A half century ago, Inupiat Eskimo Paul Green was dismayed by a writer
who arrived in his village, stayed briefly, then flew home to print
nonsense. So Green began writing down his own stories--about his life,
Native foods, legends, games, animal habits, even "rubbing nose kiss."
Each of these authentic stories, written in Green's distinctive voice,
offered delightful insight into his culture and times. Another notable
Alaskan, George Aden Ahgupuk, added his pen-and-ink drawings, and the
first edition of I AM ESKIMO was released in 1959, the same year that
Alaska became a state. Today this collection is a classic, translated
into other languages, excerpted in several textbooks, and collectible as
the first title for the fledgling publishing company that would become
Alaska Northwest Books. Ahgupuk's drawings are prized among collectors
and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art's permanent collection.