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Alutiiq Arts

When We Were Seals. Oil and acrylic on panel, by Lena Snow Amason, 2022. Supported by the Munartet Project.

Cultural Arts

The arts are a source of pride for the Alutiiq community. They highlight the ingenuity of ancestors, the beauty of the Alutiiq world, and the endurance of tradition. Creating beautiful items expresses a connection to ancestors and respect for the environment that sustains human life.

Alutiiq artists explore their identities by uniting traditional techniques, forms, materials, or subjects with those of the twenty-first century. Their work is symbolic of Alutiiq culture in the modern age.

Alutiiq arts also reflect efforts to reawaken Alutiiq traditions—to revitalize cultural practices suppressed and hidden under colonial pressure. They are examples of living culture.

BEADING

Detail of an ancestral headdress, ca. 1872, Pinart Collection, Musée Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

With shimmering glass beads, Autiiq artists make jewelry and headdresses, decorate clothing, and make pictures.

CARVING

Carved wooden mask, ca. 1872, Pinart Collection, Musée Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

Through carving, Alutiiq artists have long produced tools essential to daily life and designed beautiful works that recorded spiritual beliefs.

DANCING

Masked dancer ca. 2010, photo courtesy of Will Anderson.

Dance is a vibrant cultural practice, accompanied by singing, drumming, and the use of cultural objects. Dancers perform for enjoyment and to tell stories.

GRAPHIC ARTS

Tai Maguun. Digital media by Hanna Sholl, 2021.

Painting, drawing, and incising add beauty to objects and record history.

MUSIC

Carl Gronn performing on the guitar. Photo by Sven Haakanson.

Music is a form of storytelling and Alutiiq people enjoy sharing everything from traditional songs to orthodox hymns and popular music.

SEWING

Detail of parka embroidery. Etholén collection, National Museum of Finland. Photo by Sven Haakanson.

Alutiq seamstresses are known for their detailed stitching and embroidery, which transform animal hides into works of art.

STORYTELLING

Elder and youth engaged in conversation, Old Harbor. Photo by Sven Haakanson.

Storytelling is both entertainment and education.  Youth learn Alutiiq history from storytellers and they are reminded of community values.

WEAVING

Detail of a grass basket woven by Coral Chernoff. Purchased with support of Rasmuson Foundation.

From wild grasses and spruce root, Alutiiq weavers created beautiful container, mats, and even clothing.