ABSTRACT
Anthropology, while it is rooted in the Western tradition, departs from some of that culture’s most fundamental ideas. It was not easy to find a community that fulfilled several conditions because social and economic changes in the Arctic since World War II had led to the collapse of many of the region’s smaller and more isolated settlements. Living off the land in far-flung encampments, driving dogs, coping with the confines of small tents and a small community, and dealing with brew parties as well as other people’s expectations, were difficult, demanding, and often aggravating tasks. Boredom, isolation, lack of privacy, gossip, the hardships of travel, starvation, knife-like cold, pressures for generosity, and drinking, all affected the author directly. The people’s ways of coping were as diverse as the tensions themselves, and responses varied with the nature of the stress source and the particular individuals or families involved.
