Hello Everyone,
It’s hard to believe that Anchorage, originally a fishing lodge, was a tent city in 1915. In fact, when the city was named, those voting selected “Anchorage” over “Tent City” by only eight votes. During World War II, the city housed 30,000 soldiers, and when oil was discovered, growth became massive. With 290,000 residents, it’s Alaska’s largest city.
Today it offers a wide variety of attractions, hotels, and restaurants to choose from. To become acquainted with the city, we took an Anchorage City History Trolley Tour. We also spent an entire day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center learning about Alaska’s native tribes.
TROLLEY TOUR
Anchorage City History Trolley Tours is a 15 mile, hour long, narrated trip throughout the city. It takes you throughout downtown, out to Earthquake Park, and into residential areas. I found the tour replicates what we saw on the Anchorage portion of our Seward to Anchorage bus trip without 15-minute stops at Earthquake Park and the Ulu knife factory.
Cyrus Aldeman, whose father started Anchorage Trolley in May 1995, operates the company. His tour guide/drivers are longtime city residents, some even Anchorage natives, so they pepper what you see with stories about the city’s history and its people.
Jaden McCarrey was our driver and guide. He drove through downtown passing where they hold a large Saturday farmers market. He pointed out the Alaska Statehood Monument near the Alaska Railroad headquarters. It’s dedicated to President Eisenhower, who was in office when Alaska became a state. Erected in 1990, it also memorializes the 75th anniversary of the founding of Anchorage. In 1915, the federal government sent 2,000 men to build the Alaskan Railroad. The town had 100 tents and one bathtub.
Across from the train station, we viewed an Alaskan Railroad engine used in building the Panama Canal. Its bumper, known as a Moose Gooser, removed moose from the track. Further on our route, we saw the Captain James Cook Monument. He was sent by the king of England to find the Northwest Passage but instead discovered Turnagain Arm.
Continuing on, we passed Delaney Park. When it was built in 1922, it opened originally as a fire break between Anchorage and its neighboring forest. It then acted as an airstrip and a golf course since pilots would land on anything that was a wide open space. In 1929, when Merrill Field opened, the airstrip was no longer necessary. In 1954, it began developing recreational facilities. It’s 14 blocks long and one block wide.
We drove by Westchester Lagoon known for bird watching, moose and small mammal sightings and Chugach Mountain views. It’s located near West Anchorage High School which we also passed. Since it’s located on the earthquake fault line, it’s fortunate that students were not in school when the earthquake occurred on Good Friday, March 17, 1964 at 5:36 p.m.
We stopped in front of a 2800 square foot underground home. It has a heated driveway, pool, and sauna. Jaden told us electricity is only $125 a month. We were informed the only disadvantage is that the roof needs to be mowed during summer months.
Next we pulled into Earthquake Park where Jaden related the story of the 1964 earthquake. The 75 homes that were destroyed had been built on blue clay that melted resulting in all the homes collapsing. In some places, the land dropped 40 feet.
Jaden told us 1200 moose live in Anchorage. We saw one at Kincaid Park, also called Moose Park. The site has moose gates to push moose inside the park rather than allowing them to roam the streets. We learned that fewer than 10% of the calves survive to five months due to wolves and bears. This has led to a major moose decline.
We drove around the Lake Hook Seaplane Base. Housing 1200 aircraft, it’s the home of 25% of the small engine aircraft in the United States. Some planes had skis which allow them to take off from the tundra. Others had pontoons permitting them to take off and land on water. We eyed several Haviland Beavers. “That’s the plane that built Alaska,” Jaden said.
When we returned to the visitor center, everyone was handed a complimentary coupon book. It's worth around $200 providing savings to the city’s attractions, restaurants, and shopping.
The tour runs daily from early May to the last Sunday in September. From June 1 through August 31, it runs on the half hour between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., then at 5:00, 6:00, 7:15, and 8:15 p.m. During the other dates, it runs on the hour from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with one at 7:15 p.m.
Fare is $20 for adults, $10 for children between ages 4 to 12, and free for those ages 3 and under. It departs from the log cabin, which serves as Anchorage’s visitor information center, at the corner of 4th and F Street. The tour telephone number is (907) 276-5603 if you want to book ahead. Otherwise, you can pay on the bus.
ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is not a museum but the largest cultural institution in Alaska. It’s the only site that represents all indigenous people groups in one facility within Alaska. It is about people and understanding Alaska’s Native American 21 distinct cultures. They are arranged at the center into five groups by cultural similarities or geographic proximity. These are Athabascan; Yup’ik and Cup’ik; Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik; Sugpiaq (Alutiq) and Unanagax; and Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian.
