Mabel Pike

Tlingit Master Artist Mabel Pike, 86, was born and raised in Douglas, Alaska, and is a recognized Alaska Native Elder by her people. She has four sisters and three brothers. She and her husband Joseph Pike had five children and 12 grandchildren, all living in Alaska. This lifelong Alaskan is Tlingit of the Raven moiety, clan of Gaanaxteidi. Her roots go back to the Klukwan Whale House. She and Joe lived in Tanana and in Bethel before moving to Anchorage in the early 1970s.

During her time in Anchorage, she has been involved in the following:

She taught beadwork at the predecessor organization to CITC, the Cook Inlet Native Association.
Quite by accident, after having been asked for a pair of slippers for CINA to present to as a gift to a guest, she was asked to share a table to sell crafts during the Fur Rondy. This led to her and two others being asked to coordinate the All-Alaska Native Arts and Crafts fair for the Fur Rondy which started with about 60 artists and grew to over 100 participants. As a result of her volunteer work with this project, she was named the Fur Rondy’s Lady Trapper.
She has lectured and taught at the University of Alaska over the years and has a nine consecutive-year period from 1990 to 1999 and the last two years at the Stanford University about beading and the Tlingit culture. She donated supplies to the students and has seen some of the most beautiful patterns come out of the students at Stanford.
She also taught beadwork at the Anchorage Museum and was a founding member of the TAHETA Arts and Cultural group.
She also taught beadwork and culture to preschool to high schools students for the ASD Indian Ed program and had the opportunity to speak to students throughout the Anchorage bowl.
She was also active with the Artists in Schools and again was able to visit communities outside of Anchorage including Chenega, Kodiak, Edna Bay and Togiak.
She has been involved with the Alaska Native Heritage Center since the early days of Lydia Hayes seeking opinions and reactions about such a facility and has served on the Board since its inception.