Alutiiq Storytelling - Stories in Art

 

 

Stories in Art is an educational outreach program based on the traditional Alutiiq       practice of preserving history with tales and drawings. From family stories to historic legends and myths, the Alutiiq people used graphics to create a physical record of important events and help storytellers remember and share the past. Drawings were one method of keeping cultural       information alive over generations.

To share the connection between art and Alutiiq history, and to promote artistic expression, the Alutiiq museum hosted five workshops for Kodiak youth - one each for preschoolers (age 4 to 6), elementary students (age 7 to 12), and junior and senior high school students (age 13 to 18), and two in Bonnie Dillard's art classes at Kodiak High School during the summer & fall of 2004. Participants in each workshop were given a packet with colored pencils, a sketchpad, a       two-sided educational handout on Alutiiq drawing, and copies of published Alutiiq stories to read at home. The students then listened to Alutiiq storyteller Sperry Ash and Alutiiq Museum staff and worked with a graphic artist to capture elements of one story in a drawing.       

 

THE ARTIST
Sperry Ash, known as Gguitka in Alutiiq, is an Alutiiq gentleman from the Kenai Peninsula village of Nanwalek. He is a talented, energetic storyteller and tradition       bearer. He was selected to participate in this program because of his knowledge of Alutiiq traditions and his successful participation in previous heritage programs. Mr. Ash has shared Alutiiq stories and songs internationally, at such festivals as AFN, the Festival       of Alaska Natives, and the opening of an exhibit on Alutiiq culture       at the Chateau Musee in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

THE STORY
The following story is presented as       told by Sperry Ash. The accompanying art was provided by students       of Bonnie Dillard at Kodiak High School.

   

The White       Squirrel

There was one man. He       was a good hunter. He could get all animals easily. He had no problem       getting these animals. He could catch bears; he could catch seal.       It was no problem for him to catch fish - that was easy! His wife       would make fish soup, and this family ate really well. Another animal       he was really good at hunting was the little squirrel. It was easy       for him.

 

One day, during the fall       time, he went out to go hunt, he went to go get the squirrels in his       traps. He go to where he left traps, and get that animal, put it in       his bag and he'd walk around to his next trap. At one trap he came       on he saw a squirrel, but it was white! "How come? Wow! This is neat!       I'm going to take this home," he said. He was so proud, and thought,       "Maybe I'll have a nice hat. It will be the only white hat in the       village. Everyone else has brown hats, but mine will be white!" So       he put the squirrel in his bag, and he started to walk back home.       

 

While he was walking       home, there was something moving in his bag! And he looked down and       wondered, "What's happening?" And that squirrel poked his head out       from the bag, and it jumped out and ran away! "I can't let it go away       from me," he thought, so he ran for that squirrel. He didn't want       it to run away. But that little squirrel went into his little home       in the ground. You know what that man did? He jumped in the hole also!       That man went into the ground!

 

When his eyes had adjusted       to the darkness, he saw that he had gotten into the hole, he was inside       the squirrel's house and there were lots of squirrels sitting in a       circle with a fire in the middle. They were in a house! This is not       an animal's house, this is like people's houses.

That white squirrel was       there and he was out of breath, cause he had run away. When he was       able to speak he said, "That man over at the doorway, he saved my       life! If he didn't take me from the trap, I would still be there,       and I would die. But he saved me!" The man stayed quiet. The white       squirrel told the other squirrels," That man saved me, we should be       thankful to him. What should we do?"

 

The white squirrel was       the chief of the group, so they thought about it, and that said, "Well,       it is fall time and we saved all of this food during the summer. We       have lots of food. Would you eat with us? That's how we'll pay you       because we are so grateful. Thank you for taking him and saving our       chief, our leader." He said, "Yeah, sure!" He saw that food and got       excited and then they said, "You'll send one night with us, too! But       let's eat first." So they ate and ate and ate, and when everyone was       full, they said, "Let's go to bed. In the middle of the night we have       to wake you up and turn you on the other side." "Okay," he replied.       So they went to bed and in the middle of the night they turned him       on the other side, and he went back to sleep saying, "Okay, thank       you."

 

Then when he woke up       in the morning, he looked around and saw that nobody was in the house!       "What happened," he said, "Where is everybody? All the squirrels left!       Well, I'm going home. I'm just going to go home." So he got up, left       the house, and came up out of the ground and said, "This is different!       When I went into the house, things were dying and it was fall time,       almost winter! But now, it looks like it's almost summer! The flowers       are trying to come up. The berries are trying to grow. And it's warmer       - it's not so cold anymore! What happened?" He thought for a moment       and said, "Ah, I'm going home!"

 

He started to walk on       the beach and he saw two men in their kayaks. They were out in the       water and he yelled, "Hey you guys, come and get me! Take me       back to home!" And those guys in the boat, they heard something and       one said "Someone's calling us from somewhere. What is it?" That tried       to listen harder. "Hey, come get me, the hunter said, "I'm over here       I'm on the beach!" One of the men in the kayak said, "Do you hear       that? It sounds like squirrels, not a man. It sounds like an animal.       Where is it? We'll shoot it! We'll get it and take it home. Oh, it's       on the beach! Not over there, here. Oh, forget it, I'll get is myself."       So he shot an arrow at that squirrel.

The hunter said, "No!       Don't get me!" But when he put his hands up, he saw fur on them. He       saw nails, just like an animal. His hands were different! "What happened?       What happened!" he yelled. He saw that the men in the kayak were trying       to get him, so he ran away. As he ran, he realized that he had turned       into a squirrel. What that man didn't understand is that when he spent       one night with the squirrels, he spent all winter sleeping. So, that       is how that man turned into squirrel. Can you see a man turning into       a squirrel? They say it happened!

 

This       project was made possible by support from the Alaska State Council       on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Museum staff       would also like to acknowledge the support of the Kodiak Island Borough       School District in help to make this project a success. To all of       them them we say Quyanaasina - Thank you very much!