In 1987, the Alaska Federation of Natives, the state’s largest Native organization, felt there was a need for a community gathering place and decided unanimously to establish the center. The Alaska Native Heritage Center was formed a year later, After securing funding and erecting buildings, it opened its doors to the public on May 1, 1999.
Its purpose is to transmit the knowledge, heritage, and tradition of Alaska’s natives while promoting their pride and self esteem. The idea is for visitors to come away with an understanding and appreciation of native traditions, history, and contributions to Alaska.
MAIN BUILDING
At the main building’s Gathering Place, listen to stories, see dances, and watch games repeated throughout the day. The Hall of Cultures houses exhibits representing modern and traditional life and studios where artisans demonstrate and sell their work. Throughout the day, you’ll find movies in the theater. The Talking Circle holds special events. Guests also find the Raven’s Call Café and the gift shop at this location.
We started our day by watching Alaskan Native games for 45 minutes. The youth learn these to improve their strength, agility, balance, and endurance. Competitions are held annually at the Native Youth Olympics in Anchorage and the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, for ages 12 and up, in Fairbanks. The Arctic Winter Games are held every two years in different host cities within the Arctic.
The first game we saw at the center was the stick jump. You hold a stick with both hands and jump back and forth over it until you get tired. The most jumps by a competitor wins.
Next was the seal hop where athletes in a prone position hop across the floor using only their hands and toes. No other part of the body can touch the floor. The one who goes the furthest distance wins.
We then viewed the two foot high kick where the object is to jump with both feet simultaneously and kick a hanging ball. Kicking the ball at the highest elevation determines the winner.
The one hand reach was touching the ball with one hand while using only the other hand on the floor for balance. Again, the competitor touching the ball at the greatest height wins.
The center’s athletes then demonstrated the Alaskan high kick. While balancing on one hand, competitors reach across to grab one foot while kicking a suspended ball with the other foot. They then land on the kicking foot without losing balance.
Finally, we watched the two man high kick. One man serves as a base while the other is the ball kicker. The record for this is 12 feet.
After the games, three Yup’ik and Cup’ik performers, accompanied by a drummer, related several of their stories through dance for a half hour. Their motions depicted everything from ways to travel to seals and geese.
During the afternoon, we visited with the artisans. Eva Bryant, a Yup’ik, was making fur dolls. Michelle Joseph, an Athabascan, was creating roses. Olivia Anderson, a Sugpiaq, was constructing spears, specifically for animal hunting - whales, seals, birds, bears, and otters. Margaret Nabak, who is Yup’ik and Inupiaq, was working with muskrat fur for coats, dolls, jewelry, and parkas.
We also took time to visit the exhibits. Through artifacts and signage, all the cultural groups had representation. They change their themes annually which range from respect for elders to we know who we are. On their web site, www.Alaskanative.net, under Education and Programs, look for the section marked Exhibits and Collections. It provides excellent coverage of artifacts from each of the cultural groups.
OUTDOOR VILLAGES
You’ll find other artisans outside demonstrating and selling their crafts. Then it’s time to stroll along the quarter mile trail lining Lake Tiulana. Take time to stop at six village sites to visit life-size traditional homes. Each has interpreters and artifacts these cultures used in their daily lives. Cultural hosts welcome questions since they wish to share their traditions and tribal knowledge with you.
You can see the villages on your own or take a guided tour. It’s offered at 10:15 a.m. or 12:15, 2:00, and 3:30 p.m. We started out with a tour guide but gave up after the third village as our guide did not have a microphone. That made it very difficult to hear her. The Center does have an app on their web site under Plan Your Visit, which you can download on your own device for free. It provides detailed information about the Native groups and their villages.
ATHABASCAN
The log cabin you’ll first come to is a traditional Athabascan winter home. Their territory is in the state’s interior beginning south of the Brooks Range and continuing to the Kenai Peninsula.
Traditionally, they were migratory. Living in small groups of 20 or 40, they followed the resources they depended on for food. In the spring, they hunted. Throughout the summer, they lived along rivers and fish camps gathering large fish stockpiles to last through the winter. During the fall, they headed into the mountains to hunt big game and trap smaller animals whose fur was used in making winter clothes. They gathered together in small communities during the winter to attend community celebrations and trap.
