A Herd of Caribou

A herd of caribou, as seen from a distance.  Bits of snow cling to the sparse foliage in the foreground.

"George Aden Ahgupuk (1911-2001) whose Native name was Twok meaning "man" was born in the Inpuiat Native village of Sishmaref, Alaska, located in the Bering Sea approximately 90 nautical miles east of Russia.

During a period of convalescence, George drew scenes of village life.  These drawings were acquired, giving him the courage to pursue making artwork for a living.  Initially he worked on seal skin, followed by caribou and reindeer hides. His scenes of seal and walrus hunting, polar bear hunting, whale hunting included Alaskan scenery.

During the fishing season, he worked as a commercial fisherman.  During the winter he would draw, producing artworks to sell to the tourists.  

In 1937 George's artwork was featured in an article published by the artist, Mr. Rockwell Kent in the New York Times.  Mr. Kent had urged George to illustrate Christmas cards. Later George illustrated three publications including a book entitled Alaskan Igloo Tales by Edward L. Keithahan, The Last Frontier, a short history of Alaska by Ben Adams and I am Eskimo, Aknik My Name by Paul Green and Abbe Abbott.

Mr. Ahgupuk's artworks are included in the following public collections: The National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.; The California Academy of Sciences; the Alaska State Museum at Juneau; the Seattle Museum of History and Industry; The Indian Arts and Crafts Board, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.; The Riverside Municipal Museum of California."  taken from the website www.ahgupuk.com