Published Jan 12, 2024 by https://www.kyuk.org/people/sage-smiley

For Yup’ik artist and educator Qukailnguq Golga Oscar, much inspiration comes from seeing handmade cultural attire making its way through the contemporary world. The mukluks, headdresses, and fancy parkas of Yup’ik people in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, but also the sewing, blankets, quillwork, and elaborate beading of Indigenous tribes downstates like the Lakota, Diné (Navajo), and Menominee peoples.

“I spotted this fancy parka that was being worn over at AC [grocery store], and I was just inspired by her wear,” Oscar said. “And I came up to her like, ‘Camiungua tauna atkuk?’ and she told me. Attire in general really inspires me when it's being worn within Western spaces or in the community.”

Oscar hails from Akulmiut and Qaluyaat, and has been hired as the new Native Arts coordinator at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Kuskokwim Campus (KuC) in Bethel.

He brings a perspective shaped by his own art and teaching experience. Oscar said that when considering the new role he asks himself, “How can I Indigenize Western spaces, especially within Western systems such as higher education? Decolonizing in Western spaces by sharing stories, these quliraat, qanemcit that has to do with parkas or mukluks, or the aspects of Yup’ik creativity.”

In his new role, Oscar will primarily plan and lead workshops to help the campus and community learn and explore Native art media.