Unangax̂ grass baskets are some of the tightest and finest woven baskets in the world, with hundreds of stitches per square inch. Sea otter fur shares a similar quality, with thousands of hairs per square inch, making this a significant animal kin for Unangax̂ and our survival in Unangam Tanangin homelands. The juxtaposition of sea otter fur and woven Unangax̂ basketry speaks to the interrelated nature of Arctic ecosystems. Unlike institutionalized and colonial ways of knowing, in Arctic Indigenous epistemologies, Humans are a needed part of the environment. Unangax̂ Peoples are one with the ecosystem and we play a significant role in it.
The hand-woven grass basket bottoms alongside the naturally occurring dense sea otter fur bring this relationship to the fore. As a collage, the piece investigates current “co-management” and “co-production” models of governance that seek mere inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems rather than paradigmatic shifts in power. My work is a call for epistemic justice of the Arctic Indigenous Knowledge systems that are processual and anti-capitalist in nature. From the Protocols and values that guide Unangax̂ harvests–of sea otter kin or beach rye grass–these exchanges are characterized by reciprocal, sustainable stewardship practices that have endured since time immemorial. These are the very Protocols and values that should be at the center of combating the ongoing climate disaster, precariously experienced by Indigenous Peoples in and of the Arctic.
This collage incorporates Unangam Tunuu [Unangax̂ Language] with woven Unangax̂ grass basketry bottoms made from raffia [unfinished pieces] overlayed on top of pieces of stitched sea otter fur. The collage honors the process of weaving grass baskets and skin sewing, focusing instead on process over finished product.