When I flew up to Fairbanks for my training last week, I had a stop in Anchorage. The flight was late and needed to make up time, so passengers en route to Fairbanks were told to remain on the plane. I never had a look at what Anchorage’s airport had to offer. Anchorage
alaskaair
I saw lots of planes at the airport in Anchorage
Four days later, my flight from Fairbanks to Seattle for NOAA helicopter safety training had a 3 hour layover in Anchorage. I hoped the airport had something more than just a generic newspaper stand and coffee stop, but I had never imagined it would have THIS.
Second Story Art Museum
mask
Masks were used as a path for connecting to spirits
THIS was an exceptional collection of indigenous peoples art and crafts.
Beadwork
beadwork
Indigenous people craft beautiful beadwork during the long winter
I really needed to get a visual of the people in the communities I was to visit in April. The people of he Pribilof Islands are the Aleut. I had scoured two bookstores looking for books about their culture but the amount of written information on the people was scarce.
Oral tradition
legendstick
History is passed along by telling stories with legend sticks
You can feel a sense of a people by the traditional art they produce. I am learning that indigenous people often directly connect with the environment. Hawaiians know this. They understand how you have a place in the world around you just as water, air, land and other plant and animal spirits do. Respect for all parts of the environment is naturally understood and accepted.
Art Is In Their Bones
whalevert
Whale vertebrae was often used for sculpting art
The knowledge of balance and belonging is passed from kupuna (wise elders) and kumu (teachers) to keiki (children) in mele (song), chants, mo’olelo (storytelling), and hula (dance).
Moondance
moondance
The dancer was encouraged to wear this mask to channel moon spirit
As I topped the stairs to the second story Native Peoples Art Collection, a warm feeling washed over me. The art and artifacts of Alaskan communities, including the Aleuts, lay before me in island kiosks. THIS was my connection to my new friends.
Aleut Paddle
aleutpaddle
Your importance in a tribe could be seen in the craft of your paddle.