Carson Oozeva Sr.

Carson Oozeva Sr. is a Siberian Yupik born on April 7, 1955, in Gambell, Alaska, St. Lawrence Island. St. Lawrence Island is located in the Bering Sea between Alaska and Russia. Carving is a rich tradition for the Native Alaskan people on St. Lawrence Island, it helps sustain their proud culture and way of life in a very remote and harsh part of the world.

Carson’s father, Conrad, taught carving at the high school and encouraged his son to start carving at a young age. Initially Carson was limited to the use of hand tools, because he did not have access to electricity. Later when electricity was available to him, he began using electric tools. This greatly increased his production.

The materials Carson uses in his art include walrus ivory, baleen, fossilized whalebone and walrus jawbone, some of which is either dug up or found washed up on beaches after storms. He hunts walrus and polar bear and uses the fur and tusks for his artwork while the meat provides nourishment for his family. The Eskimo people have a oneness with the animals, and when an animal must be killed for their existence nothing is wasted.

Today Carson is considered a master carver and is known for his tufted puffins carved from walrus ivory and his whalebone ceremonial masks with polar bear framed faces and inlaid baleen eyes.