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Cuntrra ^Ctmrs Indian ^kMMVA* ■ ■ Pena Nena Henaah The Land Socak* I ^ Aleut Unungang Toonooklakuks The Aleuts Sneak V-LN° 9--Monday, Feb. 4, ,963_ Fairbanks, Alaska Radiologist Soon to Inspect X-Ray Machines Sidney D. Heidersdorf, director of radiological health for the State Hoalth Department, says that X rays should be a greater source of worry regarding radiation than fallout. He says the average U.S. citizens Rets more radiation from being X rayed than he gets from natural background fallout, Heidersdorf was sent to Alaska by the U.S. Public Health Service to set up an over-all radiological health program for Alaska. It will involve environmental sur veilance. x-ray equipment inspec tion, and control and evaluation of hazards associated with radiation. He will make his headquarters at the Douglas Marine Station, a part of the Institute'of Marine Sciences of the University of Alaska. The health department is in the process of negotiating an agree ment with the University of Alaska for mutual use of a beta counter and other equipment at the Douglas station. A gamma spectometer will also be purchased, perhaps jointly. This equipment will be used to analyze samples for radiation. Heidersdorf, 26, received his bachelors degree in physics from Loras College, DeButte, Iowa, and completed a year's study in 1958 59, at the University of Washington Graduate School in Seattle in ra diation physics. He completed three TWO-COUNTRY LIFE SPAN Great-Great Grandmother, Age 110, Remembers U.S. Purchasing Alaska By Thomas Snapp Times Staff Writer Mrs. “Dolly” Komakhuk, 110 year-old Eskima great - grand mother, now living in Anchorage, remembers when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia. In fact, she remembers the time before the Russians came to north ern Alaska. Mrs. Komakhuk was born near Council, just a little north of Nome, sometime in 1852, the exact date is not known. Amazingly, she was mother to five children, and now has 80 grand children and 48 great-grandchil dren. One great-granddaughter is now seventeen. In the not too distant future, per haps the smiling Eskimo woman may have her first great-great-great grandchild. According to Mrs. Komakhuk, shortly after she was married, she remembers the excitement among her people when Russia sold Alas ka to the U. S. Prior to that time she said her people traded with the Russians at what is now St. Michael's. When the Russians sold Alaska, Mrs. Komak huk says they were afraid the trad ing would be discontinued. At that time she said her people were mostly hunters, trappers, and fishermen. “We had only wood traps,” she said, “and fishing nets made out of caribou sinew and seal hides.” Jade Matches “Only matches we had were jade rocks,” she said, “and we had jade knives.” Since Mrs. Komakhuk does not speak English fluently, information was given to Tundra Times through her 59-year-old daughter, Mrs. An drew Kalerak. Mrs. Komakhuk lives with a blind daughter, Mrs. Grace Alexin, 69, in a little apartment on Tudor Road, very near to the home of her other daughter, Mrs. Kalerak. Although well past the century mark, Mrs. Komakhug is still frisky and gets about. She makes Eskimo yo-yos and dolls and does other sewing. Life Secret Mrs. Komakhuk gives as the rea son for her long life the fact that she only eats meat, berries, muktuk, fish, and wild potatoes. In the early days, Mrs. Komak huk says her people used fish traps, some big, some only about 5 feet (Continued on Page 6) GOVERNOR EGAN INAUGURATED—A crowd of more than 1,500 heard Governor William A. Egan give a blueprint for the develop ment of Alaska in his inaugural address last Monday in Juneau. Thousands of others heard his address via radio. The capital city of Juneau was jampacked with visitors from all over the state for three days of colorful festivities and the opening of the 3rd State Legislature. —Tundra Times Photo months training at the Hanford Laboratory in 1959. In the fall of.1959. he joined the U.S. Public Health Service and was assigned to the Division of Radio logical Health, State of New Jersey. For the past two years he has been an instructor in radiological health at the Robert A. Taft En gineer Center in Cincinnati and the Radiological Health Laboratory, Rockville. Maryland. On February 18. Heidersdorf will inspect the X-ray equipment at Mt. Edgecumbe High School and later will inspect X-ray equipment at the native health hospitals. Subscriptions