Formation of Landscapes, Formation of Cultures

Explain

Out of the many places on Google Earth that I looked at, the two that I'm choosing to focus this post on are the place I am from, and a place in Alaska that I have not visited yet, but would really like to go someday. I will look at the landscapes of each and how they were formed, and also a little bit about the culture from each place. I lived in several mountain west states including Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. The above pictures are of Mill Hollow in Logan Canyon, and a Google Earth picture of the town where I grew up against the Bear River Mountain Range in Utah. Much of my time not spent in vocational or educational activities was spent with family in recreational activities, primarily outdoors. We had horses and I enjoyed horseback riding in the mountains, or with friends in the neighborhood. I went hiking a lot, both with family and friends, as well as skiing, canoeing and camping. These activities are a part of the culture I grew up in. They all rely on the local geological mountain formations which were formed through shifting along faults. The Cache Valley has been sinking for 12 million years, while the mountains have been being pushed upward from other forces.

One place in Alaska that I would like to visit and learn more about is Unalaska. Last summer some of my husband's family friends, the Tellmans from Unalaska (top left in the photo), visited our home. They showed us pictures of the island and it was fascinating to hear more about a part of the state I've never been to from Native Alaskans. Unalaska is part of the Aleutian Islands and has a landscape which has been formed by volcanic action due to the Pacific plate subducting under Alaska. The volcano on that particular island is called Makushin Volcano and it is 5,691 feet tall. Steam is visible from the top of the volcano on clear days, though the Tellmans told me that there is a lot of fog on Unalaska.

Extend

I did not know a lot about the culture of the people of Unalaska, other than talking with the Tellmans a couple of times. My only other knowledge of this place came from reading a book, Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse, which gave me some ideas about what it is like in that part of Alaska. The book is a work of historical fiction that takes place on or around Unalaska in the 1940's when the town is attacked by Japanese forces and the Native residents are held in camps in other locations in Southeast Alaska for the duration of the war. The book has some insights into the culture, the main thing relating to this post is that since the lives of the people were tied to the land of their island, the people had a very difficult time adjusting to another type of geographic location. They had provided for themselves and subsisted in their previous home. When the government moved them, it was thought that because it was the same state, it should be no problem for them to subsist as before. However, the landscape was completely different, and they didn't have the same ties to the different land and really struggled to survive in a new landscape.

The Qawalangin Tribe of the Unangan people makes up between 17%-30%(2000 US census) of the population of Unalaska. The island is very isolated and one way that the landscape shapes the culture is that being so far removed from other communities, the Native people have the knowledge of how to use the medicinal plants. Hear some other facts about the Native people of this area by listening to Laresa Syverson and Sharon Livingston, two members of the Qawalangin tribe.

Evaluate

The volcanic island of Unalaska has large altitude changes with different types of plants growing which are used both for food and for medicinal purposes. Also, the steep mountain slopes create a freshwater river where salmon spawn and are a food source for the people. If it weren't for plate techtonics, there would not be an island of Unalaska. Volcanic activity created it. Dutch Harbor has been among the largest fisheries in the country in terms of amount of seafood caught and brought to the port in Unalaska. Part of the culture there involves the value of caring for others in the community. The landscape, completely surrounded by water, seems to embody this cultural value by providing for the Native people for thousands of years. This value, reflected in the land itself, has shaped the culture and values of the Native people who live there.