Beaders and skin sewers were among the artists selling handmade traditional and contemporary earrings
Earrings were on full display at two large annual gatherings this fall in Anchorage, Alaska — the Alaska Federation of Natives convention and the First Alaskans Institute’s Elders and Youth conference. The gatherings were held back to back the week of Oct. 12-18 and drew thousands of people from across the state. Attendees discussed a number of topics relevant to Alaska Native people, including arts, languages and cultures — and many were wearing and selling Native earrings.
Attendees like Koyukon Athabascan beader Lisa Krol see earrings as part of her personal style and fashion, and also part of her Native culture. “I have some earrings that I didn’t make that I’ll be wearing throughout the course of AFN,” said Krol, who was selling her own handmade beaded earrings at the Elders and Youth conference, including pairs made of salmon leather and cow leather with traditional beaded edging. She said her most popular items sold were beaded earrings depicting the “Hello Kitty” character. Krol was excited to wear her earrings at the AFN and check out other people’s earrings. “It’s kind of like, it almost feels like a fashion show sometimes over here.”
Alaska Native skin sewers and ivory carvers were among the artists selling their handmade traditional and contemporary creations at booths at both the events. Shaax’Saani, a skin sewer who is Tlingit and owns Indigenous Princess, had booths at each conference. She said she had a large collection of earrings to sell this year, which included pairs with seal skin, mink fur, salmon vertebrae and walrus ivory. Shaax’Saani said each year she enjoys seeing all the different types of earrings people wear to the conferences…