Meet Jewels Gilbert, the Native Artist Behind Beautiful Arctic Beadwork

Above the Arctic Circle, where the temperature plumets below zero and darkness abounds for months, the art of Indigenous beading sustains the resilience of the Alaskan Gwich’in Athabaskan culture.

Jewels Gilbert is a member of the Neets’aii Gwich’in (translated to those who dwell in the north). She lives in Arctic Village, Alaska (aka Vashrąįį Kʼǫǫ, in the Gwich’in language), which has approximately 150 inhabitants and is located above the Arctic Circle. Jewels currently works with the Arctic Village Tribal Council. As a young child Jewels was raised in a traditional Gwich’in home by her grandparents and father, Gregory Gilbert. She admits she is not a fluent Gwich’in language speaker but understands the language and hopes to one day attain fluency. She has been immersed since a young age making Athabaskan beadwork, sewing traditional clothing, hunting, fishing and berry picking for subsistence just as her ancestors did. Along with these talents, she was taught to respect what she harvests and makes from her sacred, ancestral homelands. She believes it is important to keep her traditions alive by practicing these traditions in modern times, because the way she lives allows Gwich’in culture to continue and honors the spirits of those who have gone before her. To Jewels, “We are the Indigenous people continuously living on our homelands and we are still practicing our living cultural heritage.”

In the following interview, we invited Jewels to share her background with us.

What tribal group are you affiliated with and where do your people reside?

I am Neets’aii Gwich’in from Arctic Village, nestled in the Brooks Range of northeast interior of Alaska. 

How did the art of beadwork come to your people?

I believe the vision of our artwork is what we have seen and acquired from the beauty in life. This is truly inspiration taken from the beauty of our culture, land, and animals. 

How old were you when you became interested in beading?

I was about 8 or 9 years old when I became interested in beading.

Who were the people who influenced and inspired you to become a traditional bead worker?

What inspired me to learn is I saw my grandmother bead and sew throughout the day. Her work, talent, and the outcome of a project was always beautiful to me. 

“All I could think of is little Jewels bothering my grandma while she’s beading, getting into her beads and moose skin. All because I wanted to learn.”

Why is your traditional beadwork important to the continuance of your culture and heritage?

Fur hats, gloves, beaver mitts made from the fur of our animals keep us warm in winter. The store-bought clothing isn’t as warm. The ruff outer facing on our parkas are made from wolf and wolverine. Wolverine fur always protects my face because it doesn’t frost up. The meaning and beauty of our Native artwork and clothing is what inspired me because of its importance to who we are as Gwich’in. The vision of Native people shines through the beauty of our beadwork. This shows our pride as Native Americans. 

What can you tell me about the land you live in that is important to the survival of your people?

We value our natural resources. The clean water, the natural plants our animals eat, and the hunting and harvesting grounds are known to us from many generations back. We still live and carry the knowledge and skills of our grandparents and the connection we have with the land. We know the animals of our land, their behavior, and signs. We were always taught don’t kill more than what you eat, just like wolf. Since the beginning of time, our people depended on caribou for our main food source, its fur for clothing, bones for tools to survive to make canoes, fish spears, etc. Our people journeyed and never stayed in one place to survive. We changed locations with the seasons.

What is it like growing up in a remote Alaskan village?

Growing up in a small village, we are surrounded by wildlife. Growing up here on the land and surrounded by traditional elders is a lot of fun. We are always outdoors hunting, fishing, picking berries, building fires, and telling stories. This builds our connection to our cultural heritage. 

What are your people most known for?

We are known as “Gwich’in people of the porcupine caribou herd.” 

What cultural events do you participate in?

I participate in our Gwich’in traditional drum dance and singing. 

Is there any advice you can give to young Natives who have a desire to bead?

As Native people, our gift is art. Pick up that needle. Bead your talent and gift. Our people always liked to dress up and show our pride. 

Is there anything else you would like to add to your interview?

Thank you for choosing me to share my knowledge and what beading means to me. 

Dennis Zotigh | Read More

Dennis W. Zotigh (Kiowa/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo/Isanti Dakota Indian) is a member of the Kiowa Gourd Clan and San Juan Pueblo Winter Clan and a descendant of Sitting Bear and No Retreat, both principal war chiefs of the Kiowas. Dennis works as a writer and cultural specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.