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Rebekah Gidinatiy Hartman
Tell us about yourself.
Ade’. Rebekah Gidinatiy Hartman si’ezre’. Fairbanks dhisdo. Wasilla xist'anh. Deg Xit’an itlanh. Singonh Angela Hartman vi’ezre’. Sito’ Mike Hartman vi’ezre’. Sitse’ Alice Demientieff vi’ezre’. Sitsiy Rudy Demientieff vi’ezre’. Hello. My name is Rebekah Gidinatiy Hartman. I live in Fairbanks. I’m from Wasilla. I am Deg Xit’an. My mother is Angela Hartman. My father is Mike Hartman. My grandmother is Alice Demientieff. My grandfather is Rudy Demientieff.
I am an artist and my artwork revolves around language revitalization. This started three years ago when I started learning my Native language Deg Xinag. I wanted to create images along with the words I was learning. Then when I went for my Bachelors of Fine Arts I knew that my thesis would be about revitalizing my Native language. My BFA thesis was Dinayetr "Our Breath": Deg Xinag Language Revitalization.
What doors has UAF opened for you?
UAF has been incredibly helpful for learning my Native language. It was here that I was able to take Gwich'in and Athabascan Linguistics. Both of these classes helped me learn Deg Xinag in the long run. Gwich’in helped me learn Deg Xinag because they are both Athabascan languages and once you learn the structures of one it is easier to learn the structure of another Athabascan language. Additionally it was here that I was able to figure out my artistic path in life. When I started my BFA thesis work on language revitalization I knew then I wanted to create more art around preservation of Native languages.
What extra curricular activities are you involved with and why are they important to you?
My junior year I joined the Alaska Native Social Workers Association (ANSWA). We worked to make a positive change in Native communities. The members of the club are amazing people. I know that they are there to help me when needed. I always love to give back to my community and this was a wonderful way to do so.
What motivates you to do well at UAF?
My own desire is to learn more about the world and about myself. I love taking classes and learning all I can from them. My classes are helping me move towards the artist career I want in life.
What are some of the challenges you've faced as a student at UAF and how have you overcome them?
There are many times in each semester that my anxiety becomes overwhelming and my mental health takes a negative turn. I found it hard at these times to even tell my friends what I was going through. What helped me out was health and counselling. I absolutely loved my counselor. She was able to help me process my thoughts and feelings and I could tell that she cared about my wellbeing. Every time I came back from counselling I felt a million times better. It helped me through my darkest parts of each semester.
Do you have any advice for your fellow students?
Make sure you take care of yourself and your mental health first.
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