Non Western Art
Traditional Inupiaq Art
As indigenous populations strive to preserve their cultural uniqueness and right to survive, it becomes critically important for them to clearly define how they differ from the Non-Western culture. The Inupiaq people of Alaska have been around for about 4,000 years. I chose to do my exhibit on traditional Inupiaq art and design because it is very near and dear to my heart. My dad and all of his family are of Inupiaq descent. They grew up in the Northern regions of Alaska, specifically Nome. My dad's mom is 1/2 Inupiaq, and my dad is 1/4, making my siblings and I 1/8. Although my siblings and I aren't very much in touch with our small Native roots, the rest of my dad's side of the family still carry on and practice the traditions and art of this beautiful culture. My dad's mom died when I was just a year old, so we never got the opportunity to learn the Inupiaq lessons, traditions, art and designs of our culture from her, which I believe would've been incredibly pivotal and necessary for us in order to carry on our culture.
Alaska Native cultures are rich and diverse, and their art forms are representations of their history, skills, tradition, adaptation, and years upon years of continuous life in some of the most remote areas on earth. I feel like a lot of these art cultures and designs aren't seen much outside of Alaska because the U.S. has become so westernized (and because Alaska is fairly distant from the "real" world it seems). I chose to share a few basket weaving work as well as ivory carvings to represent the beautiful creations of Inupiaq culture.
This basket shown above was handwoven by Marilyn Hank Otton of Point Hope, Alaska. It's made of whale baleen and walrus ivory. A little fun fact - only Alaska Natives from the Yupik and Inupiaq tribes are allowed by the federal government to work with whale baleen. White baleen is very rare and typically reserved for the best among the elders. Baleen basketry developed in Barrow, Point Hope, and Wainwright, Alaska by the North Alaskan Inupiaq people at the dawn of the 20th century. To create such elaborate and delicate baskets, thin strips of baleen are cut and attached to ivory disks. A coiling method is used to sew the baleen bands together, ending with a carved ivory knob on the handle of the basket.
This basket was handwoven by George Omnik of Point Hope, Alaska. It's displayed at the Honolulu Museum Art. The ivory on top of the basket is carved into a decorative polar bear and seal, two popular and resourceful animals of the Alaskan arctic.
The Native people of Alaska and Siberia have carved walrus ivory for about 2,000 years. Early carvings were usually tools, some with artistic designs, and figurines that may have had religious significance. The Inupiaq and Yupik people started selling their ivory carvings as souvenirs to the European and American whalers when they would sail to the Alaskan arctic in the mid-19th century.
Reflection
Today, 60% of the people in Barrow are Inupiaq and 98% of the people in the other seven North Slope villages are also Inupiaq. While much has changed, many traditions remain. The Inupiaq continue to do subsistence whaling and other hunting, for cultural as well as practical reasons. However, with climate change looming, the Inupiaq people are now in danger of losing their major food sources as well as some of their traditional ways of life, including access to the materials needed for basketry and ivory carving.
Sources
"The Inupiaq People of Barrow, Alaska" Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists. Exploratorium, 2015. http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/big-ideas/the-people-of-the-arctic/the-inupiaq-people-of-barrow-alaska/index.html "Baleen Basketry" Wikipedia, June 26, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baleen_basketry#
"Inupiaq Ship Carving" Infinity of Nations. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, 2020. https://americanindian.si.edu/static/exhibitions/infinityofnations/arctic-subarctic/214677.html
Wow! I am happy that you chose to write about something like this. As for me, I come from the village of Kwethluk, which is upriver from Bethel. I am adopted, and both my parents, from my knowledge are half Yup'ik so I am 3/4 Yup'ik. Although, the family I have now, we consider myself full blood. My mom's mom, she has made baskets out of grass, not very many people know that, only a few people, I think they are all elders now, that know she made things like those along with calf high skin boots that I still have from her (two pairs). I also have a pair of earrings in the shape of calf high skin boots that she made from long ago. We even have one of the hairnets that she made, from long ago, with beads on them. I also has a hair pin, made from beads, in the shape of a butterfly that was made by my dad's sister, I think. My mom also has earrings that she has made by her mother-in-law, my dad's mom. My siblings and I also had fur parkas made by my mom's mom. Reading your blog just sent me back to the years when I was younger, asking my mom who made this and when did they make it. I have nephews that are half Yup'ik and half Inupiaq. Their mom is from up north, and we did not get to learn a lot from them when we went to visit them, when they used to live up there. It was good to learn that only Yup'ik and Inupiaq tribes are only allowed to work with Baleen.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love all that you presented here. I love learning about other cultures like this. Growing up, I remember watching my mom make slippers with beads and fur as the outlining. I love the first 2 as it looks as if it is something that would have taken awhile to make. The polar bear and seal are my favorite, as it has such an Alaska feel to it. The last one is amazing. It looks so fragile. I love all the little windows. All the pieces here are absolutely amazing. Great job.
ReplyDeleteChandler,
ReplyDeleteI love that you chose Native American art for this blog post. I have recently been watching the show "Yellowstone" and I have fallen in love with the small amounts of Native American culture that has been shown in the show. It is such a diverse culture that is not talked about as much as it should be. I think there should be more education on Native American culture and their lives.
I really like the Inupiaq ship carving that you chose. It is absolutely stunning, and I find it really awesome that it is made out of 100% walrus ivory. I also really enjoyed looking at the baskets that you chose. I really like the colors of the baskets and how they look so precise and complex.
I also did my blog post on Native American art so reading yours was really enjoyable for me. We both were able to find great artworks that were so different from each other. Overall, great blog post and I loved reading it.
Thank you,
Allie