The Alaska State Museum offered a presentation by Yup’ik Artist Aassanaaq Kairaiuak about a rare traditional maritime artifact, a whaling suit, preserved in the museum’s collection for over a hundred years on May 15th, 2025 at the APK Lecture Hall. Museum galleries were open to allow firsthand viewing of the artifact prior to the talk.
The large, full-length suit is made of thick seal skin, designed to encase a person completely from head to toe. A drawstring around the face, and considerable size in the neck area, would allow the wearer to step in at the shoulders, pull on the heavy garment, and then tie the drawstring tightly around the face. Kairaiuak offered insights on this remarkable, historic piece. He describes the unique nature of this object:
“The whaling suit is one of them where knowledge and tradition was passed on for generations for the very survival of people in place and time.”
There are so few of this type of full-body sealskin suits in existence that knowledge about their use and significance is scant. It is thought that there are only two in Alaska. The most famous example is from Greenland and was recently displayed in an exhibit at the British Museum (Arctic: Climate and Culture, October 2020-February 2021).
That suit was likewise made well over 100 years ago, actually closer to 200 years ago, and is now preserved at the National Museum of Denmark. The other Alaskan example features polar bear fur trim on the sleeves and documentation indicates it was collected near Utqiagviq. It’s on display at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka.
Kairaiuak holds an art degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and further taught himself “by engaging with other Yup’ik who were kind enough to share knowledge about the Old Yup’ik Culture.” He continues to learn from his fellow Yupiit and other Tribes to this very day.
Kairaiuak – who often goes by ‘Ossie’ – carves ivory, makes masks and drums, composes traditional songs for people, and has written short plays and accompanying scores. He is the founder and drum leader of the Yup’ik dance group Acilquq. Ossie is also a founding member of the internationally known Alaska Native tribal funk and R&B group Pamyua.
Support for this presentation is provided by the Alaska Maritime Heritage Preservation Program, an innovative new program coordinated by the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology and the Alaska State Museum, supporting projects statewide with federal funding provided by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), using the proceeds from the scrapping of outdated maritime vessels.
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