Nina Gormin

Interviewed by Abigail U

          Have you ever tasted muktok? Beaver? Caribou? Or even raw white fish with seal oil and soy sauce?  For Nina Kathleen Gormin, this is her primary diet.  Nina Gormin is an Eskimo and is involved in the Upaque tribe.

          Upaque women gather wild berries, plants, seagull eggs and duck eggs.  The men do the majority of the hunting and fishing. With the food they gather, they make dishes such as pudding, soup and Eskimo ice cream.  For those unfamiliar with what Eskimo ice cream is, it is basically a mixture of berries, greens, sugars and raisins.  This is one of their native foods.   For a living, Nina sells artwork she creates.  She carves items out of ivory and she also makes beads.  Her main style of art is weaving grass.  In order to do so, you must pick the grass, cure it, soak it so it’s kept pliable, and then you freeze it.  Nina takes pleasure in her art and enjoys making jewelry.  She became involved in the art business around her college years.  Originally, this was just to pay the bills, but it eventually transformed into a passion.  She has now been a crafts vendor for twenty years. 

          Nina has lived in Alaska almost all of her life and has two children. One whom is the age of twenty-five, and another the age of twenty-seven. She is also now blessed with four grandchildren. “My family is my pride and joy,” explains Nina.  She loves her children and has a knack for crafts.