James Tosiatis CRNA - Press Release

Charlie Titus Sr.’s fascination with dog sleds began when he was a young man. Before he could even imagine teaching others how to build sleds, he had to first learn this art himself.

“You do not learn this overnight,” Charlie said. “It’s a lot of trial and error. You’ve got to experiment. There’s the knowledge and mastering of the tools. Science is involved. Knowing your environment, what wood to use and how to pick it. Everything is learned. You’ve just got to get out there and do it.”

As a young man, Charlie bought his first two sleds from an elder who built them. When his sled broke for the first time, Charlie didn’t know how to fix his sled, nor did he know anyone at the moment who could. He figured, now’s the time to learn. With the help of elders, his father and grandfather, Charlie started learning the art of building dog sleds. After learning the history of sled building, and through a lot of trial and error, and decades of mastering the tools, Charlie started producing exceptional work. People eventually started asking him to create smaller versions of sleds for children and grandchildren. Calls and orders for sleds poured in, so much so that Charlie could not keep up with them all. Eventually, he had people asking him if he could teach classes after school on how to build sleds.

The dog sled building event, sponsored by the Child Development Department of Copper River Native Association, gave Native youth and anyone else interested an opportunity to learn traditional sled building from start to finish. The Village of Gakona gave Charlie, who lives in Minto, and his students access to a garage in which the three-week dog sled building class was held in March.

The goal of the event was to offer people an opportunity to learn about their culture, while at the same time promoting a healthy hobby by learning a new skill.

“They learn about their heritage, what their people used to use and how they used these tools to maintain their life,” Charlie said. “They have always built sleds. They were hunters and gatherers, nomadic people. They had to transport their equipment and livelihood from one place to the next, following the animals. Sleds were one of the only ways of transportation in the winter. Mastering the tools used for building dog sleds is important for other projects as well. They learn the history of the early days.”

There were about 13 participants altogether, a mix of children and adults. A beautiful sled built wasn’t the only outcome of those three weeks.

“The idea of them seeing their achievements, the idea of knowing that they can do something and create something,” Charlie said. “The thing I really like about it is when I see the kids take pride in what they built, the finished project, and the work it took to get there. They get the sense that ‘I can do this, too.’”

Charlie laughed and said that some of the kids asked so many questions that he eventually ran out of answers.“Some of the kids were really into it and enjoyed it; they wouldn’t have come if they didn’t enjoy it,” Charlie said. He enjoyed teaching the kids during this event so much that he’d love to do it again. Charlie hopes to call around to set up more classes. The students gain a sense of confidence and appreciation, while learning to build something important to their heritage.

For more information about CRNA projects, contact Treann Ewan or CC Nollner at 822-5241.

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