Ann Fienup-Riordan

Ann
Fienup-Riordan
Calista Elders Council

Ann Fienup-Riordan was raised in northern Virginia. She finished her BA and MAdegrees in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Michigan in 1973 and went on to earn a PhD in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Chicago in 1981. She has lived and worked in Alaska since 1973. Her books include “The Nelson Island Eskimo” (1983), “Eskimo Essays” (1990), “Boundaries and Passages” (1994), “The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks” (1996), “Wise Words of the Yup'ik People: We Talk to You because We Love You” (2003) and most recently “Yuungnaqpiallerput/The Way We Genuinely Live: Masterworks of Yup'ik Science and Survival” (2007).

In 2000, she received the Alaska Federation of Natives President's Award for her work with Alaska Natives, as well as the Governor's Award for the Humanities. At present, she works with the Calista Elders Council, mentoring Yup'ik men and women in documenting traditional knowledge. Her interest in the ocean stems from her desire to understand the detailed information Yup'ik elders have shared concerning sea ice and ocean hunting.