These Yup’ik Eskimo fans are reminiscent of the form my forefathers created on Nelson Island off of the Bering Sea. I have only seen these from afar, and so this is my interpretation of an elegant and functional style of traditional artwork.

A few years back my family traveled the Yukon River by raft. Along the way I gathered natural earth pigments from the river banks. Applied traditionally, the handle, inside the eyes, mouth, and backside of each mask, is stained using this earth, providing the rust colors often found on a mature Crane. The colors used around the face and body of the fans is milk paint, the texture of this paint resembles traditional material used to color implements. These colors symbolize the body and forehead of Crane.

The female side of this set has traditional ‘wisdom line’ tattoos, which ties directly into the recipient's family lineage.