Wilson Ifkaaqu Okoomealingok

Wilson Ifkaaqu Okoomealingok, Siberian Yupik, was born on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, January 13, 1944.  Wilson lives near his family in the small village of Savoonga, Alaska located on the Bering Sea between Nome, Alaska and the Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. 

Raised with Siberian Yupik cultural values and in the tradition of his ancestors, Wilson hunts walrus primarily for food and uses the ivory to create his wonderful carvings. He learned to carve ivory and whalebone as a small boy by watching his elders use traditional tools such as bow drills, hand files, and axes.  It is believed that the spirit of the animal would take form during the crafting.

Wilson’s work is noted for powerful detail and lifelike scenes depicting maternal love in birds and animals.  Whenever possible, he works with new ivory from the inside of the skull of the walrus, which is protected from the elements, and therefore it has no check marks. He also uses baleen from the bowhead whale inlaid for the eyes of his subjects.

Wilson’s work has gained recognition and he is considered among the best of the collectible Yupik carvers.