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Cama’i Mail

MONTHLY EMAIL BROADCAST

At the start of every month, we share our latest news in an email broadcast. Learn about upcoming events, connect to new resources, and find opportunities to work with us. If you would like to subscribe to the Cama’i Mail broadcast, please contact Amy Steffian 844-425-8844, to be added to our distribution list.


Newsletter

ALUTIIT KASITAT—THE ALUTIIQ PEOPLE’S NEWS

The Alutiiq people’s news is published four times a year, with cultural lessons from the Alutiiq world and stories about the museum’s work. If you are interested in contributing an article to our newsletter please contact Amy Steffian. We also welcome sponsorships. Contact Djuna Davidson to learn more, or visit the sponsorship page of our website. Back issues of our newsletter are available on request.  Please contact Amanda Lancaster, 844-425-8844, for an electronic copy.

2024 Newsletters


2023 Newsletters


Press Releases

The Alutiiq Museum regularly shares information on its activities with the press. Click on a link below to read or download a recent press release. If you would like to receive our press releases by email, please contact Amy Steffian 844-425-8844, to be added to our distribution list.


JIM & BONNIE DILLARD NAMED MUSEUM VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR—February 14, 2024

Every Valentine’s Day the Alutiiq Museum shows little love for its volunteers. We are fortunate to have many friends who contribute their time and talents to our work. To highlight the importance of our volunteers, we honor one outstanding contribution with our Volunteer of the Year award. For 2023, we picked Jim and Bonnie Dillard. The Dillards worked together to make a pair of Alutiiq drums for use by students.

Long-time Kodiak educators and artists, Jim and Bonnie Dillard have supported cultural education and the Alutiiq Museum for decades. Jim was an instructor in the museum’s first carving classes and traveled to villages with Sven Hakaanson to teach mask-making. He has lectured on woodworking and made objects for our teaching collection. Bonnie has partnered with the museum to bring Alutiiq traditions to art classes with lesson plans and special projects.

In 2023, the Dillards helped again when elementary school music students asked for Alutiiq drums to use in class. Jim and Bonnie volunteered their expertise. Thanks to their kindness, two drums now spend the school year in the music department and return to the museum each summer for care.

The drums took weeks to make and were crafted in an Alutiiq way. Jim carved the handles, braces, and rim pieces. Then he soaked the rims for five weeks, steamed them, and bent them to shape. Next, he assembled each drum and used airplane fabric to cover the heads. The final step was painting. Bonnie decorated each drum in Alutiiq colors and added a painted feather to the head.

“Thanks to the Dillards, students exploring Alutiiq music now have appropriate instruments,” said the museum’s Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller. “We are very grateful for the knowledge Jim and Bonnie are helping to keep alive in the community and pass on to the next generation.”

To learn more about volunteering at the museum, please contact Djuna Davidson, 844-425-8844. We welcome all volunteers, and no experience is necessary.

MUSEUM SHARES INSTRUCTIONS ON ALUTIIQ/SUGPIAQ PARKA MAKING—February 9, 2024

KODIAK, Alaska—The Alutiiq Museum has released a booklet and a set of videos with directions for making a basic Alutiiq/Sugpiaq atkuk—parka. Produced in partnership with Elder Susan Malutin, the resources provided step-by-step instructions for creating a long, hoodless coat from fabric. The garment is styled like the iconic Kodiak Alutiiq snow falling parka worn by both men and women. The resources are intended to help Alutiiq people create cultural garments to share and celebrate their heritage. Alutiiq Museum Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller explained.

“There is a huge demand for information on how to make Alutiiq clothing. People in our community are hungry to express themselves by both creating and wearing parkas, headdresses, and other items. But you can’t buy an atkuk at the store and few people know how to make them. This project is part of an ongoing effort to help people create regalia.”

The instructions include information on ancestral snow falling parkas, which were once made from cormorant throat skins. The modern version calls for heavy black fabric, red grosgrain ribbon, tufts of white fur, and beads. A full list of supplies and equipment appears in the resources with detailed, illustrated sewing instructions. Importantly, the instructions leave room for each sewer to add decorative touches, to make their garment unique.

