Influences

Fisheries Research

I have always had an interest in Alaska's Fisheries research and management. As a young adult I spent thirteen of my summers in remote research field camps with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a Fish and Wildlife Technician and Fisheries Biologist. I worked with the divisions of sport and commercial fisheries. The remote field camps in which I have worked include: Afognak Lake, Aleknagik Lake, Delight Lake, Frazer Lake, Orzinski Lake, Saltery Lake, and Spiridon Lake. I spent most of my time operating and maintaining fish ladders, floating and picket escapement weirs, and smolt outmigration traps. I performed census of returning salmonids, sampled spawner escapement sex and age composition, and drafted fisheries management reports.

Wildlife Research

I possess a Masters of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. MS research concerned the study of invasive lice on Alaskan wolves. As part of my M.S research I directly worked with ADF&G veterinarian and wildlife biologist in disease surveillance and population estimation of Alaska's wolves.

Ancestral Complications

My maternal ancestry is Salish, Kootenai, and Cree from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. However, my maternal grandparents traveled to Alaska and became one of the founding pioneers North Pole, Alaska. As American Indian pioneers of Alaska, my mother enrolled our family in the Ketchikan Indian Community which is a federally recognized tribe representing the diverse indigenous citizens of Revillagigedo Island from many Alaskan, Canadian, and American tribal nations.

Thus, I am a member of a federally recognized Native Tribe in Alaska. But, I am American Indian not Alaska Native. The majority of Ketchikan Indian Community tribal citizens are descendants of Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and Aleut. As such much of my Alaska Native Artwork that I create is directly inspired by my tribe's diverse cultural heritage that I am not genetically related to.

Fish and Wildlife Enforcement

Both my grandfather and father served as Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers in the state of Alaska. Together my father and grandfather served since statehood to 2003. My grandfather's and father's stories and first hand involvement in the management and regulatory history of Alaska's fish and wildlife resources greatly inspired much of my academic and artistic research.

While at times my father's stories are chaotically hilarious, others are somber reminders of the Alaska's colonial history. Neither of them ever understate the hardships undertaken by many Alaskan Natives or the lack of understanding concerning Alaska's fish and wildlife populations. From the duck wars of the 1960s to the 1990s rural divide on subsistence priority; my paternal family has documented this unique perspective of Alaska's history.

My current artistic work is directly inspired by my paternal perspective on Alaska's unique fish and wildlife management and regulatory history. As I am completing my MFA with a emphasis in Native Arts, I have spent hours over Russian tea with my father discussing the numerous permitting processes for the commercial sale of Alaska Native Art that utilizes natural resources harvested in Alaska.

Art Materials & Regulations

Alaska Native art utilizes a diverse range of natural materials across Alaska. The harvest and use of these traditional materials is not only a vital component of cultural practices, but also an important economic revenue source for both urban and rural native artists.

Yet it is important to note that multiple natural resource agencies manage the harvest, handling, manufacture, transportation, and sale of native art materials and finished Alaska Native artwork. It is the responsibility of Alaska Native artists to navigate this complicated mosaic of regulatory authority.

This ambiguous labyrinth of native art material regulation is constantly changing and adapting to new federal and state laws, treaties, and court rules. This has led many Alaska Native artists to adapt to unrestricted commercial materials or become adept in navigating the ambiguous waters of federal and state regulations within the dual natural resource management of Alaska.

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