When Joanne B. Mulcahy first helped Mary Peterson -- a respected
elder of the Akhiok community -- find a safe home away from the
violence and alcoholism that had altered village life, she never
imagined that they would meet again five years later and begin more
than twelve years of interviews, letters, and visits that would
transform the lives of both women.
Birth and Rebirth on an Alaskan Island offers the fascinating
story of Mary's life, from her experience growing up within the
traditional society of Akhiok to her work as a teacher, a Community
Health Aide, a mother, a grandmother, and an Alutiiq midwife and
healer. Through her story we discover a society that blended native
Alutiiq culture with the Russian Orthodox teachings handed down
from late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century colonists; that mixed
modern education and employment with a subsistence lifestyle; that
sanctioned arranged marriages but upheld civil divorce laws; and,
above all, that recovered its confidence in traditional healing --
both of the body and of the community.
More than a personal story of survival, Birth and Rebirth on an
Alaskan Island portrays, in Akhiok, a resilience formed through a
return to a strong sense of community. As we become acquainted with
the Kodiak world through Mary Peterson's story, we come to realize
the strength of the native oral tradition and to see that knowing
and healing are pivotal elements of the Alutiiq way -- particularly
as they bring to light the previously unrecognized efforts,
inspirations, and accomplishments of countless women healers.
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