Once Upon an Eskimo Time [Paperback]

Edna Wilder (Author), Dorothy Mayhew (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1988

Discover the stories of a remarkable 109-year-old Eskimo woman who grew up on the Bering Sea in northwest Alaska.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Once Upon An Eskimo Time is the tale of the tenth year in the life of Nedercook as told to her daughter, Edna Wilder. Nedercook's narrative begins in the spring at the end of "the cold, dark days of winter." While her descriptions of the Bering Sea and surrounding land on the Seward Peninsula are filled with beautifully crafted prose, the dialogue portrays a people whose lives are dictated by thought directly related to action: "Today we go on big hunt." "Son needs help." "Young be happy." "Big storm come." Nedercook's delicately rendered descriptions tell of events, ceremonies, and details in the daily life of people from the far north. This is a land where every day's weather determines what each person will do to find, cook, and store food; where the people will relieve themselves; where the moss used for personal hygiene, menstruating women, and baby diapers will be found; what will be wrapped around the newborns who, within hours of birth, are strapped to their mothers' backs. Interwoven with these particulars of daily life are the ancient legends, told to Nedercook by her parents with the delightful requirement that she herself tell them again and again until she gets them right. This story of one year in a young Eskimo girl's life is a powerful and tender tribute to some of America's first peoples. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Jesse Larsen

About the Author

Edna Wilder was born in Bluff, Alaska, a small mining community just northwest of Rocky Point on the Bering Sea. She has instructed classes in skin-sewing and basket-weaving at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks for over twenty years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books (December 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882402749
• ISBN-13: 978-0882402741
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,770,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life in Alaska before the arrival of the Europeans, September 1, 2002

By 

K Scheffler (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Upon an Eskimo Time (Paperback)

The is truly a fabulous book. When her mother Nedercook broke her hip at the remarkable age of 109, Edna Wilder took the opportunity to record stories and memories from her childhood. Years later, Wilder developed her notes into book format after attending a simple magazine article writing course at the University of Alaska.

The book documents what life was like when Nedercook was about ten years old and living the traditional Eskimo lifestyle that her people lived prior to direct contact with Europeans. Her people, who lived at Stoney Point near Nome, Alaska, led a difficult life, and survival depended on the availability of a number of species of animals, not to mention the weather, which at times would disrupt the general cycle of animal availability. Such a strong dependence on these two factors is a major element of Nedercook's recollections, but has harsh as life was, it was by no means miserable. There were many things for the young Nedercook to do, and when she was not assisting her mother with chores or accompanying her father when he went out to fish, she play or more importantly--as it was her duty to perpetuate the history and legends of her people--listening to her father or mother tell stories--stories which would have been long forgotten had it not been for this book.

Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book and how it has increased my understanding of First Nations culture. I urge everyone to read it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from an eskimo perspective, August 11, 2003

By 

misty (Sub Asalem, Kuwait) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon an Eskimo Time (Paperback)

This is an easy read book which i enjoyed very much. I have recommended it to many people native and non native alike. It reminded me a lot of my "outdoor adventures" growing up in Western Alaska. The way the story is written gives insight into the life of Nederkook as it was back then, with no need for a lot of explination. Are there anymore stories narrated by Nederkook? i'd like to learn more about Nederkook's history.
Edna Wilder (whats her native name by the way) has done an excellent job.