Through a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum, the Southwest Alaska Arts Group partnered with Bethel-based photographer Katie Basile to profile nine earring artists in the region. Artists collaborated with Katie to create a series of portraits and interviews that explore the creative process and inspiration behind these beautiful creations.
Enjoy this sample of the many talented earring artists in Southwest Alaska.
Ivory scrimshaw, caribou antler cabochons, fish vertebrae and trade beads – the earring styles of Southwest Alaska are as diverse as their materials and makers.
While earrings have been made and worn in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta for centuries, the region has seen a rapid increase in the number of artists and variety of styles over the last few years. Many artists credit long days in COVID lockdown as the birthplace of their artform, while others say they started making earrings to explore their heritage or relax after a long day of working and parenting.
Patterns and styles tend to reflect the sky, water, tundra and each artist’s lived experiences. A pair of earrings can be a personal story, a call for social justice, a cultural exploration, or a wild combination of colors.
Miranda Ciquyaq Robb,
Yup’ik, Athabascan and
Swedish Sami Earring Artist
“I started making earrings when I was probably 11-years-old. And then I started carving ivory just this year.
The spirit drums that we use in Sami culture have inscriptions on them, or drawings. It really is a storytelling method so I wanted to incorporate that into my ivory carvings.”
Alice Nanuk,
Yup’ik Earring Artist
“Along the way, I picked up the dress with the hand pattern for MMIW which is to raise awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women. I’m an Alaska Native and I have a big heart, especially for my people. Now I’m known for spreading awareness for these causes.”
Carolyn Qaskerraq Iverson,
Yup’ik and Polish Earring Artist
“I think what has been really meaningful to me is that I can shift gears from being a mom and doing work to being a little bit more creative. I feel like it’s exercising my brain in a little bit of a different way, and it’s helped me feel more wholesome.”
Alicia Tutmaralria Oscar,
Yup’ik Earring Artist
“I come from three generations of women who bead.
My mom has a pair of earrings that my Grandma made before she was born and my Mom is 77 now. It’s super cool that those earrings are older than my mom and that they are still put together after all these years.”
Cagluaq Valerie Thomas,
Yup’ik Earring Artist
“Beading is a really fun process and a good outlet for creativity. As I get older I’m trying not to be as materialistic and to see the value in making things. Having the ability to make something with my hands and give it to somebody brings me a lot of joy.”
Andrea Tumaralria Mingaralria Wuya,
Yup’ik Earring Artist
“We do a lot of fishing starting up in June and that doesn’t end till about late August. And even then there’s the winter fishing seasons, the lush, the ice fishing. So a big portion of my material is from fish, such as the vertebrae, the spine and the skin.”
Mikngayaq Selena Malone,
Yup’ik Earring Artist
“When COVID hit and we had nothing to do, my girls and I would sit around trying to purchase earrings, and it was always a big race to see who could claim them first on Instagram. Finally, one day, I said to my daughters, why don’t we make them?
Quarantine and all that was no fun. But we have really fond memories of just sitting around the table beading together, laughing and creating.”
Sara Ayaniuq Guinn,
Yup’ik Earring Artist
“There are different earrings I’ve made for different times.
The yellow ones in particular I really like because I knew I was going to have a son and I kept thinking sunshine, and I kept thinking sunflowers. And so they also just remind me of being pregnant.”
Kaukaq Susan Jones,
Cup’ik Earring Artist
“I started beading with my daughter about two and a half years ago. I can’t remember what kind of beads we were using but I thought they were similar to earring beads. So I explored a little more and we figured out how to do it together. I’m inspired by what’s around me. Berries are a big inspiration, so are fish and the Northern Lights.”
To shop, inquire for custom orders or more details, please support these artists on their digital platforms linked via the “learn more” button where available.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.