March 2005
 Cultural
activist Vernon Chimegalrea (Yup'ik)
served as the vice-president of programs at the Alaska Native
Heritage Center, where he coordinated performance series, led
outreach programs, and was a juror for the All-Alaska Native Juried
Art Show. Through the consultancy Hands Across Alaska, Chimegalrea
conducted cultural awareness workshops for organizations working
in rural Alaska. He has also been a newscaster for Koahnic Broadcast
Corporation, in Anchorage, and did a Yup'ik voice-over for On
Deadly Ground, an action film featuring Steven Segal. Chimegalrea
is from Bethel, Alaska, is a traditional Yup'ik singer, and is
currently working as a cultural arts program specialist at the
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. He was a regional
advisor for the NMAI exhibition Who stole the teepee?.
On the impact of documentaries:
"I come from the community of Bethel and we never had television
until 1972. When [our elders] see themselves or see these local
master boat-builders, they see it as a great medium to passing
on information to the up-and-coming generation. I think video's
a great tool for documenting real-life situations. You can see
things happening. It's a good teaching tool because it's the next
best thing to having the real person there."
Screened by NMAI
Image credit:
Vernon Chimegalrea - courtesy of the filmmaker
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