“This is not a simple project,” said Counceller, “It requires the use of a sewing machine and some patience. Yet, with materials available at a fabric store and our instructions, you can create an Alutiiq atkuk and decorate it in your own way.”

The video tutorials and instruction booklet are available for free on the sewing page of the museum’s website. Paper copies of the booklet are being distributed to tribal organizations, libraries, schools, and the museum’s educational partners. While supplies last, the public can pick up a free copy at the Alutiiq Museum Store at the Downtown Marketplace. The booklet contains instructions for sizing without a pattern, but for those who prefer to work with a template, the museum created a paper pattern that is available for purchase from the Museum Store.

“Clothing in canvas for cultural expression. Our ancestors shared messages about their worldviews, families, and achievements in their parkas. I’m excited to see how people express themselves today. Ultimately, I envision a community where Alutiiq clothing is commonly—worn widely to symbolize and celebrate Native heritage by people of all ages, abilities, and means.”                                                  

KODIAK ALUTIIQ REPATRIATION PROJECT FUNDED—January 7, 2024

KODIAK, Alaska—With a $99,713 grant from the National Park Service’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) program, the Alutiiq Museum will lead the Angitapet—We Are Returning Them project. This two-year effort will advance the repatriation of ancestral Alutiiq remains in partnership with the ten federally recognized tribes of the Kodiak Archipelago.

At present, 12 collecting institutions in the United States hold the remains of at least 168 Kodiak Alutiiq ancestors from at least 65 distinct locations in the Kodiak region. To help tribes identify which of these remains are most closely affiliated with their communities and plan for repatriation, the museum will provide resources, training, and individualized support.

“The repatriation process is complicated, time-consuming, costly, and sensitive,” said Alutiiq Museum Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller. “Tribes need to determine which remains to repatriate, complete a formal request, and then oversee the repatriation process. Many people don’t realize that multiple tribes can claim the same remains and that there is no easy way to track what remains have been claimed or reburied.”

Through the Angitapet project, the museum will develop a private online database where tribes can see a list of remains affiliated with their communities and track their repatriation status. Additionally, museum staff will work individually with each tribal government to discuss the repatriation process, share the database, identify potential repatriation claims, and plan for future repatriations. One aspect of these meetings will be to determine the appropriate way to care for human hair samples. Harvard University’s Peabody Museum currently holds 20 hair samples collected on Kodiak in the 1930s from named individuals. The museum will work with tribal councils to develop a protocol for repatriating and caring for these samples.

“This project will lay the foundation for bringing home all the identified ancestral remains we are aware of,” said Counceller. “Our island-wide repatriation commission, representing all Kodiak Alutiiq people, has identified reburying our ancestors as the central goal of current repatriation work. Angitapet will advance this important effort in a thoughtful, systematic way. By the end of the project, we will have a solid plan that our tribal governments can implement with support from the museum.”

Photo: Members of the Kodiak Alutiiq/Sugpiaq Repatriation Commission meeting at the museum, April 2022.

ALUTIIQ MUSEUM STORE OPENS AT THE KODIAK MARKETPLACE—November 9, 2023

KODIAK, Alaska—The Alutiiq Museum Store will open to the public on Friday, November 10 in the Kodiak Marketplace. This new, downtown location will provide a temporary home for the store and its services during the museum’s building renovations. The rental includes a large space for retail displays and two staff offices. Here, the museum store will continue to offer unique products inspired by Alutiiq heritage, work with artists, and serve the public. The store will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays.

“We are pleased to be able to rent space in the Marketplace during museum renovations,” said Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller. “This central location will help us support the many artists that sell through our store and depend on those sales for income. It will also provide a place where patrons can connect with us—meet up with a staff member, pick up an educational box, or ask a question. Although our building is closed for construction, we are very busy with educational projects. This temporary home base will support that work.” 

