Arctic Schoolteacher

When Abbie Morgan arrived with her husband Ed in the Alaskan village of Kulukak, in 1931, to teach in the school, many of the Eskimos had never before seen a white woman. Kulukak could be reached by boat when the approach was not frozen over (but only by passing through dangerous reefs off Cape Constantine with an experienced Eskimo navigator) and by dogsled when ice made travel by boat impossible. Life in the little village on Bristol Bay, where people lived in sod houses and subsisted on food from the sea and reindeer meat, was a challenge for Abbie both physically and emotionally, and she met that challenge with courage, humour and love for the people she had come to teach, and who in turn helped her survive in the harsh and beautiful northern environment and, finally, to cope with the unexpected tragedy of Ed's crossing the River of Tears. "Arctic Schoolteacher" is the story of Abbie's Alaskan experience, from the detailed planning necessary for taking a year's worth of provisions to an isolated village to her departure from Alaska in 1933.
She tells of the difficulty of travel and communication in the Far North, the magnificent physical environment, and the children to whom she devoted her time. The personalities of the villagers come alive. Aspects of the Eskimo way of life are illustrated in anecdotes - some humorous, some poignantly sad. Abbie was remarkable for the degree to which she overcame the prejudices of her time and for her determination and resilience. The pragmatism of the Depression era, the flavour of Alaska when it was still a territory, and the dedication of a teacher to her students are all conveyed in this book.