At Half Price | Do you know of persons in out | lying Alaska villages who. would really appreciate receiving copies of the Tundra Times? If so, you can subscribe for them for a year for only $2.50. The first ten letters bearing the earliest postmarks and mentioning this offer will be eligible. The other half of the subscription cost will be paid by Ernie Hanauer, of the Upholstery Shop, 122 Hall St., Fairbanks. INAUGURAL PARADE—Color guards unfurl their flags as they march through Juneau's streets lined with thousands of Alaskans during the Inaugural Parade for Governor William A. Egan last Monday. Scout battalions of the Army National Guard from Nome and Bethel were among many military units in the state to partici pate in the parade. —Photo by Mike Dalton, courtesy of the Fair banks Daily News-Miner. Scientists Say No Danger Exists Now to Alaskans By Thomas A. Snapp Times Staff Writer Four scientists have told the Tun dra Times that there is no imme diate danger from Eskimos eating caribou but have agreed that ra diation research needs to be step ped up in Alaska. The four are: Sndney D. Heid ersdorf. head of radiological health for the state of Alaska, Dr. Leslie ' Vierick, of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Dr, Lawrence Irving, of the Arctic Research La boratory, University of Alaska, and Dr, William Pruitt, biologist, form erly employed on the A.E.C. Pro ject Chariot Study and a former member of the faculty of the Uni versity of Alaska. Of the four, Heidersdorf, who j was assigned to Alaska about a month ago to set up an over-all radiological health program, says that the radiation level is higher in Eskimos who subsist mainly on caribou than on those who do not , ' but he says that the present level in no way endangers health. I He says a person who has had a number of X-rays will have more radioation in his body than Eskimos who eat caribou and says that a person who wears a watch with a luminous dial may get more ra- I diatinn exposure but he describes people do from eating caribou. He points out that there is al ways a risk, genetically speaking, with the slightest amount of ra diation exposure bue he describes it as “about a million to one.” The genetic risk of Eskimos who eat caribou has now risen slightly to “about a million to two,” but the risk is in no way a danger to health, he said, because it is so small. Dr. William Pruitt, biologist oE college, who has recently written an article about the radiation prob lem in connection with caribou for Beaver magazine, differs sharp ly with Physisist Heidersdorf on the increase in risk. He described the increase in risk instead of “two in a million” to a j “thousand in a million.” Dr. Viereck and Dr. Irving would not comment on the pros or cons of the radiation question but did say that the hazard was serious enough to warrant concern and study. Essentially this is the problem, j Caribou and reindeer feed mostly I on sedges and lichens. Sedges and j lichens do not get their nutrients from the soil through roots but through dust wihch they absorb from the air. As they absorb the dust for food, they take in much more fallout than most other plants and according to technical journals they retain al most 100 per cent of it. The caribou and reindeer then eat the lichen and sedges and the radiation passes on to them. Ac cording to recent studies released by the A.EC. caribou in Alaska have more than 20 times the amount (Continued on page 6» Pt. Hope Votes To Welcome Plane PolarBearHunters Not long ago the village, council of Point Hope had a meeting and discussed pros and cons of the plane hunters who come to Point Hope to hunt in the month of February. After they studied in detail the advantages and disadvantages of their coming all 20 people who were present voted in favor of the com ing of plane hunters. They pointed out that the time they use to hunt polar bears was before February before the plane hunter’s arrival. They pointed out that no one hunts them now. One leader said, “Now we play cards. We use to stay out hunting them all day.” Point Hope News reported; "Everyone is happy to see them, come. A recent meeting o£ 20 men of the village showed that all 20 were in favor of bear hunters com ing and they hope more will come, as this helps the economy of tha village. “They voted to ask Fish and Wild life to study polar bears.” Point Hope is located on the westernmost point of Alaskan main land. It has a population of about 350 people.