Rural Alaska

Photos: At Kuskokwim River fish camp, smokehouses fill with fish and tradition

ALONG KUSKOKUAK SLOUGH -- On a sunny summer day, the quiet peace of a remote fish camp on a slow-moving branch of the Kuskokwim River became a crazy-busy place of heading and gutting, cutting and hanging.

The salmon were running, and Bethel elders Roy and Ida Alexie, along with daughters, grandkids and extended family, were catching them.

"I'll take the heart!" 6-year-old Alyssa "Frankie" Wassillie called out as her mom -- one of Ida's many nieces -- guided an ulu through the crunch of salmon bone and flesh.

Life at this Yup'ik camp blends deep traditions with modern twists, bursts of intense work with stretches of easy play and relaxation.

Read more: At Kuskokwim River fish camp, smokehouses fill with fish and tradition

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