Agnes Thompson was born and raised in Atka, Alaska in 1947, right after the devastation from WWII had ripped through the Aleut community.
Like many, she attended boarding school and then took college classes in Anchorage. Even for a village girl, she adapted well to the big city. In her early twenties, she acquired her pilot’s license and completed more than 100 skydiving jumps!
She soon met and married Harvey J. Thompson. They raised their 6 children between Anchorage and their summer fish camp, where Agnes ran her own boat and setnet fishing permit for over 20 years. Agnes always reminisces about those days being the best times of her life. She taught her children the value of hard work.
She has always been a devout Russian Orthodox. Agnes played an integral role in the building of St. Innocent’s Orthodox Cathedral in Anchorage, where she served as the Sisterhood Secretary for many years, working closely with Father Nicholas Harris and Mary Bourdokofsky. After her husband’s passing in 1995, Agnes went back to college at the age of 53.
Congratulations Agnes!
Agnes learned basket weaving from her mother, Olean Prokopeuff, but also learned and mastered techniques under her Godmother, Jenny Golley, and her aunt, Pariscovia Wright. She always reserved time for her love of basket weaving, no matter how stressed or crazy life got, you could often find her at home, weaving peacefully among the chaos. Her passion for art, especially teaching it to others, only continues to grow. She remains active in the Unangax̂ community and teaches at several culture camps.
