John Angaiak: Preserving Yup’ik Culture Through Classic Folk Tunes

John Angaiak is a Yup’ik author, painter, and singer.¹ He was born in Nightmute, Alaska in 1941 and served in the US army fighting in Vietnam.¹ When he returned home from Vietnam, he attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks, specifically focused on preserving his native language at the Eskimo Language Workshop.¹ He produced an album titled “Lost in the City” where half of the album was sung in Yup’ik and the other half in English.¹ While this was incredibly popular in Alaska, it did not gain as much popularity outside of Alaska in the continental US.¹

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He uses his culture, the deep history that runs through his blood, as well as a yearning for an understanding of his individuality to produce music that honors both his Yup’ik identity and how it connects/clashes with his broader American identity. One of my favorite songs by Angaiak’s, Ak’a Tamaani which means “in days of old” in English, honors his culture by reminding listeners of the powerful traditions that provided safety and security to the Yup’ik people for the majority of their history.² He discusses bow and arrows as well as the power of Shamans to cure any and all ills.²

In one of his English songs, titled “I’d walk a mile for my girl”² he utilized his classic use of non-lexical vocals, but uniquely incorporates an occasional hoarse whisper. While this does not fall under the category of throat singing, it has some similarities to the sound produced by throat singing, seemingly honoring that traditional form of singing. In other songs on the album, he honors his parents as well as his grandmother, clearly highlighting the importance of family and tradition. Most of his songs also center around nature, illustrating the power that it holds over his identity as a Yup’ik. Remembering his family history and its cultural significance is a clear driver behind his music.

Angaiak wrote his album for the Eskimo Language Workshop, releasing it in 1971.¹ Thus, unlike the other, more recent artists included on this page, he doesn’t have a music video or international popularity. However, his music (all of which is worth listening to), would likely fall under the category of folk music and has a similar style to early Bob Dylan with both his soft voice as well as his poetic lyrics. His voice, both melancholic yet hopeful at the same time differentiates his music. It is incredibly evident in the emotion in his voice how critical preserving his culture is to him.

While the lyrics in his music don’t directly discuss the arctic environmental phenomena we discussed in class, his broader message on preserving Yup’ik knowledge directly relates to our discussion of traditional ecological knowledge. For example, in his song “Piukuvet” which translates to if you want to, he sings “at the far distance I also know the geese because every year they come. Then these people when the time comes they hunt in the spring for so long they never come.”² There is a clear connection to this class in these lyrics. His knowledge of the trends of the geese appear to come from traditional ecological knowledge. Similar to The Right to be Cold, Angaiak describes the changes he has seen in the ecosystem in his own lifetime in this haunting melody.

1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Angaiak

2) https://library.alaska.gov/hist/hist_docs/docs/anlm/41710584.pdf