When she isn’t on campus at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) in Juneau, Dr. Mique’l Dangeli may sometimes be seen at various venues around the country performing with Git Hayetsk (People of the Copper Shield), an internationally renowned Northwest Coast First Nations maskdancing group.
Dangeli, who is of the Tsimshian Nation of Metlakatla, Alaska, is one of the group’s leaders along with her husband Mike Dangeli, a Nisga’a artist and carver.
Dangeli is not only a dedicated scholar of Northwest Coast culture and art; she is also an avid practitioner. Raised on the Annette Island Indian Reserve, from an early age in elementary school, Dangeli says she began learning the language, art and dances of her people. At age 16, Dangeli says, she met her mentor and adviser, Dr. Robin K. Wright, former curator of Native American art at the Burke Museum and a professor of art history at the University of Washington, who was visiting her community.
“That was the biggest game-changer for me,” Dangeli recalls. “At age 16, I didn’t even know what a Ph.D. was .... But the moment I met her and they said she had a Ph.D., I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
In her current position, Dangeli says she is working to create an environment at UAS that will encompass the creative arts that will be taught, displayed and performed there. “I want to organize the building of a center that is focused on Northwest Coast art here at UAS — that would be my immediate goal, for our carvers, our weavers and for all the different mediums ... including new media/digital technology.”
The center will house the Northwest Coast art program that Dangeli is expanding at UAS.
She says the program is currently only offered as an occupational endorsement or a certificate, but she hopes that will change soon.
