want their missionaries or any of their ways.

Mr. Hoff says that stone axes were good enough for the Eskimos long before Russians brought steel axes. Now, they use steel axes and wouldn’t go back to stone axes. The superstitions of the shaman and Yup’ik way of life are like stone axes, and the way of life Mr. Hoff offers is like steel axes.

Grandpa then stands up and says he’s also worried about sickness, but the Hoffs have medicine. Maybe they can have both beliefs: the Yup’ik and shamans for luck in hunting and fishing, and Mr. Hoff’s for medicine and power over sickness.

Mr. Hoff jumps up and says that’s not possible. They must give up their shamans and heathen superstitions. Minuk’s father is holding himself tightly. He says for all he cares, the white man can take back their steel axes. Since they’d come, the Yup’ik had had sickness, famine, bad fish runs, poor hunting, and few berries. The animal spirits don’t like white men. The men around the qasgiq nod their heads. Cakayak’s father speaks up to ask why they need Mr. Hoff’s religion when the Russian priests baptized many of them in the old days. Mr. Hoff explains the Russian priests didn’t actually teach them how to be civilized.

Everyone feels ashamed for Mr. Hoff then. They like the Russian priests because they didn’t try to change anyone.

Mr. Hoff explains that living off the land is bad. They should herd animals that don’t need to be hunted, and dig in the ground for coal to sell. Husbands and wives shouldn’t separate, and orphans should be treated the same as other children. Girl babies shouldn’t be killed. Men should live with their wives and families.

The men explain that if men don’t live together, they might work just for themselves and their own family. They might teach only their own children. They work together to raise their children. Being selfish is the worst thing a Yup’ik can be.

Mr. Hoff continues that the shamans are the worst of all. Anyone who calls on a shaman for help is calling for the devil. Grandpa tries to explain that a shaman simply smoothes the pathway for the animals to come to them. A missionary cannot do it because a missionary has no relationship with the animals.

The men are always courteous when they talk to Mr. Hoff. But Mr. Hoff is not courteous. He sometimes is very bad-tempered. Minuk feels like her grandfather. She wants to learn and see exciting things, and she’s glad to have things like calico and sugar. But she likes their Yup’ik ways, too, and she certainly doesn’t like the idea of hell.