MadisonAuten

Prof.Katsanos
LBST2102
6,April2016

ReligionandMythsAmongtheYupik

IamdoingmyresearchonanindigenousgroupthatisnativetoAlaska,andisknownby
thename,Yupik.Withinmypaper,Iwillbecoveringbackgroundinformationonthe
indigenousYup'ikpeople,theirreligiousbeliefsandtypesofritualsthattheyperform.

BackgroundInformation
Theindigenousgroup,Yupik,isgroupedundertheYuit(SouthernEskimos).Allofthe
NativeAlaskanpeoplesareputintooneoffivecategories,ofwhichdonotrepresentsingle
indigenoustribesortheirwaysoflife.TheAleuts,Inupiat(NorthernEskimos),Yuit(Southern
Eskimos),Athabascans,andTlingit/HaidacategorizeAlaskaNativesbasedontheregionthey
arefrom,andbasedonlanguagesimilarityamongthevaryingtribes.TheYuitisthelargest,and
mostdiverseofthefivecategorizations,andcontainstribesthat,originally,stretchedfromthe
NorthPacificCoast,totheBeringSea.TheYupikpeople,underthelabelYuit,aretoday
occupyingareasofYukon,Kuskokwim,andTogiakandlivingamongoneanotherwitha
populationofapproximatelyeightthousand.
AlaskaNativeCommunitiesonHarrimans
Route
(PBS.org).

Lifestyle
TheYupikgroupisconsideredtobeaseminomadicgroupofpeoplebecausethey
travelwiththeenvironmentfollowinganimalsusedforhunting,aswellasfollowingthe
variationsintheseasons.ThelifeoftheYupikindigenoustribewasmuchsimilartoother
nativetribesacrosstheworld.Forexample,thewesternNativeAmericans,andtheAustralian
Aborigines,aresimilartotheYupiktribeinthesensethatthoseindigenousgroups(Native
Americans,Aborigines,andYupik)wereoriginallyterritorialandconsideredhunter/gather
societies.MenoftheYupickpeopleweregiventheroleofhuntinganimalsthatwouldbetaken
backandusedfor,notonlyfood,butforthemakingofclothing,forthebonesthatwereturned
intotools,andforotherpartsoftheanimalthatcanbeusedtomakebasicneeds.Themenwould
alsocraftjewelry,maketransportationdevicessuchassledsandkayaks,andmaketoolsoutof
ivory,wood,animalbone,andotheravailableresources.Throughouttheday,theboyswhowere
consideredoldenoughhadtogooutwiththemenwhiletheycompletedtheirjobsofhuntingand
makingandobserve,practice,andsoakintheskillsandadvicethatwasbeingpassedtothem.
Ontheotherside,thewomenhadstereotypicalresponsibilitiesthattheydidthroughouttheday.
Womenandgirlswouldgatherresourcesthatwereneededamongthegroup,takecareofthe
babies,createpottery,sewclothing,andcrafttogetherhouseholditems.Outofallofthetasks
forthewomen,themostimportantonetotheYupiksocietyistoprepareandservethefoodthat
wouldbebroughtbackbythemen.
Themenandwomendonotlivetogetherbutinsteadlivedividedbygender.aroundage
five,boysgotolive,work,bathe,andsleepallinthesamelivingspacethatiscalledaqasgiq.
Allofthewomen,girls,andboysthataretooyoungtomoveout,liveinwhatiscalledanena.

Theqasgiqislargerthantheena,butisalsoacenterthewholesocietygathersinforspecial
occasions.Theenaandtheqasgiqarenotfarfromoneanother,infact,theyarecommonly
connectedbyatunneltypepassageway.Withineachlivingspace,theboysandthegirlsare
taughtvaluabletraits.Theboysaretaughtsurvivalskills,andthegirlsaretaughttocookand
sew.Onceayear,forabouttwomonths,girlsgoandlivewiththemenandtheboysgotolive
withthewomen.Duringthistime,thegirlsaretaughtsurvival,andtoolmakingskills,whilethe
womenteachtheboyshowtocookandsew.Itisinterestingtomethattheirsocietytaughtboth
themaleandfemaleresponsibilitiestothekids,eventhoughtheboysandgirlsonlygetswitched
forafewweeks,itisremarkablethattheYupikculturerecognizedtheimportanceforboth
genderstolearnallofthecrucialtasksthatkeepstheirtribetogether.

ReligionandRituals
TheYupikbelievethatonenevertrulydies.Instead,itisbelievedthatafterdeaththe
soulwillberebornintoanewbody.Yupikpeoplebelieveinwhatisverysimilartothatof
reincarnation,whichismodernlybelievedtodayinsomereligions.TheYupiktreated
everythingasifithadasoullikeahuman.Anuniquethingthatthecommunitydoesisnamethe
newestchildofthetribeafterthemostrecentpersonwhodied.Thisgroupdeeplycherishes
souls,andbelievesthatsoulsareallaroundus,allthetime.TheYup'ikdonottakelightlythe
factthatanimalshavespirits,thisistakenveryseriouslyandwithgreatpassion,somuchsothat
thepeopleofYupikconductabladderfestival.Thebladderfestivalisheldonceayearonthe
wintersolsticeandisputforthtoenabletherebirthofseals.Allofthesealsthathadbeenhunted
throughouttheyearbyYupikmenarereturnedtheirbladdersattheendoftheapproximate

weeklongrituals.Oncethesealsarehuntedanddead,thebladderiskeptpreserveduntilthe
bladderfestival.Itisbelievedthatthesoulofthesealsiswithinthebladder,andthatafterthe
ceremoniesareoverthebladdersneedtoreturntotheoceaninordertoberebirthed.Inmy
opinion,thisshowsthecompassionanddedicationtheYupiktribehaswhenitcomesto
respectingthesoulsandtherebirthingprocess.
Averypopulartraditionamongthesepeopleistheartofmaskmaking.Maskswereused
withinthiscultureforavarietyofreasons.Eachmaskispersonallycraftedtorepresentan
importantmemory,lesson,etc,tothatperson.Themasksalsoactedasatoolforthepeopleto
usetothankthespiritsforalltheyhave,andtoaskthingsofthespirits.Manyeldersthatare
nativetotheYupikcomparetheiruseofmaskstotheuseofprayer,sayingthatthemasksare
theirversionsofprayer.Beautifullycrafted,detailedmasksandcostumeswereusedfor
entertainment,aswell.Typesofentertainmentincludeceremonialproductions,competitionsof
productionsbetweenothertribes,dancing,storytelling,religiouspractices,andsongs.
Today,theYupikpeoplestillpracticesomeoftheiroldwaysofliving.Theystillspeak
theirnativelanguage,practicesomeofthesametraditions,andmaintaintheartoftheirculture
whilealsobeingapartofmoderndaysociety.

Bibliography

Litwin,Tom.Alaska'sNativeCommunitiesonHarrimansRoute.
PBS.
PBS,n.d.Web.
05Apr.2016.

YupikArchivesIntercontinentalCry.IntercontinentalCry.CWIS.n.d.Web.06Apr,
2016

Burks,Amber.AlaskanYupikTribalMasks:OurWayofMakingPrayer.
http://my.ilstu.edu/~eostewa/ART211/Assignments/MASK%20HANDOUT/ambersmask
handout.pdf

YupikandCupikCulturesofAlaska.YupikandCupik.AlaskaNativeHeritage
CenterMuseum,n.d.Web,06Apr,2016.