NOTES ON THE NUNAMIUT ESKIMO AND MAMMALS OF ... - arctic

THE NUNAMIUT ESKIMO AND MAMMALS OF THE ANAKTUVUK PASS REGION 15 1
5, and 9) forms a passage of two to four miles in width across the Brooks
Range and is an important migration route for various mammals and birds as
well as for the Eskimo. There are many glacial-moraine lakes, alluvial terraces,
and ground moraines on the valley floor, which, at the divide, reaches an
altitude of about 2,000 feet only. Sand dunes occur in places along the
Anaktuvuk River, Numerous creeks, dry except during the spring thaw,
tumble in steep, rocky beds from the mountains into the valley. The Anaktuvuk
enters the main valley from the east, at an altitude of about 2,500 feet
and flows northward to the Colville, which in turn empties into the Arctic
Ocean. The part of the Anaktuvuk lying to the east of the main valley is
called by the Nunamiut Anaktiktoak.
Brooks (1906, p. 102) has described the Anaktuvuk valley and pass: “This
pass is only a few miles from where the range falls off to the piedmont plateau
on the north, and the Anaktuvuk soon leaves the mountains. The intermontane
part of its valley is wide, with abrupt walls, and is only about 15 miles in length,
in which distance the river descends over 200 feet. Leaving the mountains,
it enters a broad basin 40 miles in length, which has been incised in the
Anaktuvuk Plateau and which receives several tributaries.” Schrader (1904)
has discussed several features of this country.
The John River enters the main valley from the west but a few miles
south of the Anaktuvuk, and flows south to join the Koyukuk River, a
tributary of the Yukon. The part of the John River which lies to the west
of the main valley is called Nachamkunga (from genitive forms of nachrach,
“divide”, and kook, “creek”) by the Nunamiut.
In the main valley certain springs and seepages remain open throughout
the winter. Tulugak Lake is fed by such springs, which maintain a temperature
slightly above freezing all year. Open creeks are also found in the
winter in the Savioyok valley. There are no glaciers in the Anaktuvuk Pass
region, but some snowfields persist all summer. There is a considerable
of Aufeis, or heavy ice deposits, in the Savioyok valley.
area
Climate
Although in the winter some days are made unpleasant by severe winds
from the north (the Koyukuk Indian name for the lower John River is
Atchenak, “blowing hard”), the region is not excessively cold. The temper-
ature rarely falls as low as -50°F. The annual precipitation is only a few
inches. The spring and summer weather are delightful, with cool, clear days.
On approaching timber, farther south, the precipitation increases rapidly,
resulting in deep winter snows. This is also the case in the timbered Savioyok
valley to the east; the change in amount of precipitation is very striking as
soon as the divide near the head of Inukpasukruk Creek has been crossed, at
an altitude of about 4,500 feet, and the descent started into the country drained
by the North Fork.
Since the generally sparse snow becomes firmly packed during the winter
by the strong winds, the Anaktuvuk Pass country is very favourable for travel
bv dog team. Snowshoes are often unnecessary, unless approaching the