Living in Two Worlds	Source of Rabies	Education

Since a lot of people listen to the radio in Nome, public service announcements play a big role in helping people to address current issues that affect them

Living in Two Worlds

Preserving Food: While the saying goes, "take the best of both worlds," public service announcements say that if you're going to preserve food the Native way, don't use plastic ziploc baggies - you'll get botulism. This is one time not to mix cultures.

Computer Technology: Some of the crafts seen in the stores include: beadwork: jewelry and slippers, and carvings. Computer technology allows these artists to sell more of their work online.

Education: Native values and oral tradition clashes with non-Native written tradition in the schools. Due to the oral tradition, many of the Native children come to school without the experience of family members reading to them. Due to the Native value of not talking so much, many of the Native children come to school without the vocabulary they need to do well in school. Due to the non-native value put on the written word, many non-Native students and staff don't value knowledge that's not written down.

Paved Roads vs. dirt roads: In the mid-1990s, the controversy sounded like, "Why are they paving third street first? Fourth street needs it more. Which politician lives on third?" Now one might hear, "Pave roads are nicer than dirt roads, but permafrost wrecks the roads, so maybe paved roads aren't so nice."

Health

Health issues in Alaska include: AIDS, TB, Hepatitis A, rabies, diabetes, abuse of alcohol and other drugs - and all the domestic problems that go along with it. Public service announcements say things like, "If your child tells you about a strange, friendly 'kitty,' or if the 'kitty' attacks your broom as you're sweeping your porch, that 'kitty' is probably a rabid fox. Both overly passive and overly aggressive behaviors in wild animals are signs of rabies.

Home

Last updated March 14, 2006 by Debra Pearson