EcoMusicology

I've posted a gallery of the original (mostly color) photos from the book Real Country: Music and Language in Working-Class Culture.  Visit the gallery here!

Warren Matumeak (1928-2010) was one of the great leaders, elders, teachers, politicians, scholars, hunters, men of God, and musician/dancers of his generation on Alaska's North Slope. His contributions to the vitality of Iñupiaq culture and community were (and remain) immeasurable. He was also the founder and leader of Suurimmaanitchuat Dancers (which performed in Washington DC in 2008 for Pres. Obama's inaugural).

He was a friend, teacher, and mentor to me, and my colleague Chie Sakakibara. We made this video of photos of Warren set to a beloved country gospel song ("On the Wings of a Dove" as recorded by Hal Ketchum) as a tribute on the occasion of his funeral in December, 2010.

Notes on the Photos in the Slideshow:
The first photo after the title slide in the slideshow shows the (Barrow) Ukpeagviq Presbyterian Church choir, with the Rev. Samuel Simmonds, in 1946 (Photo by John Klebe, from the Laura Boulton collection at Indiana University's Archive of Traditional Music.)  Warren, then 18 years old, is the striking young man in the middle of the three men in the back row.  The other photos were each taken by either myself or Dr. Chie Sakakibara.

In Loving Memory.

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Learn about Warren Matumeak at the following links:

Tribute post by Bill Hess, longtime friend of Warren's and pre-eminent documentary photographer of Iñupiaq life.
Obituary Notice in the Anchorage Daily News (with an incredible picture by Bill Hess)
Watch Warren's dance group (Suurimmaanitchuat) perform in Pres. Obama's inaugural parade in 2008.

Pakak was one of two aiviks (walrus) rescued as orphans during summer 2012 by Iñupiaq hunters in the Beaufort Sea off Barrow, Alaska. The other was Mitik, who now lives in the New York Aquarium. I visited Pakak in Indianapolis in February, 2013. Cell phone video, apologies for low quality. Read more about Pakak and Mitik here.

 Here is a series of shots I took of Qannik, a juvenile nanook (polar bear) who now lives at the Louisville Zoo, after being rescued as an orphaned cub by Iñupiaq hunters near Kaktovic, Alaska.  It was over 100 degrees in Louisville on the day these shots were taken.  Watching her play underwater makes it clear that these are marine mammals as much as terrestrial ones.

 In the video below, Justin Treviño (at around 18 years old) peforms Ray Price's "Soft Rain" live at the Y'All Come Back Saloon, Lockhart, Texas.  Aaron made this film with colleague Randy Tillery.  It was originally published in the JVC Video Anthology of World Music and Dance.

Larry "Hoppy" Hopkins's only full studio album recording, entitled "Pretty Words,"  released in 1979, and long out of print.
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Tracks In Order:
1) Jealousy
2) Wednesday's Child
3) Love Tears
4) Don't Just Lay There
5) Pretty Words
6) Have I Told You Lately (That I Love You?)
7) When I'm With Me (songwriter: Randy Meyer)
8) Old Jimmie Rodgers
9) Guilty (songwriter: Larry Hopkins)
10) Castle in the Sky
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Click to play (Flash/mp3 version, 55mb)

Click to play (Youtube version, with slideshow)