In 1974, the great Iñupiaq writer and historian Ticasuk (also known by the English name Emily Ivanoff Brown) completed a master's degree program at the University of Alaska by researching and writing the history of the Iñupiaq, who lived at Unalakleet, on the Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. The result is a fascinating account of culture, nature, and survival that spans generations and leads, inexorably, to the birth of the author herself. The Roots of Ticasuk is not only a deftly-written series of adventures, but also a family story crucial to understanding the rich culture of the Iñupiaq people and their role in the history of present-day Alaska.
