The Winter Walk: A Century-Old Survival Story from the Arctic

by Loretta Outwater Cox

Overview

Advanced in pregnancy and now newly widowed, Qutuuq sets out with her two children, leaving their camp and following a frozen river to the coast. Homebound, one step at a time, through the subzero wilderness.

This is a chilling, true story dating from 1892. It tells of battles against killing cold, starvation, and exhaustion. It's the story of a haunting decision made in the throes of desperation. And ultimately it's a story of survival and triumph amid unspeakable sorrow.

More than a century later, Qutuuq's story, which has descended through her Inupiat Eskimo family as oral history, is retold in print by her great-granddaughter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780882408422
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Loretta Outwater Cox is an Inupiaq woman, born in Nome, Alaska, and raised in various villages around the Seward Peninsula. She holds a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in education administration. Loretta taught school in western Alaska for twenty-three years. She and her husband, Skip, have three children and three grandchildren.

Read an Excerpt

Qutuuq asked her nine-year-old son, "Savokgenaq shall we stay here ad die like Papa?" He answered, "No, I don't want to die." The three of them sat there as Qutuuq held Savokgenaq and his younger sister, Keenaq.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Prologue, Ch 1:Determined to Live, Ch 2:Qutuuq takes Charge, Ch 3: The Trip Upriver, Ch 4 Remembering the Trip up North, Ch 5:Preparing to Leave. Ch 6:Settling into the Sod House, Ch7:A Good Place, Ch 8:Savokgenaq's Training Begins Ch 9:The First Catch, Ch 10:Illness Appears, Ch11:Kipmalook Begins The Two-Day Trip, Ch 12:Remembering Savokgenaq's Birth, Ch13: On the Long Trapline, Ch 14:A Successful Six Weeks, Ch 15:Taking Care of Kipmalook, Ch 16: Utuktak's Visit, Ch 17:Watchin g and Waiting, Ch 18:Walking Back, Ch:19 The Baby, Ch 20:Rabbit Droppings, Ch 21:Food, Ch 22:Help, Epilogue, Generations

Editorial Reviews

"The Winter Walk is a survival story set in 1892 near the Norton Sound. Qutuuq, an Inupiaq mother, guides her two children to safety after her husband dies at winter camp. The author’s mother Keenaq (Ruth Savok Outwater) told Loretta the story, in spite its darkness, and urged her to write about it. The book is published as an adult memoir; however, it would be appropriate for high school students because of its wealth of information about Inupiaq ways... Beautifully told."

Alaska Native Knowledge Network

Well written ... a tragic yet triumphant story.

From the Publisher