Athabascans lived in four different types of homes - sod, birch, caribou hides, and log cabins. Some used skin tents except for the coldest weather. Others lived in wood cabins and only used the tents when hunting or trapping.
During warm months, they traveled mostly in canoes made of birch bark and moose hide. In the winter, their transportation was snowshoes and dog sleds.
This culture still strongly believe land is to be shared with each other and with the plants and animals. It is their responsibility to take care of the land and leave an area looking as if they had never been there. That way the next visitor might experience the land in its natural state.
At this site, you can see a model of a fish wheel. Real ones can be 50 feet tall and 10 feet wide, resembling ferris wheels. The small shed on stilts or food cache was their storage facility for all of the food gathered during the winter and summer months. Normally it is a quarter mile away, not close to the house like this one. It’s set up on stilts so animals cannot raid the food.
DOG MUSHING
John Baker, who won first place in the 2011 Iditarod race and broke the record for fastest finish by four hours, has set up summer camp near the Athabascan village. You can hear his stories, see his kennel of 18 huskies, and pet and hold the puppies. For $10 per person, you can take an Alaskan dog team ride. John’s dog sled and parka are also on display.
CUP’IK AND YUP’IK
The Yup’iks and Cup’iks, who speak a similar language, live in southwestern Alaska in the same area. You’ll find their villages along the coastlines of Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea and inland up the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers.
They traditionally followed the land’s resources, seasonally establishing inland and coastal camps. They had fish camps during the spring and summer when they gathered supplies for the winter months. In the winter, they relocated to the coast to hunt marine mammals and other game. They still depend on subsistence fishing, hunting, and gathering of food.
Single men and boys lived in the men’s house called a qasgiq. It was also a place of learning and the community’s spiritual center. Everyone, including the women and children, would gather there in the evening to eat, take a steam bath, tell stories, or engage in dance ceremonies. Women and children lived in an ena which, though half the size of the qasgiq, had similar architectural features. At certain times of the year, the children would go to each other’s home to learn basic survival skills from the opposite sex.
Homes, constructed of driftwood, moss, and grass were built to be energy efficient. In the fall, they burned wood for heat and light while in the winter they used seal or whale oil in clay and stone lamps. These structures, like the qasgiq, at the cultural center, were made of sod and halfway underground. The typical structure was made of stacked driftwood logs, angled or rounded at the corners. A firepit was in the floor’s center with a window directly above it at the home’s top. The window was a smoke hole and source of light.
They had a summer and a winter entrance. During the winter, the people would crawl through an underground passageway which in the ena also had room for cooking. The spring and summer entrance was above ground. During these months, the winter tunnel entrance was unusable since it flooded from the melting snow.
Today’s homes are constructed of lumber, lit with electricity, and heated with oil stoves or furnaces.
INUPIAQ AND ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND YUPIK
Inupiaq people can be found in north and northwestern Alaska in villages like Barrow, Nome, Kotzebue, Point Hope, Noatak, and Kivalina. Their modern homes resemble ones you might find in areas like Fairbanks or Anchorage. At no time would you see an igloo as a permanent structure.
The St. Lawrence Island Yupik, who live on that island in the Bering Sea in two villages, Gambell and Savoonga, resemble the lifestyle of the Inupiaq. In the mid 1700's, the island housed over 10,000 people, but now the residents number around 1,800. With families their most important value, their communities are tight-knit.
Both are hunter/gatherer societies living off the sea and land resources. Their main sources of food are the whales, walruses, caribou, polar bears, seals, and fish. Skills needed to successfully hunt are passed down through the generations. The two societies once lived in small groups of 20 to 200 people.
At their cultural village site, you’ll find drying racks and a traditional sod Inupiaq house called a quargi. It resembles the Yup’ik house seen earlier on the trail. It, too, has an underground tunnel entrance and a semi-subterranean structure. House shapes were generally rectangular except on St. Lawrence Island where the homes, of varying sizes, were circular. The one at the center was modeled after an Inupiaq community house or men’s house used for men’s activities and village festivals and ceremonies. Seal oil lamps were used for light, heat, and cooking.
Many families stored food in underground cellars near the home’s main entrance. If they lived along the coast in a whaling area, they would have an above the ground storehouse framed with whalebones, rocks, and driftwood to protect it from hungry animals. Villages also had fish and meat drying racks, boat racks, and various styles of food caches.
In this area, you’ll notice the skeleton of a 41-foot gray whale which beached itself on Turnagain Arm in July 1999. The carcass is on display because these cultures hunted whales for food, building materials, and oil. Hunting is still done as it was in the past with whaling crews and open boats made of walrus or sealskins using harpoons. A single whale provided food for an entire community. It is said whales only give themselves up to people worthy of their sacrifice.
