Bird traditions of the Lime Village area Dena'ina : upper Stony River ethno-ornithology

Russell and West present us with a unique opportunity to experience the cultural traditions of how a population of Alaska Native peoples relate to birds. Call on her many years of work with local peoples, Russell exhibits a special gift to discover the details of how the Stony River Dena'ina think about birds, how they harvest them, and how they use various parts of birds in their daily lives. She spent many hours in the field living with working with the people and conducting informal interviews to record their thoughts about the place of birds in their world and to observe the ways they interact with and use birds. West applies modern ornithological science to the way the Dena'ina classify and name the birds in their area. All species that occur in the Stoney River area are described, illustrated, and most have Native names. James Kari has added a wealth of information on the etymology of the Native names of birds and bird parts.

Priscilla Russell earned her MA degree in ethnobotany from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has spent 30 years informally and formally working as an independent researcher on the relationship of Alaska Native peoples to their environment, especially to plants, evident in Tanaina Plantlore, An Ethnobotany of the Dena'ina Indians of Southcentral Alaska and other ethnobotanies.

George West is Professor Emeritus from the Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska and has conducted research on Alaskan birds since 1963. He also has illustrated many publications including his latest book, A Birder's Guide to Alaska." -From Publisher