A Many-Layered Mask: A Native Alaskan Community's Russian Legacy

For the Sugpiaq of Nanwalek, the return of the first red salmon to the river ensures their material survival and marks the progress of the seasons. Likewise, the start of an event known as masking sets off the time between Christmas and Theophany (Epiphany) and perpetuates their identity as inheritors of Sugpiaq, Russian, and Orthodox Christian traditions.