Laid out on a picnic table at the tribe’s K’beq’ Cultural Heritage Interpretive Site near Cooper Landing is a wooden spear, about the size of a yardstick, with synthetic red feathers affixed to the back. Next to it is the wooden atlatl, a device that acts like a tennis ball launcher used to play fetch with a dog.
During its heyday, people made atlatls with wood or antlers, which would help propel a spear farther than throwing one by hand. The innovation was used for hunting in Alaska and throughout North America. It was later replaced by the bow and arrow, then firearms.
“I think it’s really important for us at K’beq’ to be able to be as hands-on with our activities as possible,” said Michael Bernard, the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's cultural resources supervisor. “There’s a lot of great things to see here, but a lot of history and prehistory is told in a book, and out here, it’s told in person.”
After Bernard wrapped up a brief presentation on the atlatl, the group of about ten walked over to a nearby field across the cultural site’s parking lot. Bernard pulled a few more arrows and atlatls from the back of his truck and showed the group, mostly children, how to properly use them.
They soon get a feel for the atlatls and begin firing away. Some only launch their arrows a few feet, others make it shy of a dirt mound, a good 50 or so feet away.
David Pearson lives in Moose Pass and brought his two children to the cultural site for Friday’s demonstration. He believes that education doesn’t only happen in the classroom, it’s also hands-on.
“I think traditional and cultural use education is pretty important for everyone, really," Pearson said. "The kids are growing up with lots of different influences and seeing how Native people did it in this area and throughout the world is just a good way to learn from what we do now, how we hunt and gather now, and how we did it in previous generations. It’s good to see the kids learn the progression of traditional use.”
Shovaughnna Wilson also brought her son to the cultural demonstration. She said the opportunity is an excellent way to learn about the region's Indigenous culture and subsistence lifestyle.
“Being Native ourselves, we don’t live in the area where we’re originally from, so just being able to learn a Native culture and help him understand what they would’ve done here a long time ago, and how to hunt and everything like that,” Wilson said.
After about 30 minutes of firing arrows and perfecting their form, Bernard introduced a hunting decoy resembling a black bear to the group. Affectionately named Elt’eshi, the Dena'ina word for black bear, nobody is able to land an arrow in the bear's body. Bernard says if this were a real bear 20,000 years ago, the group would go hungry.
Even though the art of atlatl throwing is more complicated than it looks, the group still had fun.
“We liked it," said Charlie Shipton, the young son of David Pearson. "It was super fun throwing spears at a bear.”
“I just want folks to know that we’re here and we’re happy to share the culture and language of what we know," said Bernard. "As long as people are interested, we’ll be here and are happy to share with them.”
The atlatl presentation is one of several cultural workshops the tribe will host this month at the K’beq’ Cultural Heritage Interpretive Site. The tribe will give a presentation about the site’s historic Darien-Lindgren Cabin this Friday.
For more information about the site or to see a calendar of events, visit the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Facebook page.
