Otter Woman Bowl with Otter Spirit by Teresa White, Yup'ik
Regular price
$900.00
Sale
by Terresa White, Yup'ik
ceramic, pigments
4” high x 12” long x 4.5” wide
This bowl was inspired by the traditional food bowls of the Yup'ik culture of Alaska. Originally made of wood, the bowls were painted on the inside with inherited family designs, and everyone member of the community had a personal eating bowl. Men and older boys ate in the qasgiq (men’s ceremonial house). In the qasgiq, men carved bowls from driftwood pieces they collected during summer. Making new dishes was part of preparing for the Bladder Festival (Nakaciuryaraq) when the souls of seals were symbolically returned to the sea.
Teresa White - Artist Statement
"I am Yup’ik Eskimo and French Canadian. My grandmother’s family name is Clara Konig. Her mother, Helen Akfakorak Konig, was born in the Kuskokwim River region near what is today the Alaskan village of Bethel.