The Alutiiq Museum Store works with about 100 artists in Kodiak, area villages, Alaska, and beyond.  In addition to providing a place to sell their work, the store supports the creative community with arts education, marketing, and professional development. This includes the Alutiiq Seal, an art authentication program that identifies works made by Alutiiq/Sugpiaq artists.  

“The museum store is a museum program,” said Counceller.  “It is an essential part of our efforts to help Alutiiq people live their culture. Through their work, artists tell Alutiiq stories, teach traditions, and build pride in Native heritage. We are proud to help artists grow their skills and opportunities.”

Photo: Chyian Heine in the Alutiiq Museum Store at the Kodiak Marketplace.

NEW FILM EXPLORES ALUTIIQ/SUGPIAQ IDENTITY—November 1, 2023

KODIAK, Alaska—On Friday, November 3, the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository will release Who Are We, a short film on Alutiiq/Sugpiaq identity. The nine-minute production explores what it means to be an Alutiiq person in the twenty-first century, with interviews of community members, historic photos, and songs in the Alutiiq language. The film was directed by Anchorage filmmaker Joshua Branstetter and produced by the Alutiiq Museum. It was developed with support from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, through the CORaL Network.

“Visitors to the museum—tourists and community members alike—are often confused by the variety of names we use for ourselves—Alutiiq, Aleut, and Sugpiaq,” said Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller. “Others wonder who the Alutiiq are and how Native people maintain their identity in the modern world.”

“The film allows our people to answer those questions in their own words. It is filled with voices that illustrate our ties to the land, our love of traditions, and the endurance of our language and culture. There is no correct way to be Alutiiq,” said Counceller. “There are many pathways into the culture. Josh’s film captures that nicely. It builds understanding and leaves you smiling.”

The Alutiiq Museum plans to use the film as an introductory element in a new set of gallery exhibits currently in development. “The film will help us orient museum visitors to the Alutiiq world,” said Counceller. “It will be paired with a map of Native Alaska so that people can understand our cultural geography. It will provide a foundation for all our other displays.”

The museum will debut Who Are We during Kodiak’s November First Friday celebration. As the museum gallery is currently closed for renovations, the public is invited to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center to watch the film and enjoy refreshments. The short film will be shown several times during the event, which is scheduled to last from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This is a free screening and open to the public. Following the event, the film will be available for viewing on the museum’s website.

“Ultimately, we hope the film will be useful for those seeking to learn more about our people, whether they are long-time community members or new to Kodiak. Who Are We provides a valuable introduction.”

Photo: Alutiiq dance practice, a scene from the Who Are We film.

CONTEMPORARY ATKUK—PARKA ADDED TO MUSEUM COLLECTION—October 2, 2023

KODIAK, Alaska—The Alutiiq Museum has added a contemporary atkuk—parka to its collections. Made by Alutiiq Elder and artist Susan Malutin, the garment is inspired by the traditional black, red, and white snow-falling parka worn in the Kodiak region. The museum commissioned the parka to fill a significant gap in its collections. Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller explained.

“The snow-falling parka is an iconic piece of Kodiak Alutiiq clothing and the inspiration for many of the atkuk worn by our people today. In the past, women crafted these dramatic, hoodless robes from cormorant throat skins. Snow-falling parkas are well represented in Alutiiq collections around the world, but the Alutiiq Museum didn’t have one. Susan agreed to create one for us, with contemporary materials and styling. Her piece represents both our ancestral traditions and their expression today. It is emblematic of our living culture.”

The museum selected Malutin for the project because of her decades of experience studying and making Alutiiq clothing. Her travels to museums in the U.S. and Europe have allowed her to study the design and decoration of Alutiiq garments. Malutin constructed the parka from a heavy, black, crushed velvet material, accented with red ribbon, ermine tails, and hand-sewn beading. It is 47” long and Malutin’s daughter, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters all contributed to its intricate beaded details.

Malutin named the parka Threads of Remembrance. While working she thought of the women who came before her, how they collected all the materials for each garment, and how they transformed them into incredible works of art without modern conveniences like electricity. She also remembered her mother, Nona Morrison, a seamstress who filled Malutin with her love of sewing.   

