THE WHALE AND THE CUPCAKE REVISITED: STORIES OF NIQIPIAQ (NATIVE FOOD) AND IÑUPIAT SOVEREIGNTY IN ARCTIC ALASKA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Inspired by Julia O’Malley’s The Whale and the Cupcake (2019), which portrays the contemporary foodscape in Alaska, this study explores Alaska Native foodways as a source of future cultural resiliency to cope with increasing climatic and socio-environmental uncertainties. Foregrounding the importance of niqipiaq (Native food or “real food” in Iñupiatun), this article investigates the interplay of the tradition and renovation of the Iñupiat foodscape in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. In so doing, this article sheds light on the potential of niqipiaq—both its types and provenance—that contributes to the future of Iñupiat sovereignty. While tradition remains the foundation of Iñupiat identity, the diversifying list of niqipiaq today exemplifies the elasticity of Iñupiat values infused in modernity. The juxtaposition of these food items—both the old and new—provides a window into interlinked social and environmental crises, and attempts to solve them through conscious and unconscious adjustments on the community level, which enhances the sense of community sheltered by hope.