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Ilanka Native
Artists Consortium

Featured Artist

Featured artist

Darlene Nichols

Our featured artist is Darlene Nichols. Darlene grew up watching her mother and aunts sew, bead, and weave. She learned these traditional arts sitting at their sides. Darlene says,

"These skills are important to me because fewer and fewer people are learning them now. I want to pass them on to my children, and to other people who want to learn."

Darlene teaches traditional Alaska Native arts classes at the Ilanka Cultural Center. Click here to view Darlene's beautiful work at our online store.

Raven & the King Salmon

as told by Old Man Dude

He walk again. He see a king salmon close to the shallow water. He tell that salmon, "Come ashore, that man talking bad." The salmon came to shore. Crow says, "Wait a minute." He wanted a small stick to club the salmon he couldn't find it. Salmon went in water again. Next time he killed the salmon when he came ashore.

Raven Robs His Partners

as told by Old Man Dude

Crow had two partners, a bluejay and some other kind of bird. He made a fire in the beach and made a hole. He put the salmon in the hole and put fire on top to bake it, Crow told his partner, "Go look for dry wood. It don't look cooked yet." Crow dug it up when his partner went away. He ate the whole thing. Crow put the fire back on the hole. Partner came back and found him and sat down alongside the fire. They asked, "Fish baked yet? No!" Crow, he walked again.

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