Threads of Remembrance will be a focal point in the exhibits the museum is planning for its new gallery, an element of a larger museum renovation currently underway. Until the gallery opens in May of 2025, the parka can be viewed in the contemporary art gallery on the museum’s website.

Support for the parka’s commission came from the Alaska Art Fund. Established by Rasmuson Foundation in 2003, the fund promotes the development of contemporary art collections in Alaska museums. It is administered by Museums Alaska, a statewide professional association. Since the fund’s inception, the Alutiiq Museum has received $294,078.50 in grants to purchase 152 works by 46 artists. 

Photo: Susan Malutin with the parka, September 2023.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS RECOVER 3,000-YEAR-OLD WEAVINGS FROM ANCESTRAL ALUTIIQ SETTLEMENT—August 22, 2023

KODIAK, Alaska—Archaeologists with the Alutiiq Museum and Archaeological Repository have uncovered fragments of woven grass artifacts estimated to be 3,000 years old. The rare finds were made on August 18, 2023, during excavations of an ancestral sod house on the shore of Karluk Lake, Kodiak Island, Alaska sponsored by Koniag. The fragments, which appear to be pieces of mats, are the oldest well-documented examples of Kodiak Alutiiq/Sugpiaq weaving. A unique set of circumstances preserved them. Alutiiq Museum Curator of Archaeology Patrick Saltonstall explained.
 
“We were excavating a sod house beside Karluk Lake as part of a broader study to understand how Alutiiq people used Kodiak’s interior,” said Saltonstall. “When we reached the floor, we discovered that the house had burned and collapsed. The walls of the structure, which were lined with wood, fell into the building and covered a portion of the floor. This sealed the floor quickly and limited burning. As we removed the remains of the walls, we were surprised and excited to find fragments of charred weaving. It looks like the house had grass mats on the floor. The pieces covered about a two-meter area at the back of the house, perhaps in an area for sleeping.”
 
Weaving is a long-practiced Alutiiq art, but one that is difficult to document archaeologically as fiber artifacts are fragile and rarely preserved. The Alutiiq Museum’s extensive archaeological collections contain grass and spruce root baskets that are as much as 600 years old, but nothing older. The house that produced the weavings was radiocarbon dated to about 3,000 years old. The style of the structure and artifacts found in association with it support this determination. 
 
“It is likely that our ancestors worked with plant fibers for millennia, from the time they arrived on Kodiak 7500 years ago,” said April Laktonen Counceller, the museum’s executive director. “It makes sense. Plants are abundant and easily harvested, and they are excellent materials for making containers, mats, and other useful items. It’s just very hard to document this practice. This wonderful find extends our knowledge of Alutiiq weaving back an additional 2400 years.”
 
Close inspection of the woven fragments shows that their makers laid down long parallel strands of grass (the warp) and then secured them with perpendicular rows of twining (the weft) spaced about an inch apart. This technique created an open weave also found in historic examples of Alutiiq grass matting. Small fragments of more complicated braiding may represent the finished edge of a mat.
 
The field crew carefully lifted the fragile woven fragments off the floor of the sod house and placed them in a specially made box for transport back to Kodiak and the Alutiiq Museum’s laboratory.  Here they will be preserved, documented, and made available for study as a loan from Koniag—the regional Alaska Native Corporation for Kodiak Alutiiq people and the sponsor of the research. The corporation owns the land on which the excavation took and has been generously supporting archaeological studies in the region.  
 
“Discoveries like these highlight our Alutiiq people’s innovation and resilience,” said Koniag President Shauna Hegna. “Koniag is humbled to partner with the Alutiiq Museum on critical projects like this.”  
 
The Alutiiq Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and culture of the Alutiiq, an Alaska Native tribal people. Representatives of Kodiak Alutiiq organizations govern the museum with funding from charitable contributions, memberships, grants, contracts, and sales. 

Photo: Fragments of a ca. 3,000-year-old woven grass mat recovered from an ancestral Alutiiq house beside Karluk Lake.