The Alaska State Museum March 2025 Artifact of the Month is a large Iñupiaq mask (II-A-2794) representing Agleulak (Auk-lou-luk). Agleulak means “strong, wise spirit” in Iñupiaq, according to Buell Anakak of Point Hope. Dr. D.S. Neuman collected the mask on Big Diomede Island between 1910 and 1921. It is carved out of wood burl and has ivory eyes. According to Dr. Neuman, the carving was placed at the house entrance to assure good hunting, healing, and safety.
Big Diomede Island and Little Diomede Island are 2.4 miles apart in the Bering Strait. The International Date Line and the U.S-Russian border divide the two islands. Big Diomede is about 19 miles from the Alaskan mainland. It remained under Russian administration following the Alaska Purchase of 1867. After World War II, the Inupiat people were forcefully removed from the island. Most were relocated to the Siberian Yup’ik village of Naukan and then relocated again elsewhere.
Big Diomede Island continues to be uninhabited by permanent settlement but houses a Russian Weather Station and a base for the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Historically both islands have been occupied by the Iñupiat people.
The burl that this mask is made of is a rare material for Big Diomede Island. Big Diomede Island is virtually treeless, and such a burl would have to travel a great distance to reach the island. Wood burls come from trees that have sustained a trauma or stress (virus, fungus, agrobacterium, or beetle infestation). They are incredibly thick and tough. In Southeastern Alaska, the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian have historically used them as helmets for armor.
Mask dimensions: H: 62.9 cm (24 ¾ in), W: 36.9 cm (14 ½ in)
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