Daily Sitka Sentinel

August 23, 2016, Community Happenings

Yup’ik Wolf Mask Put In

Spotlight at SJ Museum

Sheldon Jackson Museum’s August Artifact of the Month is a Yup’ik wolf mask, collected from St. Michael by Henry Neumann, an agent for the Alaska Commercial Company.

The mask has many features typical of Yup’ik masks, including feathers, moveable parts and pigment, yet its inclusion of gut makes it distinct from the many other Yup’ik animal masks in the museum’s collection.

The mask is made of wood and has a faded blue-grey forehead and stripe down the nose and white on each side of the face. There are brown drip-like stains on each side of the nose and red ochre-colored pigment is painted around the rim of the head and inside the holes for the eyes and the nostrils. Five stripped bird quills extend from each side of the lower muzzle. Four white swan feathers extend in a halo around the top portion of the head. There are stubs of wooden appendages in both eyebrow areas. A piece of gut protrudes from the wolf’s moveable mouth, representing either its tongue or something it is eating, and it has an upper and lower row of wooden pegged teeth.

Masks were not casually worn without respect and honor – they had a purpose. Ann Feinup-Riordan said Yup’ik people traditionally used masks, “calling it agayuliyaraq (way of making prayer) as resolutions to petition God for the things they needed.” The masks were made by people called angalukut and each had a story and dance associated with them.

Masks were made for secular and spiritual purposes. Animal masks were used in the Bladder Festival, honoring souls of the seals killed the previous year, during the Agayuyaraq Festival, a festival to invite animal spirits into the human world where they were made visible through masked dancing, and by people wishing to depict their respective helper spirits.

The August Artifact of the Month will be exhibited until Aug. 31. The museum is home to approximately 120 Yup’ik masks. Many of the masks, along with the August Artifact of the Month, can be seen Tuesday through Saturday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. General admission is $5 and free for those 18 and under or members of either the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum or Friends of the Alaska State Museum. Admission for seniors is $4.

Open Mic Set

Sitka Folk will host an open mic Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Larkspur Cafe.

Sign up is at 6:30 p.m. followed by the 7 p.m. show.

The benefit for Sitka Folk has a suggested donation of $5. Call Ted at 747-5482 for more information.

Film Noir Club

Meets at Library

The Film Noir Club will screen “Raw Deal” at Sitka Public Library 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.

The classic 1948 noir is directed by Anthony Mann and stars Dennis O’Keefe and Claire Trevor.

Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be provided. Call the library at 747-8708 for more information.

BIHA Board Meets

Baranof Island Housing Authority board of commissioners will meet 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at 245 Katlian Street. The public is invited to attend.

Chutney, Salsa

Canning Class Set

Lisa Sadleir-Hart, MPH, RDN, will offer a class in the Preserving the Harvest series focused on canning homemade chutneys and salsas 6-8:30 p.m.  Monday, Aug. 29, at Sitka Kitch  in Latta Hall at the First Presbyterian Church.

The class cost is $27.50 plus a food and supply fee that’s divided among the number of participants. Go to https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com/ to register. Contact sitkakitch@sitkawild.org for more information.

Obedience Classes

For Dogs, Puppies

UAS-Sitka Campus will hold fall puppy kindergarten and beginning dog obedience workshop 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays Sept. 6-Oct. 11 on the UAS campus for dogs of all ages.

Susan Royce and Karen Royce will teach basic good manners and obedience with an emphasis on socialization for puppies. Call 747-6653 for more details or to register.

Apartment Fire

Discussion Set

Residents and neighbors, and those  who were involved or witnessed Friday night’s apartment fire at 409 Spruce Street, are invited to a neighborhood fire event meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Sitka Fire Hall commons area.

The group will discuss the fire report, fire safety in apartment buildings, escape routes how to use a rope ladder if available and tenants’ and landlords’ responsibilities. 

Zumba Tonight

The final zumba class offering with Jan Turner will be 5-6 p.m. tonight at the Hames Center.

Call 747-5080 or visit hamescenter.org to reserve a spot.