Family and friends remember Kotzebue photographer who died last month

A Kotzebue photographer who documented life in the region for several decades died last month.

Jim Asuaq Evak captured life and people around him from the time he was in high school to his last days, photographing snowmachine and mushing races, Fourth of July events and Indigenous pageants, his sister Lottie Jones said.

“He enjoyed taking pictures of local people in surrounding villages, at his jobs and anywhere he traveled. He also shared his traditional knowledge through photography,” Jones said. “He was a friend to many, sharing his hearty laugh and personality. He will be deeply missed by the community and family.”

Born in 1955 to John and Sarah Evak in Kotzebue, Evak grew up in a family of 13 children and attended Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka.

“In earlier years, he was a prankster and loved joking around,” Jones said. “He was always smiling or laughing about what he’s going to do.”

Evak’s high school classmate and lifelong friend Cheryl Gallahorn Edenshaw remembered Evak as curious, intelligent, quick to learn and pleasant to talk with. She said she always enjoyed his sense of humor.

“It takes a special person who at the end of your conversations leaves you feeling positive,” Edenshaw said. “Jimmy had a gift for connecting with people, telling stories.”

High school was the time when Evak learned how to take and develop pictures and started photographing community events, Edenshaw said.

As a teenager, Evak worked as a stockboy at Hanson’s Trading Co., and after that, tried his hand in various local organizations, including Maniilaq Association, Northwest Inupiat Housing Authority, Native Village of Kotzebue, Northwest Arctic Borough, Red Dog, Bornite and other places in Nome and Anchorage, Jones said.

“He was always a dedicated hard worker,” Jones said. “I went to him with technical questions about anything.”

Evak became a certified Journeyman Carpenter and, aside from his main job, took on various projects in Kotzebue and across the region. For example, he made caskets and grave markers for people he knew.

In 2015, he helped build a new church in Kivalina, said Kivalina resident and Evak’s friend Millie Hawley. With his friendly attitude, Evak spoke and joked with everyone he came across in the village and built long-lasting friendships, she said.

“He came to our village and volunteered his time and his efforts and stayed at my home,” Hawley said. “He remained in contact with our family, the community and the church over the years, developed a lot of close relationships.”

Evak loved seasonal fishing and other subsistence activities, sharing his catches with friends and family across the state.

“He was always very giving, he shared his Native food not only with our family, but with the community. Every year, they have sheefishing out of Kotzebue, and he would catch a whole bunch of them, and send them to Kivalina,” Hawley said. “Whatever he could share, he would share with the people.”

Jimmy continued taking photos during his life, whether of family, friends, or strangers-soon-to-be friends, Edenshaw said.

He also actively documented racing and dog mushing events in the local communities.

Fallon Fairbanks became friends with Evak over the years volunteering with different dog mushing activities, snowmachine races and community events.

“Jim was always encouraging and thankful. He would tell me often how important volunteers are in our communities, and that’s something that I’ll always remember,” she said. “He was a kind and humble man who was always tinkering with something. He’s one of the people who always made my hometown feel like home and he will certainly be missed.”

An avid photographer, Evak documented not only the community but birds and other things he observed in the natural world, said Brittany Larsen Sweeney, assistant manager at the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge. Sweeney said she always enjoyed interactions with Evak and “was delighted when he agreed to be a guest on the USFWS podcast ‘Fish of the week.’”

“He was a consistently friendly and kind person with an understated sense of humor,” Sweeney said. “He was generous with his photos, his time, and was a humble guy.”

On July 10, Evak had surgery and unexpectedly died, Jones said. He left behind two sons and two daughters, the mother of his children and his siblings.

“Jimmy’s untimely passing is a significant loss,” Edenshaw said. “He is missed by many.”