togiak, alaska 99678

i live in togiak. its in southwest alaska, in the bristol bay. a great little place. togiak is home to about 900 nates. its a fishing village. its also a dry village. 'dry' meaning that possession and consumption of 'alcolic' beverages is illegal.



last month, the city of togiak held a vote on the local option law. the majority of togiak voted 'no' to keep it dry. the vote made state headlines. many elders nodded their heads. there were probably alot of "mmmhmmmm"s too.

i've heard some stories since i've been here: people drinking vanilla extract, the control of the sale of yeast at one of the stores, people making homebrew, and a beer-maker from cabela's. a fifth of cheap booze costs $150. typical stories from bush alaska. one time in bethel i had this old, raggedy nate ask me to buy him two bottles of hairspray for his 'girlfriend.' i looked at this guy and knew he did not have a girlfriend. i didn't buy him the hairspray for his girlfriend. and the stories go on....

togiak is a special place. good people, great hunting. very sobering. i'm going to miss togiak when i leave.