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A blog by Bill Hess

Running Dog Publications

P.O. Box 872383 Wasilla, Alaska 99687

 

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Wasilla

Wasilla is the place where I have lived for the past 29 years - sort of. The house in which my wife and I raised our family sits here, but I have made my rather odd career as a different sort of photojournalist by continually wandering off to other places to photograph people and gather information, which I have then put together in various publications that have served the Alaska Native Eskimo, Indian and Aleut communities.

Although I did not have a great of free time to devote to this rather strange community, named after a Tanaina Athabascan Indian chief who knew Wasilla in the way that I so impossibly long to, I have still documented it regularly over the past quarter-century plus. In the early days, my Wasilla photographs focused mostly upon my children and the events they participated in - baseball, football, figure skating, hockey, frog catching, fire cracker detonation, Fourth of July parade - that sort of thing. 

In 2002, I purchased my first digital camera and then, whenever I was home, I began to photograph Wasilla upon a daily basis, but not in a conventional way. These were grab shots - whatever caught my eye as I took my many long walks or drove through the town, shooting through the car window at people and scenes that appeared and disappeared before I could even focus and compose in the traditional photographic way.

Thus, the Wasilla portion of this blog will be devoted both to the images that I take as I wander about and those that I have taken in the past. Despite the odd, random, nature of the images, I believe they communicate something powerful about this town that I have never seen expressed anywhere else. 

Wasilla is a sprawling community that has been slapped down hodge-podge upon what was so recently wilderness of the most exquisite beauty. In its design, it is deliberately anti-zoned, anti-planned. In the building of Wasilla, the desire to make a buck has trumped aesthetics and all other considerations. This town, built in the midst of exquisite beauty, has largely become an unsightly, unattractive, mess of urban sprawl. Largely because of this, it often seems to me that Wasilla is a community with no sense of community, a town devoid of town soul.

Yet - Wasilla is my home and if I am lucky it will be until I grow old and die. Despite its horrific failings, it is still made of the stuff of any small city: people; moms and dads, grammas and grampas, teens, children, churches, bars, professionals, laborers, soldiers, missionaries, artists, athletes, geniuses, do-gooders, hoodlums, the wealthy, the homeless, the rational and logical, the slightly insane and the wholly insane - and, yes, as is now obvious to the whole world, politicians, too.

So perhaps, if one were to search hard enough, it might just be possible to find a sense of community here, and a town soul. So, using my skills as a photojournalist and a writer, I hope to do just that. If this place has a sense of community, I will find it. If there is a town soul to Wasilla, I will document it. I won't compete with the newspapers. Hell no! But as time and income allow, it will be fun to wander into the places where the folks described above gather, and then put what I find on this blog.

 

by 300...

Anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Wasilla. This encompasses perhaps the most wild, dramatic, gorgeous, beautiful section of land and sea to be found in any comparable space anywhere on Earth. I can never explore it all, but I will do the best that I can, and will here share what I find and experience with you.  

and then some...

Anywhere else in the world that I happen to get to, such as Point Lay, Alaska; Missoula, Montana; Serenki, Chukotka, Russia; or Bangalore, India. Perhaps even Lagos, Nigeria. I have both a desire and scheme to get me there. It is a long shot. We shall see if I succeed.

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« Point Lay Nalukatak: Fun and lively dance brings the celebration to an end (part 10a of 10) | Main | Point Lay Nalukatak: blanket toss (part 9a of 10) »
Monday
Jun292009

Point Lay Nalukatak: Candy flies at the blanket toss, harpooner misses the blanket (part 9b of 10)

DateMonday, June 29, 2009 at 11:58PM

Christina Lane, daughter of Captain Julius and Marie, distributes candy to the crowd in rather exciting manner.

Christina on her way down.

Christina hits the blanket in perfect form.

It is so much fun to toss people high into the air.

Brenton, who harpooned the Atkaan whale, shows some style.

Things go wrong for Brenton. He's going down - and he has passed over the edge of the blanket. Now the pullers become spotters. It is their job to break his fall. If they fail... well, there is an ambulance standing by.

The spotters succeed. Brenton does not need an ambulance. He gets up undamaged. No one will leave the Point Lay Nalukatak in an ambulance.

Up she goes.

Martha waves to the crowd.

There is one more event - the traditional dance. It had been my plan to post it tonight as well, but I think this is enough for now. I will post the dance, probably in two sections, tomorrow.

 

AuthorWasilla, Alaska, by 300 | Comment1 Comment |
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Reader Comments (1)

Bill, I think that the top photo is maybe one of my favorite pictures I have seen so far.

On the third picture, the camera focused on one of the pieces of candy which looks like a cherry or watermelon Jolly Rancher which are both favorites of mine as well. Both photos really showcase your ability to capture the moment without much explanation! I am sure that everyone involved in these photos were having an incredible time and I am glad you were able to be there!

Hope to see you again soon!

Charlie

June 30, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCharlie Earnshaw

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