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People in Peril

"People in Peril" was a special project undertaken by the staff of the Anchorage Daily News to look at the changing values and destructive forces taking place in Alaskan Native communities. As the native communities have been assimilated into our culture, alcoholism and high suicide rates have followed.

I was one of five photographers to work on the project along with a long list of reporters, editors and graphic designers. The Anchorage Daily News won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1989 for this published work.


Village Chief
Venetie, Alaska---Eddie Frank, Venetie village council member and former first chief, talks about the dangers of alcohol to his people. Venetie was one of the first villages to ban the importation of alcohol.

Fairbanks, Alaska---Molly Adams, who does not drink, looks out the window above the Savoy Bar in Fairbanks, a popular gathering place for visitors from the Bush.
Bar

Port
Fort Yukon, Alaska---Joe Herbert, first chief of the village of Chalkyitsik, shows off his newly bought bottle of port outside the city-owned liquor store in Fort Yukon.

Fairbanks, Alaska---Residents of Interior villages, some of which have banned alcohol, use Fairbanks as a place to gather and share a drink.
Drinkers

Brothers
English Bay, Alaska---Nicholas Kvasnikoff, 5, gets a hug from his older brother, Mack Jr., at their home in English Bay. Their mother drank heavily while pregnant. Both suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.