Native American Biography: Mabel Pike, Bead and Moccasin Maker

Mabel Pike is from Alaska, Tlingit and a sewer of beads and moccasins.  Her moccasins are warm ones, with fur on the inside, and decorated with beadwork.  Her grandmother taught her to bead at age six.  she was a Native American master artist.  She taught at the University of Alaska Anchorage and also at the Anchorage Museum.  She would also travel to Stanford University in California where she would serve as an artist in residence where she would guide hundreds of students in the process of making moccasins.  She also taught in local high schools.  She would help keep her language and native customs alive.  She was a board member of the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage.  She was active until she passed away in 2012 at the age of 92.

Information taken from Notable Native People by Adrienne Keene.