“When the opportunity presents itself, you take it”: Iñupiaq language teacher in popular Netflix show

Jamie Sikkattuaq Harcharek has never taken acting classes or acted in a play. This month, the Iñupiaq teacher from Utqiaġvik made her film debut in the Emmy-winning Netflix series “Sweet Tooth.”

“I live in Utqiaġvik,” she said. “Up here, when the opportunity arises, you take it.”

Harcharek appears in “Sweet Tooth”, a fantasy series developed by Jim Mickle, Robert Downey Jr. and others and based on a comic book by Jeff Lemire. The series first streamed in 2021 and the third and final season premiered on June 6, ranking in the top 10 Netflix series for several weeks.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world following a global pandemic, the series tells the story of a boy named Gus, who is half human, half deer. Gus is searching for his family and home, and in the latest season his journey takes him to Alaska.

To give audiences a glimpse into the history of “hybrids” like Gus, the show travels back in time to the 1900s and introduces Harcharek’s character Ikiaq, which means “a split between two” in Iñupiaq. Ikiaq is the mother of the first hybrid known as the Caribou Man, named Munaqsriri.

Harcharek was an Iñupiaq language and history teacher at Fred Ipalook Elementary School for several years and is now a student services cultural specialist and adjunct instructor of Iñupiaq language at Iḷisaġvik College. She said her students reached out to her after seeing her in “Sweet Tooth.”

“It was sweet to see the beaming faces of former students and hear, ‘Iḷisaurri (teacher) Sikkattuaq, I saw you on Netflix!'” she said. “I hope it gives them courage and strength to pursue their own passions.

“What I did opened another door to ensure that future generations can see someone who looks like them and who speaks the language of our ancestors,” Harcharek said of her role.

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The power of the Iñupiaq language

Harcharek’s character Ikiaq speaks and sings in Iñupiaq during the show, and Harcharek said her language skills played a role in getting her the role.

Harcharek was born and raised in Anchorage, and her family is from Point Lay. Her grandmother, Lucy Aagluaq Inks, was fluent in Iñupiaq, but after living through the residential school era, she preferred to speak English around her children and grandchildren so they “wouldn’t have to go through what she went through,” Harcharek said. As a child, Harcharek would hide in the house to listen to her grandmother speaking her native language.

About 18 years ago, Harcharek married Qaiyaan Harcharek and moved to Utqiaġvik. Together they have four children and are teaching them the Iñupiaq language and traditional customs.

“I am fortunate to live in both worlds, and so are my children,” she said.

Harcharek began teaching Iñupiaq and history at Fred Ipalook Elementary School in Utqiaġvik in 2015. As a teacher, she said, she works hard to ensure her students learn to introduce themselves in Iñupiaq so they can display their cultural identity with pride.

“I want to make sure I set an example for generations to come to understand that who you are matters. It really matters where you come from so you can better know where you’re going to be in the future,” she said.

Play Ikiaq

Although Harcharek had the opportunity to make contact with her culture, she found it more difficult to pursue her love of acting.

Even as a little girl, Harcharek watched how actors spoke and moved on screen and always wondered what acting would feel like. But because she was on the road a lot, She said she had a hard time finding consistency in her life that would allow her to take acting classes. The only Iñupiaq person she had ever seen on television was Irene Bedard from “Smoke Signals.”

As an adult, Harcharek had appeared in commercials but had never performed on stage or screen. So when her colleague at Iḷisaġvik mentioned that the producers of “Sweet Tooth” were looking for an Iñupiaq woman to audition for a role, Harcharek decided to give it a try — and kept her audition a secret, even from her husband.

“Some people hold on to their dreams and keep them secret,” she said. “This was my chance and I saw it, took it and made the most of it.”

“I was nervous, but when you do it for the first time on a larger scale, everything is nerve-wracking,” she said.

To prepare for the role, Harcharek said she read Jeff Lemire’s comic book series, watched acting instruction videos online and read material from various acting courses.

When it came time to travel to New Zealand to film, Harcharek tried to learn as much as she could from her experienced colleagues.

In return, other actors and producers were able to learn from Harcharek.

As the only Alaskan on set, Harcharek shared her knowledge of Iñupiaq culture and language with viewers. To ensure her character’s Iñupiaq language was grammatically and stylistically correct, Harcharek consulted her mother-in-law, Jana Pausauraq Harcharek, who has played a large role in the revitalization of the Iñupiaq language.

Harcharek’s character’s son, Munaqsriri, is played by Nathaniel Lees, who is not Iñupiaq, but Harcharek said he “wanted to portray his character with the utmost respect.”

“We talked about unspoken behaviors and both verbal and nonverbal communication within the norms of Inuit culture,” she said.

When Harcharek mentioned on set that one of her character’s parkas did not conform to the traditional style of women’s parkas of the 20th century, she said costume designer Amanda Neale decided to redesign the garment on Harcharek’s advice.

“She said, ‘I got it, it’s ready,'” Harcharek said. “The next day, Amanda presented me with a brand new parka during the fitting, and I was absolutely thrilled with it.”

The second parka worn by Jamie Harcharek’s character was a replica of what Harcharek’s great-great-aunt wore in a picture she showed Neale.

Jamie Harcharek’s husband, Qaiyaan Harcharek, said he was proud of his wife for asking the production to appropriately portray Iñupiaq culture and adjust the clothing.

“She made it known and they respected that she wanted it to be as close to our personality as possible,” he said.

“A great moment”

When the new season premiered this month, one of the most important reviews for Harcharek came from her family in Utqiaġvik, she said.

“Seeing her on the show was just wonderful and incredible. I couldn’t be more proud of her and her accomplishments. … Even more amazing was the excitement I saw when our children saw her,” said Qaiyaan Harcharek. “It’s a huge moment for her, our family, our community and all the young Indigenous girls and women in rural Alaska to see one of their own Indigenous women on the big screen.”

Harcharek’s 12-year-old niece, Emily Richey, who is a fan of the show, was unaware of her aunt’s appearance. As they watched “Sweet Tooth” together, Harcharek filmed her niece’s surprise, tears and joy.

“She stood up and started crying, jumping around everywhere and saying something like, ‘Is that really you? That’s you!'” Harcharek said. “It was the most adorable, genuine and just incredible reaction.”

With her role in “Sweet Tooth,” Harcharek wants to encourage the children in her family and Indigenous youth as a whole to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams.

“I hope that it’s an encouragement to those who have suppressed their feelings about me, because I’m participating in something so big,” she said. “Hopefully it gives them the strength and drive they need.”

(Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Jamie Harcharek’s birthplace. She was born in Anchorage, not Point Lay.)