In a Hungry Country

Wisconsin Bookwatch, Sept, 2004

In A Hungry Country

John Martin Campbell, editor

University of Alaska Press

Box 756240, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240

1889963607 $27.95 www.uaf.edu

Expertly compiled and knowledgeably edited by anthropologist John Martin Campbell In A Hungry Country: Essays By Simon Paneak, showcases the extraordinary expertise and life experiences of Simon Paneak (1900-1975), a Nunamiut hunter who was a uniquely valuable source of information on inland Eskimo history and cultural heritage. Provided with paper and pens by Jack Campbell, Peneak drew a series of pictures documenting Nunamiut life from 1969 until 1971. He also recorded his own earliest memories of life in the Brooks Range before the disastrous dispersal of his people to the coastal area in the early 1900s. Of special note is Paneak's retelling of a Nunamiut legend of flying whales, along with grim stories of warfare ad hunger. Illustrated with color photography, black-and-white illustrations, maps, bibliography, and an index, In A Hungry Country (also available in a hardcover edition--1889963593, $59.95) is a treasury of anthropological and historical information, and a welcome contribution to academic Native American Studies collections and supplemental reading lists.