Mann at the Fair: a diverse and perennial community wraps up for 2018

PALMER — The Alaska State Fair wrapped up over the weekend, with the annual fireworks show on Saturday and the last day fell on Monday. A plethora of people flowed through the grounds, like a perennial community, springing up from practically nothing, teeming with activity, then packing up and leaving it all behind. The grounds are quiet once again, until next year.

“I thought this year was absolutely wonderful. I am so thrilled,” Amy Spark, Gathering Place Organizer and Stage Director said on the last day.

While the fair staff and crew continue their efforts to hold onto the past with classic and most popular events like the giant cabbage weigh-off and homesteader games, they are also adding and changing along the way to modernize with the times. The vendors, performers, fair staff and crew, and volunteers over the Alaskan Native slice of the fair, the Gathering Place are on the same journey, hanging onto fragments of their old culture and adapting to the digital age.

“People find the culture they’re looking for at the Gathering Place,” Sparck said.

The Gathering Place is one of the newest additions to the fair. According to various sources, it’s also one of the most under circulated areas of the fair, and is often overlooked. Allie High, a Allie High, N.W. Coastal Indian Artist has been selling her hand-pressed prints at the Gathering Place for about four years now, making the trip up from Wrangell.

“I feel like this is the authentic Alaska here,” Hill said.

She said that people these days tend to be “very media driven.” With the help of traditional broadcasting, social media, and other modern means, influential people the former Miss Alaska USA, Alyssa London, and Alaska’s own American Ninja Warrior contestant, Nick Hanson, the “Eskimo Ninja.” Their louder than life personalities inspiring stories are clearly amplified by their public engagement. Both public figures were able to bring in sizable crowds, larger than usual.

Roberta Naumoff said that there was no Alaskan Native Featured Artist this year, standing at the center, surrounded by cozy little buildings, each with its own bright and solid coloring and fresh seafood vendors. Last year’s artists brought his handmade boat, which Naumoff said many people loved.

“I think having a featured artist really helped pull people in,” she said.

Hanson was able to get at least a few dozen people to gather around and participate for each blanket toss. As about 20 or so people were setting up the hand-made, animal skin blanket often seen in rural villages after a successful, big hunt or other celebrations, he said, “remember, it takes a0 whole community working together to make this work- feel that heartbeat.

“This is the real sling shot right here and it doesn’t cost $75,” Hanson said to people walking by, gawking at the excitement, several more stopped to record the toss on their phones.

Hanson trains extensively back home in Unalakleet, His father has European roots and his mother is Inupiaq, hence the “Eskimo” logo on his blue shirt. He worked all 12 days of the fair, leaping around hand-made ninja-training equipment. He used a headset to carry his voice far and wide, prompting people to participate in traditional Alaska Native games, like the ones seen in Alaska’s Native Youth Olympics .

“These games really do show us our true potential. It takes strength, determination and grit.

Hanson said that he was one of 6 ninjas in the world to successfully climb the daunting, 18-foot mega-wall at the American Ninja Warrior competition.

“Know who you are; if you’re going to take one thing away from me, that’s it. Be who you are and there’s no obstacle you can’t overcome.”

After each demonstrational workshop, Hanson parkour-ed his way to the top of the stage, and “high fived” the D of the Dena’ People’s Stage, as a thanks to the Gathering Place.

“So far, he’s been a huge support for the Gathering Place and having him is a huge boost,” Sparck said.

High said that since she’s started vending at the ASF, she’s noticed that the volunteers struggled to get enough people to participate in the annual blanket tosses.

“I think Nick has brought in some sales. He has the star power- that’s something people can get behind,” Hill said.

Loren Anderson, lead singer/drummer an Imamsuat dance group, reprinting Sugpiaq culture from Kodiak Island said that one of their songs, translating as “The moos is swinging but is beautiful” came from a sham foretelling the end of all native culture. Many elders were said to prophesize this as well. Anderson said that in spite of the “dark times” the moon “still lights the way” as they move forward and teach the next generation. His imitate relatives and distant relatives danced on the stage in their traditional garbs as he sang and pounded the drum. Thankfully for the young ones, Alaska no longer has brutal boarding schools that literally beat the culture out of countless indigenous peoples during the early days of colonization and assimilation. Now, assimilation doesn’t just mean getting taken over to a lot of Alaska Natives like Anderson, Hanson, or Hill, it has more to do with keeping the old while keeping up with the new.

“I’m happy to share our music with the community, showing our pride and celebrating our culture out in the open and no to be ashamed,” Anderson said.