Esther Kasakan Littlefield (; April 29, 1906 – June 17, 1997), also called Aan-woogeex', was a

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

artist who made blankets and ceremonial regalia including button blankets. She was awarded the

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

in 1991.

Early life

Esther Edith Kasakan was born in Killisnoo near

Sitka Sitka (; ) is a unified city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Baranof Island and the south half of Chichagof Island in the Al ...

, the daughter of James Kasakan and Lena Marie Daniel. She was a member of the Kiksadi, a Tlingit clan.

Career

Littlefield made hats, blankets, and robes for Tlingit ceremonial uses; her works used traditional emblems to represent people and events, and they served as an aid for storytelling. She worked at the

Sitka National Historical Park Sitka National Historical Park (earlier known as Indian River Park and Totem Park) is a national historical park in Sitka in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was redesignated as a national historical park from its previous status as national monum ...

, teaching handicraft classes at the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, beginning in 1969. She received an award from the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

in 1983, and the Alaska Governor's Award for the Arts in 1984. In 1984, she was one of the featured Alaskan artists at the

Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held on the National Mall for two weeks around the Fo ...

in Washington, D.C. In 1986,

Sheldon Jackson College Sheldon Jackson College (SJC) was a small private college located on Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska, United States. Founded in 1878, it was the oldest institution of higher learning in Alaska and maintained a historic relationship with the Pr ...

presented her with their annual Christian Citizenship Award. In 1991, Littlefield was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

. "Artists such as Esther Littlefield are our living national treasures," said

John Frohnmayer John Frohnmayer (born June 1, 1942) is an American writer and retired attorney from the U.S. state of Oregon. He was the fifth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, a program of the United States government. He was appointed by Presiden ...

of the NEA. "They are the keepers of seasoned and mature artistic traditions that speak to us across hundreds of years and thousands of miles."

Personal life

Esther Kasakan married twice; her first husband was Louis Simpson Sr.; they had four children together, and he died before 1940. Her second husband was Charles Livingston Littlefield; they had five children together, and he died in 1989. Beyond her own nine children, she helped to raise several nieces and nephews, including Leonard K. Shotridge. Esther Littlefield died in 1997, aged 91 years, in Sitka.

References

External links

A photograph of Esther Littlefield
teaching about button blankets in Sitka, at Project Jukebox,

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-, National Sea Grant College Program, sea-, and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, space-grant research university in ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Littlefield, Esther 1906 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Alaska Native people Alaska Native women Tlingit women artists Tlingit artists People from Sitka, Alaska Textile artists from Alaska Native American women artists 20th-century American women textile artists 20th-century American textile artists 20th-century Native American artists