Moonstruck Mukluks

The little scene is from the shadow box in the Latouche Railcar. The tiny mukluks are handsewn from seal skin, circa 1940s. They were part of my grandparents, Chris and Millie Sorenson's estate.

The photograph is of a young native couple in the Seward area, circa 1907. It is from the Brown & Hawkins collection.

The Qutekcak Native Tribe is the tribal organization for the Alaska Natives in the Seward area.

It is a unique native community made up of Alaska Natives who migrated to this area from all over the state. Members are Yupik, Inupiaq, Aleut, Tlingit, Alu'utiq, Siberian Eskimo, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Cherokee.

Seward is located in the Chugach Alaska Corporation area, one of thirteen regional corporations set up under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1972. A signifiant departure from the established federal Indian reservation system used in the Lower 48, ANCSA is a system of corporate ownership assets, and was developed to ensure long-term profitability and financial independence for Alaska Natives.

Today, Alaska's Native Regional Corporations and their subsidiaries are strongly represented in the Alaska Business Monthly's Magazine of Top 49ers - a ranking of the top Alaskan-owned and operated businesses. 23 of Alaska's Native-owned businesses generated over $8 billion in revenues in 2008.

Birds of a Feather

Rare Silver Dorkings, five hens and one rooster. We got them from Sterling Meadows Hatchery.

The Dorking is one of the oldest British breeds, descended from stock brought to Britain by the Ancient Romans. The Dorking is listed as vunerable on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. It is a very rare breed, listed as threatened on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) priority list. This means that there are fewer than 1,000 breeding birds in the US, with seven or fewer primary breeding flocks It is a globally endangered.

I was actually planning on getting some silkies this year, but Keith fell in love with the Dorkings. Dorkings were developed in Victorian times mainly as a table bird, having delicate white flesh with a long body and short legs. They are a docile breed but they do like to range.

Dorkings make good mothers and lay moderate numbers of good-sized tinted white eggs. Chicks can be sexed at hatch. Colors available are Silver Grey, Dark, Red, White and Cuckoo and features common to all of them are five toes and white legs. They are a classic dual purpose bird - they lay well, and are wonderful meat birds in addition to being a beautiful addition to your yard.

The five toe thing is funky, as it is an extra digit that is doubled up with another toe, not a equally spaced toe. They are really cute chicks, lots of visual texture, and very chatty. They are not as inquisitive as the Blue Black Splash Orphinton hen that we also picked up at Sterling Meadows, but more on her later.