swaia Team

Cingarkaq Devine is an Alaska Native Yup’ik from the small village of Atmautluak, Alaska that sits on the Pitmiktakik River. She spent her youth living the subsistence lifestyle with summers spent at her family fish camp on the Kuskokwim River, processing salmon and picking berries on the tundra. Fall was spent harvesting moose meat and winters were spent ice fishing and trading traditional foods with family and friends along the coast. Learning English at the age of 8, she was introduced to the traditional school system in Bethel before moving on to the Mt. Edgecumbe boarding school in Sitka. She spent time traveling around the globe and studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alaska before making her move down to Santa Fe. She is currently finishing her Engineering degree at the Northern New Mexico College in Engineering Technology. She loves to spend her free time making pottery, doing yoga, and camping with her husband, 2 children and her husky Kiska. She has fallen in love with New Mexico and connecting with the inspiring Indigenous folks here in Indian Country. Art is woven into our way of life as Indigenous people, sometimes for survival but also to thrive and connect with nature and our ancestors. After experiencing Indian Market and modeling her best friends Iñupiaq fashion designs, SWAIA became a favorite event and a time of gathering with new and old friends. When the opportunity to become a member of the SWAIA team, Cingarkaq was thrilled and has felt right at home. She is building a digital environment where we at SWAIA can become more efficient with what we do so we can better serve our people.