Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez learned how to bead as a child but picked up the craft again about a dozen years ago and has made museum-quality items.
This Barbie, wearing a pink kuspuk (in Yup'ik qaspeq and in Koyukon Athabascan, the word is bets'egh hoolaanee), will be part of a fish camp Barbie display, one of several Angela has made in recent years.
The garment that Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez beaded for her daughter Ermelina's college graduation. It has elements of beadwork that honors both of Angela's grandmothers.
Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez sits at her kitchen window, beading what will be a doll-sized salmon that will be the center of another "Fish Camp Barbie" display, one of several she has made in recent years.
Barbie herself stands to Angela's left at a small table wearing a pink kuspuk (the Yup'ik spelling is qaspeq and in Athabascan, the word is bets'egh hoolaanee). She sports a crown beaded with "B." When the display is finished, this Barbie, chosen for her caramel skin tone, will be posed fileting salmon with an ulu knife, which in Koyukon Athabascan (Denaakk'e) is tłaabaas. The salmon on the table is made of real salmon skin, beaded to glimmer as a real salmon does.
The fish camp Barbie scenes are not just a creative outlet.
"It helps tell a story," Angela said. "It touches people, it makes them feel proud of who they are when they see it."
Honoring her ancestors
Angela, who is Koyukon Athabascan from Husila, grew up around the state. Fish camp with her family, when they would spend weeks in the summer fishing along the Koyukuk River, meant time learning about traditional crafts and activities. It was there that her grandmother would help entertain the children by making them toys while the grownups worked on stocking up on fish for the winter.
Both of Angela's grandmothers were talented beadworkers, making items that were used and loved. About a dozen years ago, Angela got serious about beading, though she had learned the basics as a child. She and a friend asked other friends and relatives for guidance, and they consulted some online resources. Soon, they were gaining confidence and making more elaborate projects. This included using native plants and items for the beadwork, such as silverberries, hard seeds that can be drilled with a hole.
Passing on the craft
Angela's two daughters have also been involved in beadwork projects, and the beneficiaries of such efforts. Youngest daughter Ermelina K'ete ts'aayedaalno Gonzalez graduated last May from the University of Alaska Anchorage wearing a gown custom-beaded by her mother.
Ermelina can remember when her mother really picked up beading again. She made several pairs of slippers for family members. Ermelina is a beadworker herself, learning from her grandmothers, mother and aunties, and, of course, from TikTok.
She's especially fond of the Barbie displays she has created with her mother.
"Small things are very cute and different. I really like collecting those types of items," Ermelina said. "Some of the Barbies have gone to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. A lot of I would say I'm happy to share Athabascan culture. They do accurately reflect my memories of fish camp when I was growing up."
A full life
Angela is a strategic communications professional by trade. She works as the communications manager at Chugachmiut, a nonprofit that serves the seven Native tribes in the Chugach Region. Most of her professional experience has been at other Alaska Native entities, such as First Alaskans and KNBA, the Native-owned and operated public radio station in Anchorage.
"It's important to have the Native perspective and guidance." She sees her professional life dovetailing with her personal creativity. "It's a way of helping organizations tell their story, especially for nonprofits," Angela said.
She also is finishing up a master's program in strategic communication at Washington State University, a program she has been able to do online. While there, she solidified her graphic design skills and created a logo for her beadwork, though she says modestly, "It's not a real company." Koyukon Bead & Bloom, the name she gave her beading entity, did have a popup sale a couple of years ago, and it featured the campaign materials with the new logo and design elements that mimicked beadwork lines.
Another creative project is a blog she keeps called Athabascan Woman. It features information and photos about Athabascan culture and Alaska Native topics.
How does she manage to thrive professionally, find time to make museum-quality beadwork projects, pursue a master's degree, write in her spare time, and be a mother and wife?
Alaska Native people are in the rhythm of preparing for the next season, she said as she continued to bead the small salmon skin in front of her. "It seems like it's all work, but it doesn't feel like it's all work. This is part of what we do."