UNANGAX AND ALUTIIQ (SUGPIAQ)
These maritime peoples live in the area of south and southwestern Alaska. The Unangax call the Aleutian chain and the Pribilof Islands home while the Sugpiaq hail from Kodiak and Prince William Sound. Their traditional transportation was skin boats and kayaks constructed from driftwood and covered with sea lion skins. The ocean was their highway and source for most of their food, clothing, and other necessities.
Their area was the first to come in contact with Russian fur traders so both people were heavily impacted by that culture. The Russian Orthodox church was found in every village. They made Russian dishes using local subsistence food while Russian words became part of their vocabulary.
During World War II, the Japanese attacked and invaded the Aleutian Islands forcing an evaculation of the Unangax to southeast Alaska. They were placed in camps with no plumbing, electricity, or toilets. The people lacked warm winter clothes and were exposed to poor food and tainted water. Illnesses such as pneumonia and tuberculosis struck almost all of the evacuees causing the death of many elders.
Traditional homes of both cultures were semi-subterranean consisting of a single room. Dividers made of grass, mats, and boards were put up between sections for each family unit’s privacy. Some had secret rooms used by the women and children during an attack by enemies. Several openings were at the structure’s top for entryways, light sources, and ventilation. Notched log ladders provided access to and from the homes through these openings.
You will see two homes at this point of this trail. The Ciqlluaq is representative of what the Sugpiaq would have had. They typically had one room though on Kodiak Island could have had up to seven chambers leading from the main room. Each side chamber could be used for cooking, storage, or the traditional bath where rocks were doused with water to create steam.
The Ulax is typical of summer camp homes and family homes in the western Aleutian Island. The difference is the majority of homes were much larger and could exceed 200 feet in length. They were typically 26 to 46 feet wide housing 100 to 200 individuals, mostly related through matrilineal descent.
EYAK, TLINGIT, HAIDA, AND TSIMSHIAN
Anthropologists use the term “Northwest Coast Culture” to define these four groups despite unique differences in language and complexities of their clan structures. They do share similar lifestyles, ways of hunting and gathering food, style of form line art, and oral traditions.
The Eyak live in the southeastern corner of Southcentral Alaska, along the Gulf of Alaska, from Copper River Delta to Icy Bay. The Tlingit live in the Southern panhandle from Icy Bay in the north to Dixon Entrance in the south. The Haida inhabit the Prince of Wales Island Area while the Tsimshian live mainly on Annette Island near Ketchikan.
All are matrilineal societies which means children receive all rights including clan property and lineage from their mother. Each family’s crest is represented everywhere including paddles, canoes, houses, household utensils, and totems. The Eyaks, Tlingits, and Haidas have two clans, raven and eagle. The Tsimshian have four which are killerwhale, wolf, raven, and eagle.
Be sure to notice the totem and stop by the carving shed to see craftsmen at work. The structure nearby is the clan house, also known as the long house. Traditional homes would be four to six times larger. While the front facade on this one is plain, the Tlingits were known for elaborate house front paintings covering the entire front surface to advise visitors who owned the home. Inside the center’s home are four interior house poles representing the four cultures.
All four societies transformed red cedar trees into homes, clothing, regalia, utensils, totem poles, and canoes. They are also known for an elaborate clan ceremony, the potlatch, where entire villages gather. Villagers travel to these in their dugout canoes dressed in full regalia.
Further details on each of these groups are found on the center’s web site under Cultures of Alaska. It covers their house types and settlements, tools and technology, social organizations, and clothing. You’ll also find details on transportation, trade, regalia, and traditions.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is located at 8800 Heritage Center Drive. The telephone number is (800) 315-6608. It’s open Mother’s Day through Labor Day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Admission is adults $24.95; seniors $21.15; ages 7-16 $16.95; and ages 6 and under, free.
It’s hard to believe that Anchorage, originally a fishing lodge, was a tent city in 1915. In fact, when the city was named, those voting selected “Anchorage” over “Tent City” by only eight votes. During World War II, the city housed 30,000 soldiers, and when oil was discovered, growth became massive. With 290,000 residents, it’s Alaska’s largest city.
Today it offers a wide variety of attractions, hotels, and restaurants to choose from. To become acquainted with the city, we took an Anchorage City History Trolley Tour. We also spent an entire day at the Alaska Native Heritage Center learning about Alaska’s native tribes.
