Senator Murkowski presents Chief Reverend Dr. Trimble Gilbert with nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts

Last week, Senator Lisa Murkowski presented the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowship to Chief Reverend Dr. Trimble Gilbert in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Chief Gilbert is a traditional chief from Arctic Village in Alaska, and is a master Gwich’in Athabascan fiddler and renowned culture bearer. The fellowship is the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Ten recipients from around the country were presented with this prestigious honor by the Chair of the NEA, Maria Jackson at the Library of Congress.

In January of this year, Senator Murkowski traveled to Arctic Village to personally deliver the news to Chief Gilbert that he was being honored and present him with the certificate of recognition.

“To see this luminary, this master who hails from tiny Arctic Village in northern Alaska receive this recognition on a national stage, was truly special,” said Senator Murkowski. “Chief Reverend Dr. Gilbert taught himself the fiddle by watching, listening, and then adding his own heritage and culture to create a style that is truly unique and Alaskan. He has made it his life’s mission to share his craft, his culture and his wisdom with his people and you can see the effect it has in Arctic Village through their vibrant community events. Alaskans know the treasure they have in this extraordinary elder - and now the whole country knows of Chief Gilbert’s gift as well.”

Upon acceptance of the award in Washington D.C., Chief Gilbert shared his motivation for fiddling and hosting fiddle dances as a pathway to sobriety and individual and community wellness.

“One of the reasons we do that [fiddle dancing], is because we love each other and life is very important to us, and we don’t want to suffer with alcohol… We’ve been using our traditional way of life for thousands of years, and sharing is the number one in our country…Alcohol is a tough situation, but we stand together and try to help each other for the future generations.”