The Winter Walk: A Century-Old Survival Story from the Arctic

About this book

The year is 1892. An Iupiat Eskimo mother finds herself far from the village at winter camp. And now her husband has died. Although Qutuuq (coo-took) is far along in pregnancy and her children are only seven and nine the little family sets out toward the Bering Sea coast. Weak from effort and starvation they plod along each bend in the frozen river until Qutuuq goes into labor. Certain that her own death is imminent the woman makes a decision that will haunt her forever. Likewise this powerful narrative will haunt readers long after they close the book. Shared by Qutuuqs great-granddaughter this true story has been handed down from generation to generation in a culture sustained by its oral history. Family photos round out our understanding of harsh living in this remote region. Loretta Outwater Cox is an Iupiaq woman born in Nome Alaska and raised in various villages around the Seward Peninsula. She holds a bachelors degree in education and a masters degree in education administration. Now retired Loretta taught school in western Alaska for twenty-three years. She and her husband Skip have three children and three grandchildren.