Anuska Cingliaq Nanalook Oct. 24, 1932 – Jan. 13, 2023

Anuska Cingliaq Nanalook, 90, passed peacefully surrounded by family on Friday, January 13, 2023. She was born around October 24, 1932, in Togiak to Cuyiiq and Angilan as the youngest of seven. She moved to Manokotak (Manuquutaq) when she married her husband, John (Naunerrluk) Quserta Nanalook. Together they raised eight kids.

Anuska lived a full life raising her family, working for 46 years as a commercial set netter in Igushik (using muscle power before the use of machines), living a subsistence way of life snaring ptarmigan, squirrel hunting, ice fishing (traveling by dogsled), and netting many salmon every year for family and friends and for her husband’s dog team.

She picked berries for personal use and sold some to help pay for heating oil, food, clothes, and other needs. She was a seamstress and made pretty dresses for little girls, sewed underwear made from flour sacks or flannel for old women, as well as Eskimo Parkas and pretty qaspernek. She wove many beautiful baskets, skin sewed yo-yo’s, squirrel parka’s, kameksagnek, replaced worn out soles of children’s kameksait in her earlier years, knitted socks, and crocheted pillow covers.

Mom learned to read the Yup’ik Bible, to write in Yup’ik, and to sing with the help of the early Moravian ministers. She attended Adult Basic Education taught by her friend Mrs. Alice Chaney and daughter, Sassa Peterson for couple winters. She learned to read and sound off English words, sign her name, and to add and subtract basic math. Although she spoke Yup’ik and read both old and new Yup’ik writing systems, her use of English was very limited.

Mom was well known for her crystal-clear soprano voice she used for praising God in Church and made many cassette recordings with her friends. She worked for the Manuquutaq Moravian Church as a Trustee, Cleaner, Women’s Fellowship leader, and Church Elder.

Mom was truly a Yup’ik culture bearer and was involved with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, for many years recording Yup’ik stories, and teaching Math in Cultural context. She was also involved with the Indian Education at the Manuquutaq school teaching basket weaving and skin sewing.

Cingliaq was loving and kind and set an example of living a prayerful, Christian life, always praying and would pray for everybody and everything. She always had food to offer for people that came into her house. As expressed by her grandkids, she always greeted them by saying, “Neri!”, which means “Eat!”

Mom was preceded in death by her husband Johnny, sons Moses, Jimmy, Pavela Apalayak, infant son George, son-in-law Leslie, grandsons Jeffrey, Darrin, great grandson Gabriel, and sisters Annie, Bessie, and Mary and, by her parents, brothers, extended family, and many dear friends.

Anuska is survived by her daughters, Sassa (Steve) Peterson, Carrie (Bill) Paton, Sarah Catalone, and Rhona (Henry) Shavings, sons, Peter (Audrey) Nanalook, and Ray (Sarah) Nanalook, daughters-in-law, Pat (Moses) Nanalook, and Tootsie (Jimmy) Nanalook. She also leaves thirty-eight (plus) grandchildren and forty-four (plus) great grandchildren, whom she dearly loved and had special names for each one. Mom also leaves many relatives, nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, grand-nieces, and friends, whom she dearly loved and was loved in return.

The family would like to thank those many who helped make mom’s life easier and more joyful over the last few declining years of her life. Quyana cakneq!