Originally from the Unangax̂ community of Atka in the Aleutians, Barbara Shagin’s family was forcibly relocated to Southeast Alaska, near Angoon, during WWII. In 2022, Barbara traveled to Angoon to interview community members, uncovering pieces of her family’s history and reconnecting with a vital chapter of Alaska’s past. In this ‘zine, Barbara tells her story.

 

about the author
Growing up surrounded by wind and waves on the island of Atka, Barbara Shangin has a deep connection to her land and Ancestors. Her mother and father taught her the Unangax̂ language and ways of strength and gratitude. Like her mom, Barbara lives with curiosity, courage, and honesty. As a young mother, she moved her family to Sitka to get her teaching degree. She has spent her life weaving together Unangax̂ ways of knowing with the public school system. She teaches children to read and shows them they are resilient and in charge of their learning.

During WWII her parents and the entire village of Atka was forcibly relocated to Southeast Alaska by the US military, where they struggled to survive outside Angoon for three years. In 2022 she was invited to Angoon to share her story, thank the community for helping her family survive, and learn more about her family’s history. There she found community, belonging, and a shared history. The community of Angoon resonated with her family’s story as their village had been bombed and destroyed by the US Navy in 1882. Barbara was adopted by the people of Angoon and given a Tlingit name, Anya. Her story is powerful and healing.

Barbara is a prolific reader and writer and can be found pening a new idea or gaining inspiration from another author. She is an expert basket weaver and generously shares her knowledge at culture camps and with others. Some of her favorite things to do are to sit quietly on her island gathering beach grass and listening to the sea and the gentle gusts of wind as well as spending time with her seven grandchildren.

 

about the artist

Since 2019, Lydia Dirks has been blazing a trail through the Alaskan landscape as a self-taught Unangax̂ artist as she meticulously pens out whimsical illustrations using her signature vibrant color palette. As a child in the early 2000’s in Unalaska, Lydia got her start drawing with pencil, which ultimately led her to try other mediums, such as pen and ink, watercolor, color pencil, acrylic painting, digital art, beading, and woodworking. With every creation she makes, Lydia continues to be influenced by her father, Mike Dirks

Sr, a multimedia artist popularly known for his traditional mask carvings, as she holistically embraces her Unangax̂ roots by drawing inspiration from her culture, the land, and the sea.

Since 2022, Lydia has been doing contractual artwork and working at the Aleutian Pribi lof Island Association’s Cultural Heritage Department as the Special project’s assistant.

Lydia maintains a catalog of her artwork on Instagram, @chagix.cheeks and she can also be reached by email: lydiadirks3@gmail.com for quotes on special projects or functions.

 

Thanks to generous funding from the Rasmuson Foundation, the Charlotte Martin Foundation, the National Historic Records and Publications Commission, and the Alaska State Council Arts Cultural Collaborations Grant.

 

Listen to Alice Qannik Glenn’s Interview with Barbara Shangin

Listen to this KUCB story: Unangax̂ Elder tells story of WWII evacuation through new zine about Barbara

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