BLACKBURN AND SWEETZER

So, I said I’d be back with a report on my Anchorage, Alaska trip. I recently mentioned that my pops is Alaska Native (Tlingit) and Canadian Indian (Nisga‘a) and my mom is from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and White Earth Ojibwe. This weekend was the 34th annual meeting for our tribal corporation, Sealaska, in Anchorage. The meeting turned out to be really historic, as a resolution was passed by the shareholders to authorize the issuance of 100 shares of life estate stock to Alaska Natives born after December 18th, 1971, who were originally not included as shareholders. This inclusiveness speaks volumes about my people and I was thrilled that it passed. Other Alaska Native corporations have also passed similar resolutions and I hope the trend continues throughout Indian country where there are situations where business and culture and identity collide.

I arrived on Thursday, also the night of the summer solstice, which translates into one long-ass day, terminal sunlight. The image above was taken around 6:00PM; I took it to catch the water, which in Alaska is gorgeous and very cold. When I was a kid in Juneau, we would go to the beach in the summer and get in the freezing water because that’s what you do when you’re a kid. Now, I save that for Hawaii and other such tropical locales.

This has got to be around 9:00PM or so after dinner.

This is 11:00PM or there abouts. It’s weird that when I lived in AK, I just accepted that this was summer. I was so glad I got in that day, because the following days, though light, light, light, were gray as well.

Mmm, reindeer sausage. I highly recommend reindeer sausage, as it is ever so delicious.

OK, just crazy and weird and hilarious. Marilyn Mon Roe in the Sheraton lobby. I would recommend the Captain Cook Hotel though. It’s in walking distance of most stuff and has that clubby hotel feel which I like - cool bar area and lots of shops with high-quality Native art.

Bad quality photo, I know. I had my camera on the wrong setting. These are the Tlingit and Haida Dancers of Anchorage, who opened the annual meeting.

An amazing artist, Maria L. Swanson (riadesigns.com) was at the meeting with a table topped with her sterling silver and 18kt jewelry. I found out she apprenticed with my cousins Mick and Rick Beasley, two esteemed artists who have a store, Beasley’s Art Gallery, in Juneau that is a must-see and must-buy spot. Rick carved our wedding bands, both masterpieces…

But back to Maria. Above is an 18kt Kissing Love Bird Choker, flanked by Wild Iris and Sitka Rose. Her prices were reasonable. Too reasonable in my opinion. Charge more, Maria! Your work is too beautiful not to. Check Maria’s website for contact info.

A sterling Beaver Tail Choker

A sterling Dancers bracelet.

A sterling Bear bracelet.

This adorable knit baby dress is by Native artist Lucretia Ann McHugh (lmchugh@aol.com); her items were also very reasonable and masterfully done. My mom bought the most elegant apron I’ve ever seen from Lucretia.

The bow makes it so this dress works for 0-6 months.

So, I’d taken a non-stop on Alaska Air from LAX to Anchorage. I was totally surprised that the non-stop existed and was happy to not have deal with the annoyance and delay of connections. The flight is long - 4 hours, 52 minutes to be exact. It’s like flying across the country. And what do you get for this long haul? A breakfast cookie and beverages.

I opted not to pay $5 for this tantalizing breakfast skillet. Seriously, $5? Man, have times changed. What bullsh*t! I appreciate the woman across the aisle allowing me to shoot her skillet. Thanks stranger.

And then it’s back to LAX, which is always awful. LAX is such a friggin nightmare. We landed somewhere far off and had to take a bus to the terminal. Then there was confusion about how we were supposed to enter the airport and flailed from one gate to the next. Just what you look forward to after a long flight and desperately hungry. Burbank airport is far, far superior and always the way to go if possible. Braving LAX was worth it for the non-stop though.