Yupiit Yuraryarait: Yup'ik Ways of Dancing

About this book

Far more than just a dance the dynamic choreography of the Yupik provides an illuminating window into the morality social organization and colonial history of this indigenous people. In Yupiit Yurayarait anthropologist Ann Fienup-Riordan begins with a brief historical overview of the colonization and development of Alaska from the Yupik point of view. Then armed with oral history testimony spanning thirty years she shows how singing and dancing are interconnected and imbued with meaning in this complex ritual. Accompanied by one hundred and fifty original photographs this volume marks the first in-depth look at the Yupik people through the lens of interpretive dance.