Follow along in this beautifully illustrated story of Immiuġnig - Winter Sources of Drinking Water. Listen to the stories of several Iñupiat elders as they share their knowledge and wisdom on the use, safety, traditions and science of snow and water.
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- read by James Nageak
A Winter Outing - Chapter 1
Everything was ready for the trip. Dad checked the sky and wind for signs of coming weather one more time. It was a calm, sunny day. He packed his tools and fishing gear into the sled and filled the two snow machines with gas.
Mom put in the food, Coleman stove, tent, sleeping bags and cooking supplies, next to Dad's gear. She and Dad fastened the sled to the bigger of the two snow machines.
Inside the house, ten-year-old Uluġġaq and his eight-year-old sister Masu grabbed diapers for the baby and put on socks, mittens, mukluks, hats, snow pants, facemasks and parkas. They gave the baby to Mom and she slid him under her parka.
The children raced back inside to tell Ataata that everything was ready. As soon as he came out, Dad packed Uluġġaq and Masu into the sled along with the supplies. His snow machine hauled the sled while Mom, with Ataata sitting behind her, drove the smaller one. They rode out of Anaktuvuk excited to be outside in the sunshine.
It was a Saturday morning in early April. The children had a three-day weekend - no school until Tuesday! The days were getting longer and warmer. ALthough the temperature still reached 20 below at night, it warmed up to above zero by mid-afternoon. It was a perfect time to spend a weekend camping. They were heading to Puvlatuuq, where they would camp and maybe snare some ptarmigans or hares. Downriver, Dad told them, was a good place to go ice fishing.
The family had lots of supplies, but not much water. In fact, Mom only packed three Thermoses filled with tea and hot water.
The adults know that a person couldn't survive long without water. But they weren't worried that they would run out. Ataata had decided that it was time to teach the children how to get water while they were out on the trail.
Over the next three days, Uluġġaq and Masu would learn where to find water. They would see what kinds of snow and ice held the most water. They would practice melting water from snow and ice. They would learn from their elders, just as their mom, dad, and ataata had done before them.
Click here to read Chapter 2 - Why Do We Need Water?
Everything was ready for the trip. Dad checked the sky and wind for signs of coming weather one more time. It was a calm, sunny day. He packed his tools and fishing gear into the sled and filled the two snow machines with gas. 
Inside the house, ten-year-old Uluġġaq and his eight-year-old sister Masu grabbed diapers for the baby and put on socks, mittens, mukluks, hats, snow pants, facemasks and parkas. They gave the baby to Mom and she slid him under her parka.
It was a Saturday morning in early April. The children had a three-day weekend - no school until Tuesday! The days were getting longer and warmer. ALthough the temperature still reached 20 below at night, it warmed up to above zero by mid-afternoon. It was a perfect time to spend a weekend camping. They were heading to Puvlatuuq, where they would camp and maybe snare some ptarmigans or hares. Downriver, Dad told them, was a good place to go ice fishing.
The family had lots of supplies, but not much water. In fact, Mom only packed three Thermoses filled with tea and hot water.
