Reindeer Queen
The woman I picked from my amazing
owl hat was Mary Antisarlook, born Changunak, or the Reindeer Queen. She was
born in St. Michael, Alaska, in either 1870. Her mother was an Eskimo and her
father was a Russian trader living in Alaska. Because of this, she could speak
three languages: her mother’s native Inupiaq,
her father’s native Russian, and English. In 1889, she married Charlie Antisarlook
and moved to Cape Nome, Alaska. There, she and her husband worked as
translators for a US vessel used to transport reindeer from Siberia to Alaska.
Eventually, Mary and her husband were given their own small herd of reindeer.
They were some of the first Natives to have their own herd.
Their herd thrived and grew to
large numbers. In 1900, Charlie died. As both a Native and a woman, Mary should
not have been able to keep any of her husband’s property, including their
reindeer herd. She fought hard and won the right to half of the herd. Over the years, the herd grew stronger and
Mary herself grew rich through her herd. In 1902, she remarried and began
training other Inupiaq men as herders.
She never had any children of her own, but adopted several, who all grew
up to take care of their own herds.
Mary was a strong and independent
woman, and was a key contributor to the reintroduction of reindeer into Alaska.
With her love and dedication to the reindeer, she rightly received the nickname
Reindeer Queen. Mary passed away in 1948, leaving behind numerous children and
grandchildren to carry on the tradition of reindeer herding.
Research on Inuit Art
The Inuit art is based around their
way of life, with focus on traditional myths and beliefs, and the animals of
the artic. Their art reveals more about their life: the pursuit of food, their
closeness to nature and animals, and the every day tasks they consider simple.
The artworks I found were brightly
colored, with patterns within the different colors. I was really interested in the colors and
patterns incorporated into the art, as well as the constant association with
nature. I want to use collage for this project, going back in with colored
pencil or marker to give the paper the patterns found in Inuit art.
Sketch
Color Study
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