Subsistence.

I had a parent come to me after school yesterday with a piece of paper to sign. One of my student was going hunting, and I needed to sign a paper saying I excuse the absence for subsistence. It is a regular thing in the village schools to lose the boys to hunting, and the girls to go home in the middle of the day to clean what the men have caught while out hunting. I think it's pretty cool. They start and end school when they do, so that it fits between when berry-picking ends, and the hunting season begins. There are times throughout the year when there will be things to do at home to help, but that's the reasoning behind the early ending of the school year in mid-May. I bought a basket from one of the elder women in the village. Kipnuk is a basket making village, and the woman who I bought this from is very old and frail and has very bad arthritis. You couldn't tell from the extremely tightly woven baskets she creates. I will try to post a picture of it on here. It has dyed seal gut woven in as the design. It was expensive, but not so expensive - so I had to have it. It's gorgeous!