TROLLEY TOUR
Anchorage City History Trolley Tours is a 15 mile, hour long, narrated trip throughout the city. It takes you throughout downtown, out to Earthquake Park, and into residential areas. I found the tour replicates what we saw on the Anchorage portion of our Seward to Anchorage bus trip without 15-minute stops at Earthquake Park and the Ulu knife factory.
Cyrus Aldeman, whose father started Anchorage Trolley in May 1995, operates the company. His tour guide/drivers are longtime city residents, some even Anchorage natives, so they pepper what you see with stories about the city’s history and its people.
Jaden McCarrey was our driver and guide. He drove through downtown passing where they hold a large Saturday farmers market. He pointed out the Alaska Statehood Monument near the Alaska Railroad headquarters. It’s dedicated to President Eisenhower, who was in office when Alaska became a state. Erected in 1990, it also memorializes the 75th anniversary of the founding of Anchorage. In 1915, the federal government sent 2,000 men to build the Alaskan Railroad. The town had 100 tents and one bathtub.
Across from the train station, we viewed an Alaskan Railroad engine used in building the Panama Canal. Its bumper, known as a Moose Gooser, removed moose from the track. Further on our route, we saw the Captain James Cook Monument. He was sent by the king of England to find the Northwest Passage but instead discovered Turnagain Arm.
Continuing on, we passed Delaney Park. When it was built in 1922, it opened originally as a fire break between Anchorage and its neighboring forest. It then acted as an airstrip and a golf course since pilots would land on anything that was a wide open space. In 1929, when Merrill Field opened, the airstrip was no longer necessary. In 1954, it began developing recreational facilities. It’s 14 blocks long and one block wide.
We drove by Westchester Lagoon known for bird watching, moose and small mammal sightings and Chugach Mountain views. It’s located near West Anchorage High School which we also passed. Since it’s located on the earthquake fault line, it’s fortunate that students were not in school when the earthquake occurred on Good Friday, March 17, 1964 at 5:36 p.m.
We stopped in front of a 2800 square foot underground home. It has a heated driveway, pool, and sauna. Jaden told us electricity is only $125 a month. We were informed the only disadvantage is that the roof needs to be mowed during summer months.
Next we pulled into Earthquake Park where Jaden related the story of the 1964 earthquake. The 75 homes that were destroyed had been built on blue clay that melted resulting in all the homes collapsing. In some places, the land dropped 40 feet.
Jaden told us 1200 moose live in Anchorage. We saw one at Kincaid Park, also called Moose Park. The site has moose gates to push moose inside the park rather than allowing them to roam the streets. We learned that fewer than 10% of the calves survive to five months due to wolves and bears. This has led to a major moose decline.
We drove around the Lake Hook Seaplane Base. Housing 1200 aircraft, it’s the home of 25% of the small engine aircraft in the United States. Some planes had skis which allow them to take off from the tundra. Others had pontoons permitting them to take off and land on water. We eyed several Haviland Beavers. “That’s the plane that built Alaska,” Jaden said.
When we returned to the visitor center, everyone was handed a complimentary coupon book. It's worth around $200 providing savings to the city’s attractions, restaurants, and shopping.
The tour runs daily from early May to the last Sunday in September. From June 1 through August 31, it runs on the half hour between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., then at 5:00, 6:00, 7:15, and 8:15 p.m. During the other dates, it runs on the hour from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with one at 7:15 p.m.
Fare is $20 for adults, $10 for children between ages 4 to 12, and free for those ages 3 and under. It departs from the log cabin, which serves as Anchorage’s visitor information center, at the corner of 4th and F Street. The tour telephone number is (907) 276-5603 if you want to book ahead. Otherwise, you can pay on the bus.
ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is not a museum but the largest cultural institution in Alaska. It’s the only site that represents all indigenous people groups in one facility within Alaska. It is about people and understanding Alaska’s Native American 21 distinct cultures. They are arranged at the center into five groups by cultural similarities or geographic proximity. These are Athabascan; Yup’ik and Cup’ik; Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik; Sugpiaq (Alutiq) and Unanagax; and Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian.
In 1987, the Alaska Federation of Natives, the state’s largest Native organization, felt there was a need for a community gathering place and decided unanimously to establish the center. The Alaska Native Heritage Center was formed a year later, After securing funding and erecting buildings, it opened its doors to the public on May 1, 1999.
Its purpose is to transmit the knowledge, heritage, and tradition of Alaska’s natives while promoting their pride and self esteem. The idea is for visitors to come away with an understanding and appreciation of native traditions, history, and contributions to Alaska.
MAIN BUILDING
At the main building’s Gathering Place, listen to stories, see dances, and watch games repeated throughout the day. The Hall of Cultures houses exhibits representing modern and traditional life and studios where artisans demonstrate and sell their work. Throughout the day, you’ll find movies in the theater. The Talking Circle holds special events. Guests also find the Raven’s Call Café and the gift shop at this location.
We started our day by watching Alaskan Native games for 45 minutes. The youth learn these to improve their strength, agility, balance, and endurance. Competitions are held annually at the Native Youth Olympics in Anchorage and the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, for ages 12 and up, in Fairbanks. The Arctic Winter Games are held every two years in different host cities within the Arctic.
The first game we saw at the center was the stick jump. You hold a stick with both hands and jump back and forth over it until you get tired. The most jumps by a competitor wins.
Next was the seal hop where athletes in a prone position hop across the floor using only their hands and toes. No other part of the body can touch the floor. The one who goes the furthest distance wins.
We then viewed the two foot high kick where the object is to jump with both feet simultaneously and kick a hanging ball. Kicking the ball at the highest elevation determines the winner.
The one hand reach was touching the ball with one hand while using only the other hand on the floor for balance. Again, the competitor touching the ball at the greatest height wins.
The center’s athletes then demonstrated the Alaskan high kick. While balancing on one hand, competitors reach across to grab one foot while kicking a suspended ball with the other foot. They then land on the kicking foot without losing balance.
Finally, we watched the two man high kick. One man serves as a base while the other is the ball kicker. The record for this is 12 feet.
After the games, three Yup’ik and Cup’ik performers, accompanied by a drummer, related several of their stories through dance for a half hour. Their motions depicted everything from ways to travel to seals and geese.
During the afternoon, we visited with the artisans. Eva Bryant, a Yup’ik, was making fur dolls. Michelle Joseph, an Athabascan, was creating roses. Olivia Anderson, a Sugpiaq, was constructing spears, specifically for animal hunting - whales, seals, birds, bears, and otters. Margaret Nabak, who is Yup’ik and Inupiaq, was working with muskrat fur for coats, dolls, jewelry, and parkas.
We also took time to visit the exhibits. Through artifacts and signage, all the cultural groups had representation. They change their themes annually which range from respect for elders to we know who we are. On their web site, www.Alaskanative.net, under Education and Programs, look for the section marked Exhibits and Collections. It provides excellent coverage of artifacts from each of the cultural groups.
OUTDOOR VILLAGES
You’ll find other artisans outside demonstrating and selling their crafts. Then it’s time to stroll along the quarter mile trail lining Lake Tiulana. Take time to stop at six village sites to visit life-size traditional homes. Each has interpreters and artifacts these cultures used in their daily lives. Cultural hosts welcome questions since they wish to share their traditions and tribal knowledge with you.
You can see the villages on your own or take a guided tour. It’s offered at 10:15 a.m. or 12:15, 2:00, and 3:30 p.m. We started out with a tour guide but gave up after the third village as our guide did not have a microphone. That made it very difficult to hear her. The Center does have an app on their web site under Plan Your Visit, which you can download on your own device for free. It provides detailed information about the Native groups and their villages.
ATHABASCAN
The log cabin you’ll first come to is a traditional Athabascan winter home. Their territory is in the state’s interior beginning south of the Brooks Range and continuing to the Kenai Peninsula.
Traditionally, they were migratory. Living in small groups of 20 or 40, they followed the resources they depended on for food. In the spring, they hunted. Throughout the summer, they lived along rivers and fish camps gathering large fish stockpiles to last through the winter. During the fall, they headed into the mountains to hunt big game and trap smaller animals whose fur was used in making winter clothes. They gathered together in small communities during the winter to attend community celebrations and trap.
Athabascans lived in four different types of homes - sod, birch, caribou hides, and log cabins. Some used skin tents except for the coldest weather. Others lived in wood cabins and only used the tents when hunting or trapping.
During warm months, they traveled mostly in canoes made of birch bark and moose hide. In the winter, their transportation was snowshoes and dog sleds.
This culture still strongly believe land is to be shared with each other and with the plants and animals. It is their responsibility to take care of the land and leave an area looking as if they had never been there. That way the next visitor might experience the land in its natural state.
