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Photo by Eric Engman

Photo by Eric Engman

FAIRBANKS — Thinking about the moment her daughter, Miralynn David, walked out into the arena dressed in her hand-made Koyukon Athabascan traditional skin garb, Ginger Kennedy Placeres began to fight back the tears.

The emotion brimmed when the announcer of the Native Baby Contest, part of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, read the appreciation Placeres offered to her family members for their contribution to the moose hide and beaded attire.

“It meant so much to get to say thank you to my family for all of their help with ideas and input,” she said, giving a nod to nearby aunts, cousins and her mother.

David was one of 23 babies to participate in the contest, which judges Native youth garments in the categories of fur, skin and cloth. She was Placeres’ first and only daughter to compete, but past generations her family have taken part.

“My mother was an only daughter, I was an only daughter and Mira is an only daughter, so this meant a lot. It is really precious and something I’ve waited for for a long time,” the proud mother said as her daughter sucked on a pacifier bearing a piece of moose skin and beadwork that matched the rest of her attire.

David was also supported by her father, Chad David of Tetlin and Eagle; her grandparents, Marilyn and Earl Adams, and Jim Le Tourneau. She is also the granddaughter of the late Myra David of Tok.

Like many of her fellow contestants, David donned clothing hand-made by her family. Placeres spent upwards of 70 hours on the dress, which was made from moose skin and accented by beaver fur trim, ermine tassels and seed beads. David’s maternal family is Koyukon Athabascan, and the beadwork reflects the traditional “old style” of work her mother is known for. Placeres noted in her written description that “the colors reflect the playfulness and originality of the Koyukon style.” Koyukon artists generally don’t mimic or copy flowers from nature, she continued, but “celebrate color through contrasting and detail in the embellishments.” Maintaining that ideal and spending strict attention to detail throughout her work — she started the dress in January, she said — was not the hardest part of the contest experience.

“This (waiting in line and competing) was much harder than sewing,” she said.

As each contestant walked, stumbled or was carried by a family member across the arena during the competition, many oohs and aahhs could be heard from the crowd, along with clapping and cheering for their favorites. Many mothers, fathers or grandparents who accompanied contestants — who had to be 24 months or younger — wore attire that matched that of their contestant. All wore proud smiles.

“It is such a wonderful moment. It is a long process, but it gives me so much more satisfaction just to be here with the project completed than anything else,” she said. “This is the icing on the cake to be able to be here and participate.”

Audience members listened to short biographies and descriptions the of babies’ attire, which were elaborate constructions of various furs — moose, beaver, otter, muskrat and others — hides, beads and other decor that no doubt required hours and hours of work and determination. In many cases, family members including aunts, grandmothers, cousins, mothers and great-grandmothers, as well as family friends, contributed to the many elements of the costumes, boosting the significance of the display. Placeres said she made her daughter’s dress with the knowledge it would only be worn a few times and kept as a treasured heirloom.

“I am going to take some pictures of her in a wooded area and along the Chena River bank and make postcards out of them,” she said. “Then I will probably display it under some plexiglass and save it, hopefully for her daughter to wear someday.”

Some contestants donned dresses or furs their relatives wore long ago. All displayed various accessories, some as simple as beaded hair ties and others as elaborate as traditional hunting tools and moose-skin drums. David’s dress included pink, turquoise, blue and magenta beadwork flowers identical to those on her belt, hemline, collar and slippers. The flowers were accented with red and green foliage and embellished with red and white. Placeres said she used old photographs from a “Northern Athabascan Art” book to help plan the design. The dress was made to resemble the Koyukon style as closely as possible, but the tasslework is contemporary and consistent with Placeres’ “flair for bright colors and contrast,” she noted.

In addition to the pride of watching youth in the spotlight adorned in traditional costume, Placeres and others suggested the camaraderie and sense of cultural appreciation, an element profoundly apparent in all WEIO events, is among the most rewarding parts of the contest.

“I knew many of the parents here. There is a lot of appreciation for other people’s garments and participation,” she said.

Contestants made a second parade through the arena during ceremonies last night, before the winners were announced.