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Messenger Spirits: Yup'ik Masks and Stories (Paperback)
$18.95
On Our Shelves Now
Description
Messenger Spirits is a collection of inspired stories, mask descriptions and poems depicting the legends and tales told by the Yup ik people of southwestern Alaska, the tundra villages of the Akula, the land between the Kuskokwim River and the eastern Bering Sea Coast. Nicholas and Maria Charles share their art and craft of spirit masks and dolls with these stories and provide a rich history and culture of the people that lived ages ago in this area. Stories were passed on to the Charles family when the children gathered together with their parents and grandparents. This is Alaska Native Literature - Alaskana in the form of Yup'ik narrative for people interested in Native American Culture of Alaska. It is a phenomenal and mystical narrative on the lifeways, culture and legendary history of the Yup'ik people. Messenger Spirits weaves both art and literature from the artists own family history and culture. Enjoy reading these tales and legends and go back into another time and place in the memories and recollections of Nicholas and his family.
About the Author
Nicholas Charles is the author of the book Messenger Spirits. Nicholas and Maria come from Bethel and Kotlik, Alaska and were taught to create the spirit masks and dolls unique to the Central Yup ik of the Yukon Kuskokwim delta region of southwestern Alaska. Nicholas is currently a Community Development Coordinator and President of a rural electric cooperative. His wife Maria is a Certified Nurse Assistant and works with seniors and Yup ik elders in assisted living environments. She is often engaged in Yup ik dance performances with their children and grandchildren at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage and other local venues. Nicholas and Maria currently reside in Wasilla, Alaska in the MatSu Valley with their family.
