Book about berries grows from folk tale (fwd)

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Book about berries grows from folk tale
http://www.adn.com/weekend/story/4914039p-4848549c.html

[photo inset - Writer-illustrator Teri Sloat and storyteller Betty
Huffmon collaborated to create "Berry Magic," a story that grew out of
a folk tale Huffmon heard as a child in Goodnews Bay. The book, which
includes a recipe for akutaq, or Eskimo ice cream, will be part of
Alaska Northwest Books' effort to publish books in languages native to
Alaska.  Click on photo to enlarge]

By KATY SPANGLER
Daily News correspondent

(Published: April 2, 2004)

A retired Bush teacher and a Yup'ik elder will share some Alaska magic
with our community this weekend. Noted writer-illustrator Teri Sloat
and storyteller Betty Huffmon will introduce their latest picture book,
"Berry Magic" (Alaska Northwest), in a series of events in bookstores
around town Friday and Saturday.

"Berry Magic" is a pourquoi tale of how the berries of the tundra came
to be. The book grew out of a folk tale Huffmon heard as a child in
Goodnews Bay. A grumpy mother sent her noisy daughters out to the
tundra to play. Each turned into a delicious berry -- cranberry,
blueberry, salmonberry and raspberry -- and that was the story.

Huffmon and Sloat, who have collaborated before on the noted Yup'ik tale
"The Eye of the Needle," decided to expand the tale into a story with a
plot. Working together -- mindful of both Yup'ik traditions and beliefs
as well as modern demands for stories with beginnings, middles and ends
-- they dreamed up a charming story of a little girl, Anana, working
her first magic.

After hearing her elders complain about the drab taste and dryness of
black crowberries, Anana grabs the sewing basket her grandmother gave
her. In it, she finds bits of skins and furs, beads and tiny scraps of
cloth.

The items in this bag, Sloat noted, were authentic.

"We went through Betty's mother's sewing bag and found many of the
things that are pictured in the story," she said.

>From these materials, Anana crafts four beautiful dolls. Each doll wears
a skin parka and a pela- tuuk, or head scarf, of a bright color -- red,
blue, orange and rosy pink. Each doll's parka is decorated with beads
and trim of the same colors.

When the dolls are finished, Anana puts them in a bag and climbs a
nearby hill, where the crowberries grow. When she gets to the top, the
moon rises, and Anana begins to dance, singing, "Atsa-ii-yaa,
Atsa-ii-yaa, Atsaukina!" ("Berry, berry, be a berry!") Each doll in
turn comes alive. As she dances and plays in the tundra, the dolls
spread their berries -- you guessed it: red cranberries, blueberries,
orange salmonberries and those special rosy raspberries -- for all to
gather and eat.

Later, when the women come to pick berries, they are delighted with the
beautiful array of colors and delicious tastes and use them to make
their akutaq (Eskimo ice cream).

"Berry Magic" is a charming book. Sloat's colored pencil illustrations
are lively and richly colored. A recipe for akutaq completes the book.
The story is simply and clearly told, testifying to the faith and
goodness of a child's magic.

But there is another story as well.

In May, Alaska Northwest Books will launch an ambitious project of
publication in languages native to Alaska. The Yup'ik version of "Berry
Magic" will be introduced in village schools on the lower Kuskokwim
River. Another version in Yupiit will follow.

Alaska Northwest plans to work with school districts and organizations
to provide this and other children's books in Alaska Native languages.
With the increased emphasis on early reading skills, Native language
editions of local stories presented in high-quality picture book format
should support the cultural and social well-being of young children.
This, as well as the opportunity to experience print in their home
language, encourages the beginnings of reading.

Anyone who has watched a child learn to read recognizes this as real
magic.

Freelancer Katy Spangler is an associate professor at the University of
Alaska Southeast, where she coordinates and teaches in an elementary
teacher credential program for students in rural communities in Alaska.