Linda Infante Lyons, USA

My ancestors from Alaska’s Kodiak Island were both Alutiiq/Sugpiaq and Russian/Estonian. Russia’s colonization and America’s subsequent annexation were devastating for the region’s indigenous people and creatures. Lost and repressed cultural knowledge is slowly being rediscovered. Summers with my grandmother taught me the Alutiiq belief that all things—living and inanimate—possess a soul, are infused with spiritual energy, and are interconnected. I try to reveal this, and represent animals and humans as equals. In the spirit of inclusion and inter-connectivity, I acknowledge the duality of my history: past and present, Native and non-Native. Building upon assimilated Christian symbols and inspired by traditional Alutiiq culture, my work presents a worldview I share with my ancestors.