Customer Reviews

Etok: A Story of Eskimo Power

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The author has captured the man who is Etok and at the same time given us a look into politics in early Alaska statehood. Etok's intensity of feelings for his people and his land was powerful and unharnessed. This is demonstrated well here. Also, we get a look into both congressional and presidential politics of this era. This book is more than about this one man.

Etok is my uncle. I knew it had a lot about Alaska Native land claims, but it was so much more. I learned more about my own family, more about Inupiaq culture, and of course, more about Native rights and the political resurgence of Alaska Natives. It was a really good book! I couldn't put it down.

I recommend it to anyone who's interested in Native Land Claims, or Native rights in general.

I was a childhood friend of Charlie. We called him "Etook," not "Etok," if the spelling is any indication of pronunciation. It's a curious difference that makes me wonder about the real depth of the author in penetrating this man's story, but it's certainly accurate in respect to the living conditions and culture I knew as a young white boy, the son of a missionary, living in the village of Barrow.