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Image of a Yup'ik Eskimo Story Mask titled: Inner Strength - The Ptarmigan Who Got Away

Image of the upper portion of the Yup'ik Eskimo Story Mask Inner Strength - The Ptarmigan Who Got Away

Image depicting an appendage of the Yup'ik Story Mask: Inner Strength - The Ptarmigan Who Got Away

My father taught me to respect the animals we harvest, because it is they who give themselves to us for our wellbeing. At one time in history facial lip piercings, or labrets, of the coastal Yup’ik Eskimo was a sign of ‘the right of passage’ from a boy to manhood. I gave this Ptarmigan soapstone labrets in honor of the strength shown that cold winter afternoon on the open tundra. Soapstone carries a beauty that speaks toward the elegance of this small bird.
The labrets are fashioned to the mask using brass shell casings. These casings are similar to birdshot I had used that day. If you look closely, you will see the mark left by the firing pin of my rimfire rifle on each shell. The rifle used to make these marks is the same rifle I used that fateful day some 30 years ago; I did this to bring an element of personal history in the form of physical markings to my artwork, as though Ptarmigan found them on the tundra afterwards to use as a remembrance of our encounter.

Image depicts the full frontal view of the Yup'ik Eskimo Story Mask titled: Inner Strength - The Ptarmigan Who Got Away

Image depicting the back of a Yup'ik Eskimo Story Mask titled: Inner Strength - The Ptarmigan Who Got Away

Image depicts the Yup'ik Mask 'Peace Within' created by Contemporary Alaskan Artist David John Angaiak. Wooden Human effigy with a wooden hoop, spirit hand appendages, and feathers. Main colors are red-brown, tan, white, and black.

Image of a Yupik stylized 'spirit hand' used in mask making and story telling. Created by Contemporary Alaskan Artist David John Angaiak. Main colors are red-brown, tan, white, and black.

Image of stylized Yup'ik Eskimo 'Spirit Hand' attached using synthetic sinew. Created by Contemporary Artist David John Angaiak. Main colors are red-brown, tan, white, and black.

This image depicts a Yupik Eskimo Story Mask hoop symbolizing the heavens. Created by Contemporary Alaskan Artist David John Angaiak. Main colors are red-brown, tan, white, and black.

Image depicts an upward view of the Yup'ik Mask 'Peace Within' created by Contemporary Alaskan Artist David John Angaiak. Main colors are red-brown, tan, white, and black.

This image depicts a bottom side view of the Yup'ik Story Mask 'Peace Within', created by Contemporary Alaskan Artist David John Angaiak. Main colors are red-brown, tan, and White and black.

Image showing the backside of the mask 'Peace Within'. Showcasing the 'bite' used to pick up the mask, rather than head straps. This is a traditional method of mask making used by the Yup'ik peoples of Alaska. Created by Contemporary Alaskan Artist David John Angaiak. Main colors are red-brown, tan, white, and black.

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Preserving Culture Through Art

David John Angaiak | ANGAIAK FINE ART
Wasilla, Alaska

Yupik Eskimo Artwork | Yupik Eskimo-Kunstwerk | Юпик эскимосское произведение искусства | 유픽 에스키모 작품 | Oeuvre d'esquimau Yupik

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