At this site, you can see a model of a fish wheel. Real ones can be 50 feet tall and 10 feet wide, resembling ferris wheels. The small shed on stilts or food cache was their storage facility for all of the food gathered during the winter and summer months. Normally it is a quarter mile away, not close to the house like this one. It’s set up on stilts so animals cannot raid the food.
DOG MUSHING
John Baker, who won first place in the 2011 Iditarod race and broke the record for fastest finish by four hours, has set up summer camp near the Athabascan village. You can hear his stories, see his kennel of 18 huskies, and pet and hold the puppies. For $10 per person, you can take an Alaskan dog team ride. John’s dog sled and parka are also on display.
CUP’IK AND YUP’IK
The Yup’iks and Cup’iks, who speak a similar language, live in southwestern Alaska in the same area. You’ll find their villages along the coastlines of Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea and inland up the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers.
They traditionally followed the land’s resources, seasonally establishing inland and coastal camps. They had fish camps during the spring and summer when they gathered supplies for the winter months. In the winter, they relocated to the coast to hunt marine mammals and other game. They still depend on subsistence fishing, hunting, and gathering of food.
Single men and boys lived in the men’s house called a qasgiq. It was also a place of learning and the community’s spiritual center. Everyone, including the women and children, would gather there in the evening to eat, take a steam bath, tell stories, or engage in dance ceremonies. Women and children lived in an ena which, though half the size of the qasgiq, had similar architectural features. At certain times of the year, the children would go to each other’s home to learn basic survival skills from the opposite sex.
Homes, constructed of driftwood, moss, and grass were built to be energy efficient. In the fall, they burned wood for heat and light while in the winter they used seal or whale oil in clay and stone lamps. These structures, like the qasgiq, at the cultural center, were made of sod and halfway underground. The typical structure was made of stacked driftwood logs, angled or rounded at the corners. A firepit was in the floor’s center with a window directly above it at the home’s top. The window was a smoke hole and source of light.
They had a summer and a winter entrance. During the winter, the people would crawl through an underground passageway which in the ena also had room for cooking. The spring and summer entrance was above ground. During these months, the winter tunnel entrance was unusable since it flooded from the melting snow.
Today’s homes are constructed of lumber, lit with electricity, and heated with oil stoves or furnaces.
INUPIAQ AND ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND YUPIK
Inupiaq people can be found in north and northwestern Alaska in villages like Barrow, Nome, Kotzebue, Point Hope, Noatak, and Kivalina. Their modern homes resemble ones you might find in areas like Fairbanks or Anchorage. At no time would you see an igloo as a permanent structure.
The St. Lawrence Island Yupik, who live on that island in the Bering Sea in two villages, Gambell and Savoonga, resemble the lifestyle of the Inupiaq. In the mid 1700's, the island housed over 10,000 people, but now the residents number around 1,800. With families their most important value, their communities are tight-knit.
Both are hunter/gatherer societies living off the sea and land resources. Their main sources of food are the whales, walruses, caribou, polar bears, seals, and fish. Skills needed to successfully hunt are passed down through the generations. The two societies once lived in small groups of 20 to 200 people.
At their cultural village site, you’ll find drying racks and a traditional sod Inupiaq house called a quargi. It resembles the Yup’ik house seen earlier on the trail. It, too, has an underground tunnel entrance and a semi-subterranean structure. House shapes were generally rectangular except on St. Lawrence Island where the homes, of varying sizes, were circular. The one at the center was modeled after an Inupiaq community house or men’s house used for men’s activities and village festivals and ceremonies. Seal oil lamps were used for light, heat, and cooking.
Many families stored food in underground cellars near the home’s main entrance. If they lived along the coast in a whaling area, they would have an above the ground storehouse framed with whalebones, rocks, and driftwood to protect it from hungry animals. Villages also had fish and meat drying racks, boat racks, and various styles of food caches.
In this area, you’ll notice the skeleton of a 41-foot gray whale which beached itself on Turnagain Arm in July 1999. The carcass is on display because these cultures hunted whales for food, building materials, and oil. Hunting is still done as it was in the past with whaling crews and open boats made of walrus or sealskins using harpoons. A single whale provided food for an entire community. It is said whales only give themselves up to people worthy of their sacrifice.
UNANGAX AND ALUTIIQ (SUGPIAQ)
These maritime peoples live in the area of south and southwestern Alaska. The Unangax call the Aleutian chain and the Pribilof Islands home while the Sugpiaq hail from Kodiak and Prince William Sound. Their traditional transportation was skin boats and kayaks constructed from driftwood and covered with sea lion skins. The ocean was their highway and source for most of their food, clothing, and other necessities.
