Sigrun Robertson knows so much about muskoxen that she could lead her own herd.

"I think they're fantastic, and I love them dearly," Robertson said. "They are so unusual. They are truly an animal that comes from the Ice Age. They can only survive in the Arctic where they have no natural enemies except maybe wolves or bears."

Robertson, of Anchorage, even goes as far as to say she admires the animals.

"Oh, I do, I do," she said. "They're so funny. They're mischievous, and even though their height only goes to your waist, they're massive. If they want to bump you from the front, you may go flying. They might not do it, but you never know. You're never safe from muskoxen if you're not looking at it."

Indeed, she also appreciates the defense methods of the muskox, and she described how to approach one. The idea is, just don't.

"They don't run; they stand and lower their head and become a target," she said. "They'll stand there and look at you, then lower their heads and scrape their hooves, and if you're dumb enough to take another step, they'll charge you."

Despite their antics, Robertson's love of ovibos moschatus (Latin for musky sheep-ox), as scientists might refer to the hairy critters, goes deep and drives her passion not only for the animals but for the Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers Co-op. Robertson helped Dr. John J. Teal set up the co-op in 1969 because she loves the muskoxen and her appreciation for Alaskan Natives.

"I came to love and learn how wonderful these people are," she said. "Most people don't know how to live in the Arctic, but they do. When I first met them, they were a bit naïve, but they were trusting and honest and just good people through and through. So, I fell for them hook, line and sinker, and I came to admire their culture and what knitting could do for them." 

That's where the muskoxen come in.

She was dismayed as she saw tribes become infected with drugs, alcohol, and other negative influences, "which have torn some tribes apart. But she said Oomingmak gives native women a chance to become self-sustaining by knitting from the muskoxen's undercoat.

"It's sad to have seen that over the years, but their goodness, their excellence is still there," she said.

The animals, she said, are "very stoic," and they don't do well in warm weather. But their undercoat makes for great clothing. The women at the co-op use the fur also known as Qiviut (pronounced "kiv-ee-ute").

According to the Oomingmak website, https://www.qiviut.com/ "Qiviut is the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox, which is naturally shed each year during the spring months. Eight times warmer than wool and extraordinarily lightweight, Qiviut is one of the finest natural fibers known to man. Unlike wool, Qiviut is not scratchy and will not shrink in any water temperature. It can be hand-washed in any mild detergent and will last for many years." 

But it's more than ordinary scarves, hats, tunics and stoles at Oomingmak.

What the women create is art.

"The co-op went into the villages to help women become self-sustaining," she said. "Mothers are teaching their daughters, teaching their friends, and they have self-sustained over the years, which I find amazing."

The most popular item is the Nachaq, or smokering. Nachaq means "hood" or "hat" in their native language. They are a seamless, tubular garment that may be worn as a hood or around the neck.

Robertson loves the Nachaq most among all the items available from Oomingmak.

"I've never known a woman who didn't look better in a Nachaq," she said. "But the scarves and stoles are also beautiful."

Robertson credits the late Dr. Teal with founding the program, and in 1969 the co-op opened for business. The idea, she said, was to include natives in villages raise the herd. That didn't work, she said, because "Alaskan Natives are not herdsman, they're hunter-gatherers.

Now, the muskoxen are raised at a farm, and Robertson said they are "tame" but not domesticated.

Although Robertson is no longer involved in day-to-day operations, she has a seat on the board of directors.

But whatever her role, Robertson is determined to ensure that the co-op continues to thrive.

"I'm Scandinavian, I'm stubborn, and I don't give up easily, and I believe that it is a small part of why the co-op is still thriving," she said. "The co-op is wonderful because of the Alaskan Natives and their culture, and I believe we must as humans understand that other cultures are at least as valuable, if not more valuable, than ours, and we need to help them survive.

"They are such strong, honorable, and respectable people, and it's reflected in their high-class work over the years. The co-op is a wonderful thing, and I'm glad to have contributed. I've had a long life. I'm going to be 80 soon. This has made my life worthwhile."