THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 23, 1996 TAG: 9608210140
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 111 lines
During 15 days of annual military training, Navy Reservist Cmdr. Victor Berrett got a taste of life in a secluded Eskimo village. The audiologist was one of about 100 reservists who participated in Arctic Care 1996, the Navy's humanitarian mission in conjunction with the Marine Fourth Field Service Support Group.
For the Idaho native, Alaska's 15-foot snowdrifts and ice-covered rivers were old hat. But the roadless frozen tundra made driving from one village to another impossible.
``It was necessary to use dog sleds, snow machines or planes,'' said Berrett.
A National Guard family practitioner was assigned to a clinic in each of the six villages. Two-man teams made drug and alcohol abuse presentations in schools. Two Marine engineers were sent to each village.
It was at Kotzebuc that Berrett and other members of the ear, nose and throat team picked up their extremely cold-weather gear. Then they were flown first to one then each of the six villages, Deering, Buckland, Ambler, Noorvik, Shungnak and Kivalina.
Berrett was surprised at the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss among his 120 Eskimo patients.
``I didn't expect to find that,'' he said, noting several noise sources.
From childhood, the Eskimos fire guns. Snow machines are very noisy. And in the villages where there are trees, the noise from chain saws is very loud, he said.
A large number of adults wear hearing aids. Middle ear infections are prevalent among children.
Day to day health care is provided by the Indian Health Service, he said. In one village, the medical team found a licensed practical nurse. But mostly, clinics were staffed by locals with little or no medical training.
From one of the dentists, he learned that the many dental problems among Eskimos, including tooth loss, are likely caused by excessive consumption of candy and soda. One 16-year-old had only eight or nine remaining teeth.
Some Eskimos are still dependent on the hunt for food, he said. Natives search out caribou, musk ox, reindeer, wolf, wolverine, beaver, muskrat, otter, seal, walrus, ptarmigan, red fox, arctic fox, grizzlies and polar bears. Animal skins are handsewn to make clothing and other useful items. A mask, which hangs in Berrett's office, was crafted from seal skin. Facial features, such as ears, whiskers and mustache, came from bear, wolverine, wolf and baleen.
Although Eskimos belong to the Inupiat tribe, they don't like to be called Indians.
They often communicate by using body language, Berrett said. A raised eyebrow indicates ``Yes.'' Children often wrinkle their little noses to register a negative response. However, the inhabitants in the villages speak English with a Midwestern accent.
Berrett referred to the Eskimos as friendly and hospitable. And although they live in isolated conditions much of the year, it's not unusual to see touches of the mainland. They enjoy cable TV and satellite dishes are a common sight.
He observed that some wore old cloths, some new. He noted that Reeboks are popular.
Kotzebuc, which is 550 air-miles from Anchorage, has no roads leading in or out. But a large jet aircraft can land there. In the town of about 3,500, there are three restaurants, two grocery stores, police department, a 29-bed health center complete with a pharmacy and laboratory. The staff includes five full-time family practitioners as well as public health and social workers. The village also rates its own high school.
The villages visited by the ENT team range in population from 100 to 350. There were few vehicles other than snow machines (snow mobiles) that sped constantly between houses, he said. When one of these machines breaks down, it is usually abandoned.
It is rare for a village to have more than one or two churches, Berrett said. Most often, the congregations are Quakers.
Schools have mostly female teachers from the mainland, he added. Many activities, such as local olympics, are held in school gymnasiums. Basketball is the most popular sport among villagers.
To protect their wooden frame houses from permafrost, the Eskimos sometimes build their residences off the ground on pilings about 2-feet high. Rows of homes crop up near bodies of water. Most have electricity, TV and cable. None have running water.
Of the six villages, Ambler, population 350, was the only village with a commercial eatery. Food prices were high. A cheeseburger, fries and a soda cost $10.40. A six-pack of soda sets customers back $4.50.
Deering is flanked in front by a sound and behind by a river. About 70 percent of Deering's population are surnamed ``Moto.''
In Shungnak, where the temperature was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, he shot a photo of a young boy playing basketball out-of-doors. The lad was dressed in a tank top.
He just missed dog sled races in Noorvik. But during his stay in the village, there were three days of around-the-clock basketball tournaments.
In Kivalina, the pastor of Friends Church took Berrett on a 70-mile dog sled ride. They crossed a river where the clear ice, 3-feet-to-6-feet thick, afforded a view of the river's bottom. The generous pastor lent Berrett his own hat, goggles and neck/face sleeve. Even with thinsulate gloves inside woolen mittens, he recalls that his hands still felt frozen.
During the ride, passengers saw a herd of about 70 caribou as well as ptarmigan and red fox.
After the ride, Berrett drank Ovaltine and tasted caribou jerky in the minister's home.
Berrett, 56, operates his own practice, Chesapeake Hearing Evaluation Center. He is also the chief audiologist at Occupational Health Technologies as well as director of Eastern Virginia Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists with offices in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Kitty Hawk. In 1991, he was appointed to the State Board for Hearing Specialists by Gov. George Allen.
His hobbies include golfing, reading and some genealogical research. But his background is varied. As a young man, he rounded up and branded cattle and fought forest fires on Idaho's River of No Return. He was a construction worker, worked in a cabinet shop and as a carpenter's assistant. Twice, he joined the Navy. He and his wife, Nancy, were married in Hawaii in 1963 and have four children and three grandchildren. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Navy Reservist Cmdr. Victor Berrett was surprised to find a high
incidence of hearing loss among Eskimos. by CNB