C00_1483_305r_1500180007r

 

Line of men

Notes on content:

Elizabeth Hutchinson (instructor):  The tunics worn by these men resemble those worn by the indigenous people of Eastern Siberia, illustrated by this object in the Smithsonian collection:

Eastern Siberian Tunic made of tanned reindeer hide with dyed leather and wool embellishments, National Museum of the American Indian 24958

Eastern Siberian Tunic made of tanned reindeer hide with dyed leather and wool embellishments, National Museum of the American Indian 24958 (source:http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=311)

Eastern Siberian Natives were brought to the Kingigan area by the federal government to share their reindeer herding expertise with Inupiat apprentice herders.  Many of the hats worn by the men in this drawing are decorated with small animals that might be reindeer and the objects in the mens’ hands (possibly knives in engraved ivory sheaths) have similar decorations.

The indigenous peoples on the west coast of the Bering Sea have historical and cultural ties to the Inupiat and these herders may have participated in the Messenger Feast.

 

Notes on form/style:

On the verso: