Early on the morning of October 5, 2026, I woke up thinking about my firsts. When did I publish my first blog? When did I start sharing my artwork on Facebook, Linkedin etc? What about my websites, my first product, and my first YouTube video?
I am Fred Fulmer, a Tlingit artist, Elder, and Cultural Bearer. Looking back through these records is another part of documenting my journey as an artist, carver, helping keep the tradition going and all those important cultural ways evolving into the future.
Read the story of my Traveling Kooteeya/Totem Pole, pictured in this post’s featured image.
In this post’s featured picture, I am standing to the left of my Traveling Kooteeya/Totem Pole. Its story began before my first blog in 2009, so it belongs here among the earlier chapters of My Firsts. After its travels, this totem pole has found its final resting place at my brother’s home.
My carving journal: September 29, 2009
The earliest surviving post in my fredfulmer.blogspot.com archive is titled “Fred Fulmer Tlingit Carver,” dated September 29, 2009. It is a place to return to as I trace the beginning of my online art journal. The Gonakadet Totem pole I actually did earlier than 2009. But it still represents part of my journey and the Raven Opened My Eyes mask as well.
Yeil/Raven opened my eyes old growth red cedar mask Carved 2000 priovate collection
My “Raven Opened My Eyes” mask sold through a gallery owned and operated by the Samish Native community in the Samish area near Bellingham, Washington.
When we lived in Juanita by rthe creek house. Ivy and I had our children and as it goes sometimes being a parent is difficult as any thing we do in our lives. Well one of our daughters was experiencing a difficult time and came to talk to her mom and I. One of the things I realized from this time is that our kids can come to us for support and sometimes as parents we are looked at as having all the answers to living and sometime we don't have all the answers and we learn from our children more than we think. So going through this experience I seen this mask starting to develope in my mind. I was trying to figure out what is it that I see. Because I seen these fingers covering eyes. then when I realized that they were my Eyes, I was able to see the whole mask. My daughter is of the Raven moiety in the Tlingit way. So like the title says my daughter opened my eyes during this challanging time. Thus the mask title "Raven Opened My Eyes" I sure miss this mask.
My 6ft Tall Yellow Cedar Gonakadet Story My Carved Version 2000 is in a private collection.
My 6-foot yellow cedar Gonakadet sold through a gallery in Skagway, Alaska, and is now in a private collection.
I remember seeing Totem Poles that were carved and in one of the books I was looking through there was a picture of the Gonakadet Story. The Haida srory was called Wasco. The Tlingit version is Gonakadt. This book had listed this Totem pole as one of the most carved Totem stories. So I was inspired to carve my own version. I was carving with Ralph Bennett at a studio he was renting after the Haida House also called the Dudley Carter house in Redmond Washington along the Redmond Slough. Anyways I got this 6ft tall yellow cedar log and started to carve my version. Ralph helped me with adding the Yeil/Ravens Beak. The Totem figures are : top figure is a Yeil/Raven, bottom figure is the Sea Monster holding Gonakadet represented by a face. And there is a split whale design on the Fluke tail that is folded up at the bottom of the Totem. I also carved a small totem with my Clan Uncle Ray Nielsen Sr in 1994. Ray called it "The Wicked Mother-In- Law pole" But the story was the Gonakadet one. I really got my first start on the path to carving with my Clan Uncle Ray Nielsen Sr. and the Gonakadet-Wicked Mother-in-law totem was my 2nd totem. I carved 4 o fthem. If I remember right the first 3 I gave away as gifts and the 4th one I kept for myself. My Uncle gave me some good advice, he said "Don't sell or gift away everything you carve" keep a piece here a there along the way. That way you'll have pieces that will show your journey as a carver-artist. Plus a good way to see your progress as a carver.
12 In Tall Gonakadet-Wicked Mother Inlaw 4th edition one
Read my original 2009 post: Fred Fulmer Tlingit Carver
Saat-Kaa Tlingit Art: May 8, 2016
My Saat-Kaa Tlingit Art Facebook profile shows a creation date of May 8, 2016. This is the profile where I shared pictures of my artwork. I am still looking for the earliest artwork post and photo upload, because the profile creation date and the first post are not necessarily the same.
Here is a video link from that Facebook archive. I am gathering these older records as part of my history; I have not yet established this video's original posting date.
Got these masks back 9/5/18 on FB Saat-Kaa Tlingit Art- Profile
The three masks at the bottom of this table photo, the Octopus mask, the Female Shaman mask with cedar-bark hair, and the small Eagle mask, sold through Stonington Gallery in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.
The two upper masks above the hat in the center of this table photo, the Raven on the left and the small Spirit mask with the split white-and-green painted face, sold through my website.
The hat in the center of the table and the mask immediately to its left remain in my own collection.
I wasn't able to get into my FB profile after the BIG internet crash in 2018. So I am transferring picture and posts along with videos from when we were living up in Juneau. This picture above is when I finally got ,my artwork back from a gallery in Santa Fe. Some of my artwork was stolen and funds along with them didn't make it back to me. The cedar hat in the middle of the picture wasn't with these hats in Santa Fe. I had it with me in Juneau. But I was Happy this body of work made it home. They represent a lot of hours of sweat equity in that creation process of being an Artist/Carver not to mention the dollar value as well.
Watch the video from my Saat-Kaa Tlingit Art Facebook archive
My websites and the Shopify chapter
I had two websites through GoDaddy, including fredfulmertlingitartist.com and my current website address. I eventually took the Tlingit Artist site down because it cost money to keep up and did not have what my Shopify store offers. I am still working out the launch dates for those earlier websites.
My current Shopify store was created on September 27, 2022. That is the beginning of this store's record, not necessarily the date of my first website or its public launch.
Glacier Bay Winter Moon Yellow Cedar Mask In Private Collection
My Glacier Bay Winter Moon yellow cedar mask sold through Stonington Gallery in Seattle’s Pioneer Square and is now in a private collection.
I had an idea to make a moon mask out of yellow cedar one day. This mask is 2 pieces glued together to make it one. I carved the mask first and as I was carving and thinking about what it is going to look like, meaning what the finished face was going to have when painted. I decided to have Glacier Blue colors and call it Glacier Bay Winter Moon. So Dark Blue and Light Blue became the colors for the Winter Season. As I was carving the moons face I pictured the moon blowing cold freezing winter air from its mouth. The fine lines on the face represents the wind and the white hair coming out of the mouth represents Frost. So the moon comes out at night. Here's what came to my mind when I get in that creative zone. Looking at the moon mask from top to bottom reads like this: The operculum shells above the moons face represent Snow and working downward the next light blue color represents the Wind blowing, then there are 3 stars represented by those 3 carved white area not painted, 2 below the wind on both sides of the moon face and 1 star below the mouth at center of the moon mask, and those 2 upside down faces looking downward represent Icebergs floating in Glacier Bay.
So I say this mask represents this concept. The Glacier Bay Winter Moon looks down and smiles at the Icebergs floating in the Bay on a Wintery Night as it Snows and the wind is blowing and the Stars are out.
The earliest-created product still in my store is “Glacierbay Winter Moon Mask - Native Fridge Magnet,” created and published on September 28, 2022.
My Shopify blog records have their own beginnings too. The Spirit of Siteeyi Gheeyi/Glacier Bay article was created on January 31, 2023. The earliest publication date currently recorded among my articles is September 22, 2023, for the story of how the Chookaneidee earned the rights to use the Na'akw/Devilfish as a clan crest. These are the dates in today's records; they do not settle every question about original publication.
Explore my Tlingit artwork in my store and see how the carving journey continues today.
My video journal keeps growing
As of October 4, 2026, my YouTube library is my journey and has become like a diary or journal. I like being behind the lense as much as I like carving or creating art. I have 1,225 videos to date. More videos and I continue to optimize the backlog. I am still looking for the date and title of my first YouTube upload.
Explore my video journal on YouTube. Follow the carving, travel, and everyday memories, and subscribe to continue the journey with me.
My Season 3, 2026 videos are my journal and diary. Not all of them will get many views, but views were not my reason for documenting the season. The travel, cultural work, carving, everyday moments, and coming home to Ivy all belong in the story.
This is a living record. As I find more of my firsts, I can return here and add them, connecting the older artwork and memories with the work I am doing today.
Continue exploring my carving stories, connecting the artwork, memories, and seasons that are part of my journey.
