Alutiiq Fish Skin Traditions: Connecting Communities in the COVID-19 Era

The Alutiiq, Indigenous inhabitants of the coastal regions Southwest Alaska, created garments made from fish skins, especially salmon, expertly sewn by women Kodiak Island. Traditionally, Alutiiq education focused on acquiring survival skills: how to navigate seas in all weathers, hunting, fishing and tanning animal skins. Today, many people continue provide for their families through subsistence fishing, honouring ocean navigating difficult times listening collective wisdom. This paper describes series skin workshops taught June Pardue, an Inupiaq artist Island that connected participants Alaska Native communities during COVID-19 isolation months. Through online platform, passed expert knowledge endangered Arctic craft, assisting coping with pandemic crisis tapping into natural world, cultural resourcefulness, storytelling abilities creative skills. Brought digital age, strengthened connections among Alaskan craftspeople while establishing new expanded network fashion designers, museum curators, conservators tanners. Finally, highlights practices address United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding poverty, health well-being, gender equality, clean water sanitation, decent work economic growth, social inequality, responsible consumption production, climate change maritime issues.