About Jill

Jill Lipka is the exhibits coordinator at the Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository in Kodiak, Alaska. Beyond designing and fabricating onsite and traveling museum exhibits and working with village high school students in the Museum’s Traveling Traditions Program, Jill also assists with archaeological field work, excavating and serving as the crew’s data control specialist. Her 2010 excavations include the King Salmon River Penguq site (UGA-050) on the Alaska Peninsula, the Mikt’sqaaq Angayuk site on Cliff Point (Kodiak), and the Cape Alitak Petroglyph survey.

For Jill, the line between work and personal interests is blurred. On weekends and evenings she often finds herself researching and utilizing information on everything from bear skull cleaning to the gathering and use of natural pigments and dyes. Inspired by Alutiiq Elders, she is learning to sew bear gut and make fish skin leather. Kodiak Island has been her home for the past ten years and she feels a deep connection to the land and the real people she has met along the way. Jill also enjoys exploring near-by islands via qayaq, hiking, backpacking, and is a member of the Kodiak Storm, a women’s ice hockey team. Happily married with two grown sons, Jill also has an adorable five year old grand-daughter whom already has experience with a trowel.