Alaskan Native Heritage
If you want evidence that Alaskan native heritage is respected and preserved, then just visit a school in Anchorage Alaska. The student body speaks 83 different languages, and authentic Native Alaskan artwork, which is the livelihood of many locals, is available to travelers. In addition to the Inuit people, there are many European influences in Alaska as well. Traversing the Inside Passage, you’ll come upon Petersburg, with its strong Scandinavian influences. Continuing on, you’ll see Spanish influences in Cordova and Valdez, British influences in Cook Inlet, as well as Russian Orthodox Churches scattered all about. While 69% of the 626,932 locals are Anglo Saxon, the next largest ethnic group is the American Indian or Alaska native with 15.6%. Mixed races, Asians, Blacks, Native Hawaiian and Latino populations also exist in small numbers, according to the 2000 census.
A good starting point to learn more about Alaska’s indigenous people is to visit The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage Alaska. This world renowned cultural center and museum contains information, educational materials, video presentations, artwork and displays documenting the following Alaskan native peoples: the Athabascan, the Aleut & Alutiiq, the Yup’ik & Cup’ik, the Inupiaq & St. Lawrence Island Yupik, the Eyak, the Tlingit, the Haida and the Tsimshian. Here you can view beaded artwork from the Athabascan people, learn about the spirituality of the Yup’ik and Cup’ik, who believed in good shamans for healing and bad shamans who placed curses on people, or gaze upon the festive Chilkat & raven’s tail robe regalia worn at the Eyak potlach festivals.
A good educational family activity is a pilgrimage to the Saxman native village. Here you will see towering, colorful Alaskan native totem poles; a short, compelling documentary film about the Tlingit tribe; traditional Alaskan long houses made of timber, sod and whale bones; a dance performed in native red-and-black capes; and a tour with legendary narration by a knowledgeable guide. Your kids will be talking about the totem pole tales and ethnic dances for years to come! Kids as young as four can remember this Alaskan adventure like it was yesterday, which makes this stop a must!
The Alaskan native people can be divided into eleven distinct cultures, speaking eleven languages and twenty-two dialects. The natives still comprise 15% of the population and attract many tourists each year who want to peer in on such a resilient, resourceful group of people. Living in harsh climates that sometimes reach 40 degrees below zero, these people built homes of sod, whale bones and dried animal hides. They harpooned whales and created canoes out of birch bark, moose hide and cottonwood. They caught salmon, trapped beaver and survived the harshest winters. Whether you are visiting Alaska for the first time or the twentieth, explore native Alaska as part of your Alaskan adventures.
By Travel Editor
