Musk Ox

One of my biggest disappointments with Bethel has been the lack of wildlife.  I came out here fully expecting to see moose, bears, eagles...  This is Alaska after all!  We read up on what to do if a moose is blocking your driveway and how to avoid getting eaten by a bear; neither animals of which have I even seen since moving to Alaska.  Don't get me wrong, Bethel is in the middle of a wildlife refuge, the wildlife is out there, it just avoids Bethel.  Even our trash dumpsters lack animal deterrents.  On the exceptionally rare occasion that something more than a fox or a raven is spotted, the news travels like wildfire!  In the year and a half we have been here I have only heard of 2 such occasions.  Once was a cow moose, once a bull musk ox.  Both sightings were fleeting, for as soon as the animals realized they had ventured so close to civilization they turned back to the refuge of the tundra, seen only by a few. 

But I wouldn't be writing about this today if something hadn't changed.  About a week after Thanksgiving, a small group of about 11 musk ox took up residence across the river and grazed there for nearly 2 weeks.  It was all people were talking about.  No one could remember such animals ever coming so close to Bethel, not to mention sticking around for awhile.  The primary musk ox heard resides just outside of Toksook Bay, along the Bering Coast, 115 miles West of Bethel.

Musk ox are native to the Alaskan tundra, however, the herds were hunted to depletion in the 19th century.  As a means to help maintain the native culture, a herd was reintroduced to the tundra in 1935.  Additional herds have been introduced to other parts of Alaska, but no documented herds have ever come this far east.  After the herd was reintroduced to Alaska in 1935 it grew rapidly enough that hunting was allowed by 1975.  True to the native culture, every part of the hunted animal is used for something.  The meat of course for food, the horns I have seen made into beautiful jewelry, and the underwool woven into truly amazing articles of clothing and accessories.  

The musk ox meat I have tasted is delicious, tender yet lean.  My favorite pair of earrings are a combination of musk ox horn and ivory.  But my absolute favorite part of the musk ox is the underwool, or qiviut.  Softer than cashmere and 80% warmer than wool, yet light and will not shrink in any temperature of water.  I only own 2 small pieces.  A beret and a smoke ring (small infinity scarf).  Together the two pieces cost just under $500!  Musk ox yarn is unbelievably expensive, but worth every penny. 

I don't know where the Bethel musk ox moved onto; if they rejoined the Toksook herd or if they will grow in number and form their own herd.  I hope we get to see them again, maybe they will return in the spring with a few little calves added to their number.