S2E17: Golga Oscar (Yup'ik Nation)

2022 Artist in Business Leadership Fellows, Golga Oscar (Kasigluk Elders Traditional Council - Yup'ik Nation) weaves a narrative of his personal odyssey back to their Indigenous roots. Through their vivid recounting, we're transported to a world where ancient parka making and beadwork are more than mere crafts; they're lifelines to a heritage persistently navigating the torrents of Westernization. Golga's voice resonates with a passion for the painstaking reclamation of ancestral wisdom, which blossoms into an urgent call for the current and future custodians of Yupiq traditions to preserve the irreplaceable artistry ingrained in their identity.

Chapters

• 0:03 Revitalizing Indigenous Art and Culture
• 8:49 Understanding Third Generation Art

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

I'm currently trying to influence younger generation to create artwork that emphasize on the culture and recreate what was once discontinued. After 2000s, after my grandparent's generation, there were the ones that really held onto the cultural art creating parkas, creating makwa.

Speaker 2: 0:34

First People's Fund presents the Collective Spirit Podcast. The Collective Spirit moves each of us to stand up and make a difference, to pass on ancestral knowledge and simply extend a hand of generosity. The Collective Spirit Podcast features Native artists and culture bearers who discuss the power of indigenous art and culture.

Speaker 1: 1:00

My name is Golva Oscar. I am from the Yupik Nation out here in southwest Alaska, specifically from the Kasegol village, and my father is affiliated with Tanunik, located in Nelson Island. So my exclusive medium is skin sewing, speed work and color work. I mainly focus on the skin sewing, such as creating fancy parkas, slash contemporary parkas. I also incorporate quilt work and beadwork into my work. The way that our parkas are structured, are adorned with beads and geometric designs. Geometric designs are a source of family and other embellishments of the parkas. It's also family history Because in the parka there's out these one embellishments that is placed in the parka to tell the story of what happened during their ancestral times.

Speaker 1: 1:56

My people were assimilated in their early 1900s and to this day that assimilation still continues, although growing up I grew up in a family that was really westernized and also part of indigenous knowledge, indigenous system. So the Yupik Nation really intertwined between indigenous and western system, although it's more westernized because most of the knowledge that was indigenous based was slowly being forgotten and most of the churches took away that knowledge from us because most of the Bibles were translated into Alaska Native language to lure more people in, to be more connected with the western aspect After I first started attending IAA back in 2016, during that first semester, when I observed my friends and people in the community. So from there, that's when I started to focus on my culture identity. And the way that I started to focus on my culture identity is doing my research on the traditional and contemporary knowledge through reading books that the corporation created, our corporation here in Alaska and something that I never effort while growing up, because throughout my childhood, all I was ever taught about was Christianity was about Bible and being part of the American mainstream. Having a chance to conduct my research through these books was a healing journey and I know in the first reason why I wanted to initiate myself my culture identity is because no one in my family is going to initiate it. So who's going to start it? And I thought about am I going to be the only one that's going to pursue this format to keep my identity alive? How can I indigenize the future generations? How can I help those who are going through tough time? That's the whole reason why I'm focusing on my artistry all these text artwork, parka making, beadwork.

Speaker 1: 4:23

I've come a long ways looking back and learning all these aspects of traditional knowledge, those stories, legendary stories, the eupig system. I've got to say that traditional knowledge, traditional art, saved my life from western lifestyle. I'm currently trying to influence every generation to create artwork that emphasize on eupig culture and recreate what was once discontinued. After 2000s, after my grandparents' generation, there were the ones that really held onto the cultural art creating parkas, creating muclucks and then one of the craziest things that I really think of compared to early 2000s, there were over at least 50 mucluck makers in each community and then now it's only at least one to two people per community that makes them, because they don't know the structure of how to make the tools. Those are some examples that I'm trying to pursue.

Speaker 1: 5:36

Oppression through sexism is one of the most common things in many communities around the Uppek Nation, because oceanization has really greatly impacted many people. So for me, I will challenge myself that how can I make my people understand where they come from, of who they are and, most importantly, of who their ancestors are and how their ancestors lived? Back in those days there were no gender, there were no gender roles. Most of the men that didn't have any wife or most of the widowed people were how to take over because there wouldn't be anyone that would take care of them. It was going to fill that position. If you don't have that, if you don't have a park maker, who's going to fill that position if you don't have a provider for the materials? So I'm trying to make my people understand that it was a balance between nature and people. Other challenge that I faced was how can I get a support system? How can I have access to support systems to speak about these topics? How can I hear someone? How can someone, how can I listen to someone that agrees with me and goes further of what I said? Those are some obstacles that I face each day, especially when I'm traveling within the epic nation, although my goal is to indigenize that atmosphere, using indigenous methodologies to inspire that atmosphere, to inspire people to have an open discussion about these topics. So I feel like when I think about that, it opens up a lot of dialogue.

Speaker 1: 7:33

Partake in the grant for this opportunity to see if I would get in.

Speaker 1: 7:39

And the reason why I wanted to get in is because amazing people that are making change, even the ones that are trying to apply, trying to reapply.

Speaker 1: 7:47

I find inspiration in many places, in many spaces and being part of one thing that I really enjoy watching First Peoples Fund is because they take their time to listen to many indigenous voices all over indigenous country and it's inspired me to be out there making change within my community not only within my community but other girl communities as well to advocate for their people. So being part of this opportunity is also making me explore many ideas on how I can very much inspire myself and inspire the future generations to spread awareness of indigeneity, traditional indigenous knowledge instead of Western knowledge. But yeah, those are the things that I really admire about First People Fund. My project proposal is emphasized on expanding my merchandise and new business things. Third generation art the reason why third generation art is because I was born when my grandmother was alive and I'm the third generation of the family. The most important things that we have to do so then we can understand what we want so that we can get the message from nature, starting our healing journey.

Speaker 2: 9:19

The collective spirit podcast is produced by First People's Fund, whose mission is to honor and support indigenous artists and culture bearers through grant making initiatives, culturally rooted programming, and training and mentorship. Learn more at FirstPeople's Fund. Dot o r g.