Shem Rose Koonooka

Shem Rose Koonooka is a Yupik fur and skin sewer and culture bearer from Gambell, Alaska. When Shem Rose was very small her mother introduced her to sewing. Unfortunately, her mother passed away, so a young Shem Rose pursued her love and interest in sewing by watching village elders and teaching herself to use traditional Yupik materials and techniques to create clothing. Many of the materials she uses come from her subsistence lifestyle.

Shem Rose loves to sew and teach. She has been teaching high school students and adults for over 21 years. Through the Northwest Campus, part of the College of Rural and Community at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Gambell campus, she taught a course on sewing women’s style qiipaghaq (kuspuks) and a course on sewing men’s style qiipaghaq.

Her work with high school students in Sivuqaq (Gambell) making traditional clothing is inspiring. The students worked sewing parkas, warm-coats made with a variety of fabrics and furs. This was a huge undertaking for these young people and came after a year of independent and collaborative sewing projects in which their classes produced many smaller articles of traditional dress. Shem Rose patiently and successfully guided her students through the process, sharing intergenerational cultural sewing practices. She also teaches Home Economic and Bilingual classes. 

“As I keep sewing and teaching, I still learn new things as I go on. I live where we depend on the great big sea for survival and land as well. I hope everyone likes the Polar Bear and Wolverine mittens I made.” – Shem Rose Koonooka