Juneau man’s vintage photos could help preserve King Island culture

Paul Tiulana, a King Island man, successful nan early 1950s. (Photo by Juan Muñoz Sr.)

Yaayuk Bernadette Alvanna-Stimpfle was calved to a King Island family successful 1955. She wasn’t raised connected nan Bering Sea island, but her family kept it arsenic adjacent arsenic they could successful her upbringing.

“My procreation were nan first ones to beryllium raised distant from nan island, but we were still raised connected nan eastbound extremity of Nome,” she said. “They still said to america successful nan language.”

In 1959, nan Bureau of Indian Affairs closed nan school on King Island and made nan children move to Nome. By 1970, each King Island group were surviving successful Nome year-round. 

But earlier each of that, 1 visitant to nan island, a Juneau man, took hundreds of photos of nan group and their measurement of life. A fewer of those photos appeared successful National Geographic successful 1954. Then successful 2005, much were published successful a book. 

Yaayuk says King Island elders would usage those photos to thatch her astir her community.

Raphael and Paul Sebwanna, Patrick Asuna, and Michael Salamana successful nan early 1950s disconnected King Island. (Photo by Juan Muñoz)

“They would show maine who nan names of nan group were connected that island,” she said. “They would explicate things to me. They would usage nan pictures.”

A Juneau mates connected King Island

Late past period successful nan Rie Muñoz Gallery successful Juneau, Juan Muñoz Jr. pointed to a photograph precocious connected nan wall.

“This is 1 of my favourite photos — present is an tremendous crystal cave that they had connected King Island,” he said. 

 A man successful a fur parka appears mini successful nan bottommost halfway of nan photo, framed by towering walls of ice.

“They’d get seal and walrus, and past they would support each their nutrient successful different sections, and different families would person their stash of nutrient and blubber rooms,” Juan Jr. said. “If 1 family didn’t person very much, of people they’d stock it.” 

Juan is nan boy of Rie Muñoz, an creator who painted watercolors of life crossed Alaska for complete 60 years. Soon aft Rie first came to Juneau successful nan early 1950s, she took a occupation arsenic a Bureau of Indian Affairs coach connected King Island.

Her husband, Juan Muñoz Sr., came pinch her. And he brought a camera — a Hasselblad.

King Island residents successful nan early 1950s. (Photo taken by Juan Muñoz Sr.)

“He took hundreds of these marvelous photos of mundane life connected King Island,” Juan Jr. said.

Not agelong aft nan Muñozes returned to Juneau, nan BIA closed nan school.

“Then respective years later, nan full colony moved to Nome,” Juan Jr. said. “And truthful they sewage to spot nan past spot of this civilization and grounds it — civilization that had been successful beingness for tens of thousands of years.”

Rie Muñoz signaling a level onto Ukivok’s runway connected King Island successful nan early 1950s. (Photo by Juan Muñoz Sr.)

‘A surviving clip capsule’

Juan Jr. had thought that each of his father’s King Island photos were successful that 1954 rumor of National Geographic. 

“But erstwhile my dada passed distant successful 2005, I went to cleanable retired his locker, and I recovered this suitcase afloat of hundreds of negatives,” he said. 

Rie and Juan Jr. past made a book called King Island Journal, which included much of nan photographs on pinch letters nan mates had sent to their families while they were surviving there. 

Juan Jr. has since digitized each nan photos pinch nan thief of Jerrick Hope-Lang, his longtime friend and a taste preservationist. 

“It’s a surviving clip capsule. And these group are still around, you know. There’s group that are connected to these that are still coming pinch us,” Hope-Lang said.

Rie Muñoz connected King Island successful nan 1950s. (Photo by Juan Muñoz Sr.)

This year, they donated nan prints, negatives and integer copies to nan Katirvik Cultural Center successful Nome. Juan Jr. says his mother, who died successful 2015, would beryllium gladsome these memories of her clip connected nan land tin beryllium returned to nan descendants of nan group who lived there.

“It was conscionable a awesome acquisition for my mom,” Muñoz said astir nan twelvemonth his parents lived connected King Island. “And she said she was fresh to spell backmost location again nan pursuing year.”

Hope-Lang says he thinks nan photos are an opportunity to look backmost astatine what happened to King Island and nan group who were made to leave. 

Yaayuk is an Inupiaq connection clever clever now. She says immoderate of nan images show traditions that aren’t wide practiced anymore — for illustration making statement retired of rawhide, aliases sewing sealskin pants — and those photographs could beryllium particularly valuable. 

She besides hopes nan photos whitethorn thief King Island elders retrieve immoderate parts of their connection that havenʼt been successful usage since her group were forced to move to Nome, because immoderate words only pertained to nan island. 

“Our connection is based connected nan environment,” she said. “So of course, immoderate of nan words weren’t utilized connected nan mainland for illustration they were connected King Island, wherever it was steep.”