Their area was the first to come in contact with Russian fur traders so both people were heavily impacted by that culture. The Russian Orthodox church was found in every village. They made Russian dishes using local subsistence food while Russian words became part of their vocabulary.
During World War II, the Japanese attacked and invaded the Aleutian Islands forcing an evaculation of the Unangax to southeast Alaska. They were placed in camps with no plumbing, electricity, or toilets. The people lacked warm winter clothes and were exposed to poor food and tainted water. Illnesses such as pneumonia and tuberculosis struck almost all of the evacuees causing the death of many elders.
Traditional homes of both cultures were semi-subterranean consisting of a single room. Dividers made of grass, mats, and boards were put up between sections for each family unit’s privacy. Some had secret rooms used by the women and children during an attack by enemies. Several openings were at the structure’s top for entryways, light sources, and ventilation. Notched log ladders provided access to and from the homes through these openings.
You will see two homes at this point of this trail. The Ciqlluaq is representative of what the Sugpiaq would have had. They typically had one room though on Kodiak Island could have had up to seven chambers leading from the main room. Each side chamber could be used for cooking, storage, or the traditional bath where rocks were doused with water to create steam.
The Ulax is typical of summer camp homes and family homes in the western Aleutian Island. The difference is the majority of homes were much larger and could exceed 200 feet in length. They were typically 26 to 46 feet wide housing 100 to 200 individuals, mostly related through matrilineal descent.
EYAK, TLINGIT, HAIDA, AND TSIMSHIAN
Anthropologists use the term “Northwest Coast Culture” to define these four groups despite unique differences in language and complexities of their clan structures. They do share similar lifestyles, ways of hunting and gathering food, style of form line art, and oral traditions.
The Eyak live in the southeastern corner of Southcentral Alaska, along the Gulf of Alaska, from Copper River Delta to Icy Bay. The Tlingit live in the Southern panhandle from Icy Bay in the north to Dixon Entrance in the south. The Haida inhabit the Prince of Wales Island Area while the Tsimshian live mainly on Annette Island near Ketchikan.
All are matrilineal societies which means children receive all rights including clan property and lineage from their mother. Each family’s crest is represented everywhere including paddles, canoes, houses, household utensils, and totems. The Eyaks, Tlingits, and Haidas have two clans, raven and eagle. The Tsimshian have four which are killerwhale, wolf, raven, and eagle.
Be sure to notice the totem and stop by the carving shed to see craftsmen at work. The structure nearby is the clan house, also known as the long house. Traditional homes would be four to six times larger. While the front facade on this one is plain, the Tlingits were known for elaborate house front paintings covering the entire front surface to advise visitors who owned the home. Inside the center’s home are four interior house poles representing the four cultures.
All four societies transformed red cedar trees into homes, clothing, regalia, utensils, totem poles, and canoes. They are also known for an elaborate clan ceremony, the potlatch, where entire villages gather. Villagers travel to these in their dugout canoes dressed in full regalia.
Further details on each of these groups are found on the center’s web site under Cultures of Alaska. It covers their house types and settlements, tools and technology, social organizations, and clothing. You’ll also find details on transportation, trade, regalia, and traditions.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is located at 8800 Heritage Center Drive. The telephone number is (800) 315-6608. It’s open Mother’s Day through Labor Day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Admission is adults $24.95; seniors $21.15; ages 7-16 $16.95; and ages 6 and under, free.
Overlooking Anchorage
Anchorage City History Trolley
Anchorage Distance Sign
Moose Gooser
Captain James Cook Monument
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Stick Jump
Two Foot High Kick
One Hand Reach
Alaskan High Kick
Cup'ik and Yup'ik Dancers
Close Up of One of the Dancers
Eva Bryant, a Yup'ik Making Fur Dolls
Olivia Anderson, a Sugpiaq, Making Spears
Margaret Nabak, Yup'ik and Athabascan, Working with Muskrat Fur
Tsimshian Vest
Athabascan Vest
Athabascan Village
Athabascan Home Interior
John Baker's Dogs and Kennels
Husky Puppy
A Qasgiq at the Cup'ik and Yup'ik Village
Gray Whale Skeleton at Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik Village
Interior of the Ciqlluaq, the Sugpiaq house
Exterior of the Ulax, the Unangax House
Interior of the Ulax
Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Village
Doug Yates, a Tsimshian Craftsman, at the Village
Tlingit artist, Nathan Jackson, carved this totem pole.