Oscar Kawagley

Oscar Kawagley
Born
Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley

(1934-11-08)November 8, 1934
Bethel, Alaska, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 2011(2011-04-27) (aged 76)
Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, teacher, anthropologist

Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley (November 8, 1934 – April 27, 2011), best known as Oscar Kawagley, was a Yup'ik anthropologist, teacher and actor from Alaska. He was an associate professor of education at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks until his death in 2011. The Anchorage Daily News described him as "one of (Alaska's) most influential teachers and thinkers".[1]

Career

Kawagley's 1995 book A Yupiaq Worldview: a Pathway to Ecology and Spirit[2] was an attempt to reconcile indigenous and Western worldviews from an indigenous perspective, and was an important contribution to the field of ethnoecology. In the book he developed the concept of "indigenous methodology", explaining how western science can benefit from native ways of understanding and vice versa.[3]

Oscar's acting career included a major role in the independent 1991 film Salmonberries, starring k.d. lang. He appeared in the television show Northern Exposure, and contributed his voice to the elderly Denahi in the 2003 Disney film Brother Bear.[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Bear}

Death

He died of cancer in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2011 at the age of 76. His ashes were scattered after his cremation.

Publications

  • Kawagley, A. O. (2006). A Yupiaq Worldview: A Pathway to Ecology and Spirit. United States: Waveland Press.[2]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Salmonberries Butch
2003 Brother Bear Old Denahi/Inuit Narrator Voice, (final film role)

References

  1. ^ "Yup'ik scholar Oscar Kawagley dies at 76". Anchorage Daily News. April 27, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Kawagley, A. Oscar (2006). A Yupiaq worldview : a pathway to ecology and spirit (2nd ed.). Long Grove, Ill.: Waveland Press. ISBN 9781577663843. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Archibald, Jo-Ann; Barnhardt, Ray; Cajete, Gregory A.; Cochran, Patricia; McKinley, Elizabeth; Merculieff, Larry (January 1, 2007). "The work of Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley". Cultural Studies of Science Education. 2 (1): 11–17. doi:10.1007/s11422-007-9048-y. S2CID 144637908.