LD8: From the Warmth of My Carhartt

In recent news, it seems that Lucy's Dancewill be translated into a Yup'ik language edition by one John Toopetlook of the Alaska Native Language Center. Many thanks to John and the ANLC.

Lucy's Dance deals largely with the suppression and revival of Curukaq, the Yup'ik potlatch/dance festival. In not-so-cheerful news, I have recently learned that native dancing has remained banned in certain bush villages until as recently as a year ago. Many Native Alaskans still feel vaguely guilty for reviving the tradition, as the idea that the dancing is idolatrous has been deeply ingrained. Lucy's Dancetouches only briefly on the religious aspect, but the book's message still feels more relevant in light of this piece of news.

Like last week's drawing, this week's is a gift-gathering montage. I spent some time cross-referencing photos of dogsleds. The sled I drew is not a cutout from any one photo that I found, but rather a composite of different common elements -- the flat front, the angled brace in the back, the twine-wrapped joint and handle. Because I wanted to show part of Lucy's father's structural planning, I decided to sketch dimensions around the sled. The dimension numbers are drawn from a particular "how to" guide. The curves of the sled are created either by making the sled from "green" wood, or via steaming. I imagine that finding the right wood pieces has been difficult for the residents of Stebbins, Alaska, who live on a largely treeless tundra.

This image includes a more contemporary artifact of import: the Carhartt "Duck" work jacket. Carhartts are so ubiquitous among central Alaskans that even had I included the logo, it would hardly count as advertising. Everyone in my hometown of Fairbanks knows about them, so it's really just a matter of deciding, at a young age, whether or not warm, tawny canvas is your style. I wouldn't be surprised if the cold-weather gear one day claims a special lighted glass exhibit in the UAF museum, near the qaspeks and mukluks.

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Design & Execution

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