New Photos – Nenana and the Old Minto Camp

A small town called Nenana lies south of Fairbanks with a large Native population. Up the river from there Craig scheduled for us to meet with Robert Charlie, the director from the Cultural Heritage and Education Institute.  While Robert Charlie turned out to be a bit of a swindler and general let down as he rushed us through our meeting at the village to make $100 for a boat ride, our arrival at Old Minto was a memorable one.  The village was full of amazing people trying to help with substance abuse amongst natives and preserve cultural traditions.

We did not want to leave the village as the evening had a potlatch scheduled with traditional preparation of moose, salmon and other dishes.  Everything was done the old fashioned way, smoking Moose in old shed and fish preparation on the banks of the river.  The meal looked to be delicious, but our stay was cut short by Robert Charlie, so you can thank him for the lack of photos of the main event, which we had scheduled for months in advance to attend.  The night prior a town local warned us that Robert Charlie might try to scam us.  It turned out to be a great experience despite Robert Charlie’s mislead agenda. We hope someday to return and learn more about this wonderful place.

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9:00 PMDoing Dishes11:45 PM10:15 PMCamp sitePlaying in the sand10:45 PMMorning Swim2:00 AMSteve in his OakleysRobert CharlieOld MintoChildren of Old MintoOld MintoCommunity KitchenLittle BoyCabin and TentsGrave YardLittle Boy and ShadowDeserted HomeDamaged HomesSamonMoose MeatSamon HeadsMeats for the feastSmoked MeatsButchersMoose in RiverMoose getting out of RiverShaking it off