Ann Fienup-Riordan facts for kids

Ann Fienup-Riordan, born in 1948, is an American cultural anthropologist. This means she studies human societies and cultures, especially how people live, think, and interact. She is well-known for her important work with the Yup'ik people in western Alaska. She has spent many years learning about their traditions, history, and daily lives, especially on Nelson Island and in the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta area. Ann Fienup-Riordan lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

She earned her Ph.D. in anthropology in 1980 from the University of Chicago. Her main research for her Ph.D. was based on fieldwork she did in 1976 and 1977 on Nelson Island, Alaska.

Awards and Recognition

Ann Fienup-Riordan has received several important awards for her work. These awards show how much her contributions to understanding Alaskan history and culture are valued.

Historian of the Year

• She was named Historian of the Year by the Alaska Historical Society in both 1991 and 2001. This award recognized her excellent work in documenting and sharing the history of Alaska.

Other Important Awards

• In 2000, she received the Denali Award from the Alaska Federation of Natives. This award is given to non-Native people who have made a great contribution to Alaska Native communities.
• She was also recognized as a Distinguished Humanities Educator for Alaska in 2001. This award highlights her efforts in teaching and promoting the humanities, which include subjects like history, literature, and philosophy.

Books and Writings

Ann Fienup-Riordan has written many books and articles about the Yup'ik people. Her writings help others learn about their culture, traditions, and how they live today.

Understanding Yup'ik Culture

• Her first book, The Nelson Island Eskimo: Social Structure and Ritual Distribution (1983), focused on the social life and traditions of the Yup'ik people on Nelson Island.
• She explored how Yup'ik people see the world in Eskimo Essays: Yup'ik Lives and How We See Them (1990).
• In Boundaries and Passages: Rule and Ritual in Yup'ik Eskimo Oral Tradition (1994), she wrote about the important stories and rules passed down through generations.
• Her book Hunting Tradition in a Changing World: Yup'ik Lives in Alaska Today (2000) looks at how Yup'ik traditions continue in modern times.

Yup'ik Language and Wisdom

• Ann Fienup-Riordan has also worked on books that share the wisdom and language of the Yup'ik people.
• Wise Words of the Yup'ik People: We Talk to You because We Love You (2005) and Yup'ik Words of Wisdom: Yupiit Qanruyutait (2005) are examples of these works. They help preserve and share important sayings and teachings.
• She also contributed to Words of the Real People: Alaska Native Literature in Translation (2007), which helps make Alaska Native stories available to more readers.

Yup'ik Art and Survival

• Her book The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks: Agayuliyararput (Our Way of Making Prayer) (1996) focuses on the beautiful and meaningful masks created by the Yup'ik people.
• She also co-authored Yuungnaqpiallerput/The Way We Genuinely Live: Masterworks of Yup'ik Science and Survival (2007). This book explores the clever ways Yup'ik people have survived and thrived in their environment.

Exhibitions

Ann Fienup-Riordan has helped create museum exhibitions that share Yup'ik culture with a wider audience.

Yup'ik Masks Exhibition

• An exhibition called Agayuliyararput (Our Way of Making Prayer): The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks opened in 1996.
• It started in Toksook Bay and at the Yupiit Piciryarait Museum in Bethel, Alaska.
• The exhibit then traveled to many other museums, including the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, the University of Alaska Museum, and the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. It finished its tour in 1998 at the Seattle Art Museum.

Yup'ik Science and Survival Exhibition

• Another exhibition, Yuungnaqpiallerput (The Way We Genuinely Live): Masterworks of Yupik Science and Survival, opened in 2007.
• This exhibit also began at the Yupiit Piciryarait Museum in Bethel and then moved to the Anchorage Museum.
• From 2008 to 2010, it traveled to museums in Fairbanks and Juneau, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. These exhibitions helped many people learn about the amazing knowledge and skills of the Yup'ik people.