If you're looking for "I Spys," dating or LTRs, this is your scene.
View Profiles"Jenny taught [Clarissa] that [Chilkat weaving] is women’s work," Tagaban told Seven Days by phone, "but there’s an exception for two-spirit people."
Tagaban practiced different types of traditional Tlingit arts growing up, including jewelry engraving, cedar-bark weaving and beadwork. No matter the mode, the basis of Tlingit design is "formline," a visual language created through combinations of three simple shapes: ovoids, U forms and S forms. Of weaving in particular, Tagaban said, "It came to me — I didn’t go looking for it."
Creating Chilkat garments and adornments has been integral to his process of situating himself as both Tlingit and queer. "Chilkat regalia generally was reserved for the most important people in the tribe … they're for really sacred ceremonies.
"To make [Chilkat weavings] is a really prestigious thing, traditionally," Tagaban continued. "So, for … two-spirit people to be able to make Chilkat, it shows that we weren’t stigmatized. We actually had an elevated position in our society before colonization began."
Tagaban said his practice as a textile artist has been "a process of unlearning shame," with striking parallels to doing drag. "Being a drag queen in 2017, whether I’m Tlingit or not, has been about unlearning shame around gender," he said.
Tagaban first began performing in 2015 as part of Juneau's emerging drag scene — which notably features more drag kings than queens, at least currently, he noted.
Tagaban's first solo show certainly merged these two significant components of his identity. "Sexual Sovereignty" opened at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage in July 2015 and featured works that directly combined traditional art forms with symbols and statements about sexual taboos.
Tags: art, johnson state college, ricky tagaban, tlingit, chilkat weaving, first peoples, northwest coast, alaska, drag, Image, Web Only
Comments are closed.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor. Or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.