Finding their own Dance: Reawakening the Alaskan Alutiiq Arts

Introduction:
The Alutiiq people have lived primarily in south central Alaska and Kodiak Island for over 7,500 years. Their culture has been shaped by their environment: rugged coastal mountains, volcanoes, forests, rivers, and especially the sea. Their arts and dances, rich in symbolism and cultural significance, tell their stories.

Having nearly lost their ancient culture through centuries of conquest and exploitation by the Russians and the Americans, the 3,500 Alutiiq natives remaining began a cultural renaissance in the 1980s. Today new art is emerging (mask-carving, drum-making, regalia design, song-writing, and dance choreography) reflecting the symbols and stories of the culture, learned from the teaching and oral history of the tribal elders. In addition to preserving the stories told in the art and dance, the documentary film that this project will create tells a story of rediscovery as Alutiiq dancers and artists explore their heritage through the creative process. They are discovering who they were, are, and are becoming.

Overview of Project:
Through on-location filming of interviews and art-making of Alutiiq leaders, elders, artists, and dancers, Professors Van’t Hof and Prince will create a documentary film based upon key arts and humanities questions; design and manage a project website for film clips, updates, and educational resources; and broadcast, present, and distribute the film.

Key questions include:

1. Historical Context: What are the primary events and stories in the long and rich history of the Alutiit, and how did the cultural re-awakening begin?

2. Creative Process: Who are the key artists? How are they “finding” and creating their art? What is their creative process? What symbols are they using and why? What role does tradition play in their contemporary art? How does their Alutiiq cultural heritage enrich and inform their world today?

3. Generational Interaction: What do the elders consider most important to teach and preserve? How are they teaching the younger generations? What do the adults gain from an understanding of their cultural history? What value do the adults place on passing the cultural history to their children? How does the younger generation feel about their culture? How is their participation in the arts valuable to their identity as contemporary Alutiit? How do they connect their world with their cultural heritage?

Statement of need, meeting the need with this project:
The culture reflected in the arts and dance of the Alutiiq people has been underreported and little known outside of Native American circles. Few written and very few visual resources about the reemerging heritage and arts of the Alutiit are available. The crucial process of cultural reawakening is a story that needs to be told and shown. A documentary film is the most effective and accessible means for telling this story.

Anticipated product:
The product of this project will be a 55-minute film "Finding Their Own Dance: Reawakening the Alaskan Alutiiq Arts". Even though the Alutiiq are a relatively small group, the story of the struggle to recapture their cultural identity is universal. Through this documentary film, the Alutiit will learn about and celebrate their cultural heritage while others will discover the role of the arts as an expression of a native culture.