I grew up in Girdwood, Alaska – a small town about 50 kilometres
south of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. I’m half Inupiaq; my
father’s side of the family is from Kivalina, Alaska, and my mother’s
side comes from Wisconsin and Seattle in the US. In 2003, after
graduating high school, I got a job as a photographer’s assistant.
I’ve been taking photos ever since.
Conversations about the I AM INUITproject began in 2015. Kelly
Eningowuk of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska contacted me;
she’d seen my book, I AM ALASKAN, and knew I was Inuit myself.
She wanted to discuss what it would take to create a body of work
similar to the format of Humans of New York, but focused on
Alaskan Inuit. The idea was to launch on social media, then create
a travelling exhibit and book. I put together a realistic budget,
then, three months later, Kelly called me to let me know she’d
received the first grant money to start the project.
The mission statement for I AM INUITis to “connect the world
with Inuit people through common humanity”. I think it’s extremely
important for indigenous people and communities to tell their
own stories. I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian town,
detached from my Inupiaq roots. Growing up, my family was the
Eskimo family, and I felt like I was supposed to know everything
about my culture, even though my father’s home village was
nearly 1000 kilometres away. Over the past 10 years, I’ve been
reconnecting with my family’s roots and growing a better
understanding of my own culture.
I shot this project for a year and three months, visiting 20 villages
in north and north-western Alaska. It’s a big state and not all the
communities are accessible by road, so you have to fly everywhere.
Every time I landed in a village, the first thing I’d do was walk
through the whole town. I don’t like overly posed portraits or staged
things, so most of the photos were taken while out on those walks.
Conversations with my subjects could have lasted a few minutes
or a couple of hours, but some of the portraits came after spending
days with the subjects and their families.Only about five people declined me the entire time I was shooting.
After 14 years of photographing people on the street, it’s easier
to read if someone is willing or in the mood to give you a portrait
or talk about themselves. It’s a lot to ask, so I’m very appreciative
to everyone who chose to be part of the project. In Kaktovik
especially, I feel like I made a lot of lifelong friends. I’m hoping
to go back there soon.I love Alaska. I love the smells, the thick moss and heavy woods.
Most villages are on the coast or on a river for fresh water.
Location is everything, because they have to live off what the land
provides. Sure, you can buy a TV dinner at the store, but it quickly
loses its appeal when it’s next to fresh berries, salmon or caribou.
The main challenge of shooting in Alaska was the light – the sun
stays up forever in the summer, but in the winter it can last for
less than a couple of hours.My goal for this project was to share with the world what real Inuit
life is like today. Not what reality TV shows say we are, or the old
history books written by white men said we were – what we are,
here, now. Despite decades of historical trauma and abuse, we’re
still here and continuing what people tried to beat out of us. I’m
really proud of where I come from and the people who got me
here, and I want my kids to be proud of that, too.alaskan photographer brian caleb adams
captured real life, culture and friendly
folks in his arctic home.
i am inuit
around the world