Sunday, December 15, 2013

A Surprise Story Package

    My brother mailed a package to me this week. I was surprised to get a package from him and I was really curious as to what he was sending me. When I opened the package I found an account book my parents used from 1944 to 1947, some bills from purchases they made and a bunch of letters in envelopes.

     The letters were what really caught my attention. I was teaching Inuit kids in 1967. Apparently I was teaching letter writing and had them write a personal letter to my brother who was about 12 at the time. It was a truly awesome discovery. I'd forgotten that I had done the project so to see letters that students from 1967 had written was like seeing something from another age. I was overwhelmed as I read each letter and remembered the students from that time.

    Kullutu Piturtuut E9-2020 said that he liked school, had three brothers and three sisters,  lived in a small house, that he lived in a beautiful place and liked to play on the hill. All the people there thought it was a beautiful place and indeed it was. It was on the coast and there were cliffs that rose up out of the sea. Our settlement was built where there was a beach. The hill was about 200 m high and had some very steep and cliff like ledges. I remember one of the kids telling me not to walk in one place because I might fall. It was OK for them to walk there but not me! Every time I went out for a walk, I soon had all kinds of company. So Kullutu, Nukaya, Johanisi, Tirisi, Joseph, Maggie, Adami, Qumanquaq and Nuluki took me back to relive a time in 1967.

    Some day I will get a scanner and be able to show you pictures of my experiences.

   The government gave each person a disk number. The E9-2020 was Kullutu's disk number. They were proud of their disk numbers that were used for all business both government and private. The disk numbers were given because the govt. couldn't understand the naming system and had difficulty spelling the names. As an administrator I had a supply of disks and I gave each baby their disk and recorded their birth.This was a disgusting racial discrimination activity as it reduced a person to a number. The numbers were abandoned many years ago.

    Now I have no idea how my brother kept these letters for so many years. I can understand that my Mom would keep them as she was a pack rat. But my brother moved many times so I was really surprised that the letters had survived all the moves. I am also gratified that he thought to send them to me all these 46 years later.

   Now there were other items in the package that will generate stories and they will come out at some time.

22 comments:

  1. In today's world when the handwritten word is all but forgotten your brother has handed you back a wonderful treasure. You are quite fortunate to have such a thoughtful brother. Maybe he inherited a little pack rat tendencies from your Mom - thankfully. :)

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    1. Your right it was a treasure. Yes, he is a thoughtful guy...a good description.

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  2. What great memories to get in the mail! You should get that scanner as a gift to yourself for Christmas:)

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    1. It was a shock to see the letters in their original envelopes.

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  3. That is a beautiful gift of your brother. I love old letters, you don't remember what you once had written and it is so fun to read it again after all those years. Sometimes I wonder the next generation will never have letters left, because all is on e-mail now. Must be sad.

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    1. One letter I remember is one my Dad wrote my Mom before they were married. Dad thought he burned it however the fire went out and my brother found the letter.

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  4. Oh Red what a great brother to keep something so special all these years and then to mail them to you very special brother indeed. Have fun going down memory lane. B

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    1. I have to ask him if he knew where they were all the time or did he just find them when he was going through stuff in his house.

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  5. Wow - What a pleasant surprise for you! That's simply amazing that he had kept the letters for all those years! Incidentally, I'm having to bookmark your blog and go visit it directly to comment on your posts as you still aren't showing up in my "feed".

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    1. My time teaching these kids was very intense and well remembered. Thanks for bookmarking me. Someday I'll get things together.

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  6. How cool is that. Do you keep in contact with any of those kids? Wonder what they are doing today. What a great package to get. What'd your brother think of getting all those letters?

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    1. I kept in contact for a year and that was it. It's surprising that some of them worked for the govt. and some of them had small businesses.

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  7. What a treasure trove from the past. How neat!!!!

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  8. What a beautiful gift for your brother to give you. I can only imagine how overwhelmed you were to see and read them.

    That number system is indeed vile. Amazing that someone could consider and actually implement its use.

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    1. The number system was from a different age. I'm not sure we're any better today. Our hind sights pretty good but we're useless at looking ahead.

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  9. oh how neat what your brother sent. .

    Did you not put a scanner please Moma Santa . I need a scanner for Christmas. You know they are working to-gether.Mr. Santa and Mrs Santa.

    Ask Moma Santa to look for sales. I did and my scanner is almost ten years old and still working.

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    1. Momma Santa needs an awful lot of encouragement.

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  10. Hi Red - My scanner is so old and still works - Please Mrs Red, bring Papa a scanner for Christmas. I have alerted Santa, so hopefully all will go well.
    What an interesting post Red - I am sure this brought back wonderful memories for you - this was a lovely Holiday Surprise, eh. Meanwhile we prepare ourselves for another wintry burst on Sat?Sun? Happy Holidays to you and your family :)

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  11. I'm sure I would get a lot of use from a scanner. It's funny how an account book brings things back.

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  12. those letters are a forgotten treasure!

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  13. Great to have those letters! Scanners have gotten quite cheap; you should get yourself one :)

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