Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity
Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2007 The Eskimo yo-yo is a popular tourist art found in gift shops across Alaska. It is made in a variety of shapes, ranging from seals and dolls, to mukluks and simple balls. Many are plainly decorated; others display elaborate decorations, fine beadwor...
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ftunivalaska:oai:scholarworks.alaska.edu:11122/8567 2023-05-15T15:07:49+02:00 Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity Klistoff, Alysa J. Lee, Molly Odess, Dan Gray, Patty 2007 http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8567 unknown http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8567 Department of Anthropology Cultural anthropology Art history Folklore Native American studies Thesis ma 2007 ftunivalaska 2023-02-23T21:37:05Z Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2007 The Eskimo yo-yo is a popular tourist art found in gift shops across Alaska. It is made in a variety of shapes, ranging from seals and dolls, to mukluks and simple balls. Many are plainly decorated; others display elaborate decorations, fine beadwork, and intricate details. Some shops carry only Native-made pieces, while others carry imitation pieces made in China. Though a true history of the Eskimo yo-yo remains "shrouded in mystery" (Ray 1977), Eskimos maintain that this game originated as an important and widely used hunting tool made simply with sinew and bones---the bola. The gun has replaced the bola as a hunting tool, yet, the skills required to use a bola (dexterity, speed, aim, coordination, strength and stamina) remain important in areas where people subsist off the land; as such, the Eskimo yo-yo remains an important link to the past and speaks to a subsistence lifestyle. Natives and tourists alike recognize it as a marker of cultural heritage. This thesis details the enigmatic history of the relationship between the Eskimo yo-yo and the arctic bola and explores the influences each has as markers of indigenous identity in Alaska. Thesis Arctic eskimo* Alaska University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA Arctic Fairbanks |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA |
op_collection_id |
ftunivalaska |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Cultural anthropology Art history Folklore Native American studies |
spellingShingle |
Cultural anthropology Art history Folklore Native American studies Klistoff, Alysa J. Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity |
topic_facet |
Cultural anthropology Art history Folklore Native American studies |
description |
Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2007 The Eskimo yo-yo is a popular tourist art found in gift shops across Alaska. It is made in a variety of shapes, ranging from seals and dolls, to mukluks and simple balls. Many are plainly decorated; others display elaborate decorations, fine beadwork, and intricate details. Some shops carry only Native-made pieces, while others carry imitation pieces made in China. Though a true history of the Eskimo yo-yo remains "shrouded in mystery" (Ray 1977), Eskimos maintain that this game originated as an important and widely used hunting tool made simply with sinew and bones---the bola. The gun has replaced the bola as a hunting tool, yet, the skills required to use a bola (dexterity, speed, aim, coordination, strength and stamina) remain important in areas where people subsist off the land; as such, the Eskimo yo-yo remains an important link to the past and speaks to a subsistence lifestyle. Natives and tourists alike recognize it as a marker of cultural heritage. This thesis details the enigmatic history of the relationship between the Eskimo yo-yo and the arctic bola and explores the influences each has as markers of indigenous identity in Alaska. |
author2 |
Lee, Molly Odess, Dan Gray, Patty |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Klistoff, Alysa J. |
author_facet |
Klistoff, Alysa J. |
author_sort |
Klistoff, Alysa J. |
title |
Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity |
title_short |
Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity |
title_full |
Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity |
title_fullStr |
Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Weapon, Toy, Or Art? The Eskimo Yo-Yo As A Commodified Artic Bola And Marker Of Cultural Identity |
title_sort |
weapon, toy, or art? the eskimo yo-yo as a commodified artic bola and marker of cultural identity |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8567 |
geographic |
Arctic Fairbanks |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Fairbanks |
genre |
Arctic eskimo* Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic eskimo* Alaska |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8567 Department of Anthropology |
_version_ |
1766339245107052544 |