In the early 1900s, when women had little control over property and Alaska was going through major changes, Sinrock Mary found herself in a situation that could have taken away everything she had built. Her husband had died, she was left with a herd of about 500 reindeer, and people around her believed the animals should no longer belong to her.She did not give them up. Instead, she used the law to defend her ownership, turned the herd into a business and eventually became known as the “Reindeer Queen”. The National Park Service says her herd at one point made her the richest woman on the Seward Peninsula.Who was Sinrock Mary?Sinrock Mary was born Changunak Antisarlook Andrewuk in 1870 to an Iñupiaq mother and a Russian trader father. She grew up in St. Michael, Alaska, a busy trading community where she came into contact with whalers, traders, missionaries and other visitors.That upbringing gave her an unusual advantage. She learned Iñupiaq, Russian and English, while her mother taught her practical skills such as sewing, tanning, fishing and preserving food. The Anchorage Museum describes her as a “Reindeer Herder, Savvy Businesswoman” and notes that her language skills later helped her work as an interpreter.In 1889, she married Charlie Antisarlook and moved to the Cape Nome area. There, she became involved with Captain Michael A. Healy and the effort to introduce Siberian reindeer to Alaska. The animals were meant to provide Indigenous communities with another source of food and income.133157686Her husband died, but the fight was only beginningCharlie trained as a reindeer herder, and eventually he and Mary became the first Alaska Native couple to own a private reindeer herd. Their herd grew to around 500 animals.Then, in 1900, Charlie died during a measles epidemic.Mary was suddenly left to protect the herd on her own. According to the Anchorage Museum, she faced a major legal problem because, as an Iñupiaq woman, she was not initially recognised as someone who could legally own the property. Her husband's relatives also wanted control of the animals.But Mary fought back. The National Park Service says she used “white man’s law” to protect her ownership from relatives as well as people who saw a newly widowed woman as an easy target.Alaska Magazine also records the pressure she faced, including attempts by prospectors to get control of her reindeer. The publication says, “Mary, a large, imposing woman with dark curly hair and a traditional Inupiat tattoo on her chin, didn’t budge.”133261336The gold rush turned her herd into a fortuneMary soon saw another opportunity. Gold had been discovered around Nome, bringing thousands of people into the region and creating a huge demand for food.She began selling reindeer meat to miners, local businesses and the U.S. Army station. Her herd was no longer simply a means of survival. It had become a serious business.The money made Mary one of the wealthiest Alaska Native women of her time. But wealth also brought trouble. Prospectors tried to take her animals for food and as pack animals, while others attempted to win her over through money, liquor and marriage proposals.Tired of the threats, Mary eventually moved her herd to Unalakleet in 1901.She built a legacy beyond her wealthMary later married Andrew Andrewuk, who had no interest in managing her reindeer. She continued looking after the herd and teaching others how to herd the animals.Her herd eventually grew to more than 1,500 reindeer, according to Alaska Magazine. She also adopted children and passed her knowledge to them and to other Iñupiat people.
