Raise your hand if you know what ... or who a Cheechako is

Here is some "Alaska Speak" for you.

Cheechako - When you are new to Alaska and its unique complexity and character you are a Cheechako. A “less than seasoned new comer”. You might call it green or a being a newbie. If you are anything less than a Sourdough, you are a Cheechako to Alaskan’s.

So what is a Sourdough? If you have weathered many seasons in Alaska you are a Sourdough. A skilled veteran that has developed and sustained the complexity and character of Alaska.

I was near Hatcher Pass, on a river, panning for gold and watching the steep terrain on the other side of the river. Always on the lookout for wild animals and taking constant mind snap shots of the land I love. As I panned and took in the scenery I was aware of an Alaskan native family close to me but in treating others as I like to be treated, I didn’t pay much attention.

After a few minutes I noticed that they began talking amongst themselves, something about their talk changed. Now they were pointing directly across the river. I kept looking across the river in the direction they were pointing, I saw nothing, nothing other than trees, grass and absolute splendor. I kept looking, watching, what were these people native to this terrain seeing?

Finally a member of the group, a young woman about 19 years old came closer to me and said something about Wolverines. Wolverines? WHAT!?! The river I was standing on was only a few feet wide! I don’t know a lot about wolverines but I do know they can be fierce and mean and one should always be aware if they are close at hand. They are also known as “devil bear” or“woods devil”, at least in Alaska. I couldn’t spot them, nothing... and I really believed I had become very astute in spotting wildlife in Alaska. The young woman was trying to point them out and these eyes just weren’t seeing them.

I stopped what I was doing and walked closer to the elder in their group, an Alaskan native woman who was in her 60’s, maybe even 70’s. She was pointing and speaking broken English using mostly her native language to try and point these Wolverines out to me. I continued to talk with her and ask her questions as if I could understand every word she was saying. I finally saw the pack of three wolverines they had been watching! Ha – they looked like marmots to me. (Alaskan marmots are HUGE if you have never seen one.) In the course of the next few moments I could see the alarm on the woman’s face as she closely watched these animals.

As we talked we slowly backed away from the river bank putting more and more distance between the animals and ourselves. I asked her if they would attack us and she half smiled, making guttural noises and speaking in her native tongue (never taking her eyes off the wild animals). I didn’t need to know the words, she was saying OF COURSE they will! Needing desperately NOT to look like the blonde haired blue eyed, city slicker that I know I looked like I immediately looked at her and said “ I bet they really enjoy eating Cheecako’s like me”. I have never before or since seen an elder Alaskan native woman laugh so hard! She was slapping her leg and for the first time in 5 minutes of conversation she looked me directly in the eyes and nodded. In that moment, she knew I knew. I was indeed still a Cheechako.

I will never forget the exchange through our eyes in that moment. No matter how much I want to believe my 18 plus months of living in Alaska has earned me my Sourdough status there are some things we just can't force or hide.

While traveling to Alaska, don’t be afraid to admit you are a Cheechako. You may earn the respect of the real Alaskans and… they may even share their wisdom along the way.