Yupik Alaskan Native Photographer Adrianna Rasor is still celebrating three months after doing better than she had hoped in a prestigious Civil War photography contest.

The novice photographer took Second Place with her “Reflection” submission in the 2015 Civil War Trust Photo Contest “People On Battlefields” Category. The annual contest is sponsored by the History Channel and the Center for Civil War Photography.

“I wasn’t expecting to win anything with the Civil War Trust because I’m a total newcomer,” Rasor explained via Facebook. “I was happy just to place with them. My ultimate goal is to inspire and show people, Natives and non-Natives alike, that we can live in harmony with Mother Earth.”

Rasor’s husband is in the Army and they’ve lived all over the US, cut off from her Native Alaskan community and family. She’s determined to stay true to herself and her Yupik heritage and encourage the same in her five sons regardless of wherever they find themselves.

“I really try to keep my kids living a Native lifestyle, connected to nature and history and Mother Earth. I decided to pick up photography just over a year ago to document this journey,” she says.

When I took the picture that won for the trust I took my son to Slaughter Pen Farm and it is very meaningful to me because it visually represents the deep reflection I feel when we visit the land and honor those that died. I try to teach my kids history the good, the bad, and the indifferent because it’s shaped us as a people. We are here today and I really feel strongly that we learn the truth of all of the past of this country.”

Here are some of the beautiful photographs Adrianna shared with ICTMN from her Facebook portfolio.

“I’m not the most eloquent person in the world but through my pictures I can tell the viewer everything I feel,” Rasor says.

“I’m honored to represent the Native community and we are a strong people. If I can inspire the youth, even just one, then I’m satisfied.”

Follow ICTMN Correspondent Lisa J. Ellwood on Twitter at www.twitter.com/IconicImagery