Signs

Last weekend during a training in Bethel, I was chatting with a teacher from Akiachak. He is Aleut, but also very knowledgable about Yupik culture. We got into an interesting conversation about Yupik observation.

Yupik people have a lot of non-verbal communication, and are historically quiet people. Therefore they require other means of evaluating people than by what they say. Yupik people instead watch each other for signs. There are different signs for men and women.

For men it is important that you pee outside. It is not okay for men to fill up the honeybucket at home. They should go out and "check the weather" a euphemism for relieving yourself. Men who pee inside too much catch slimy fish.

Men must take care of their crumbs and scraps when they finish dinner. If they leave it, they will not make a good husband.

Yupik women have all sorts of rules and taboos. Especially, pregnant women. They must not tie knots, knit or crochet during pregnancy (it may tie the umbilical cord around they baby). One that was really cool was about not walking around things in your way. Women must kick things out of their way when they are pregnant to prepare the baby for going straight for their goals in life.

Anyway I told the teacher, my grandpa pees outside so much he doesn't catch any slimy fish. In fact, he doesn't catch any fish at all.