Alaskan Native

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.

Holland America offers another unique way to experience Alaskan native culture and learn more about the indigenous people who live in the state of Alaska. This year, they have added an expert Alaskan travel guide from the Alaska Native Heritage Center to be onboard all of the 114 Glacier Bay-bound ships. "Our guests visiting Glacier Bay will enjoy having an Alaska native guide on board the full cruise to provide another perspective on the land they're visiting," explained spokesperson Richard D. Meadows.

Guides will provide narration throughout the trip, by touching upon history, culture, art and flora/fauna, in addition to selling original artwork by Alaskan natives. They will hold optional presentations on wildlife, the gold rush, volcanoes and glaciers, early explorers and the native people. Additionally, a Tlingit cultural interpreter from Hoonah will stop onboard to give a presentation explaining the origins and cultural traditions of the Huna people.

Alaska is a "must" for anyone with a pioneering spirit, who is looking for "the last great adventure." There is something about the lonely expanse of snow that makes one question his or her existence. While you're there, you'll find yourself reflecting upon various time periods of history, from the Ice Age of woolly mammoths, and ancient Alaskan native survivalism, to the Yukon gold rush of the 1800s and European migration over the Bering Strait. Some come for big game hunting and fishing, while others come for a broader understanding of geology or archaeology and the wildlife exploration. Regardless, it is a wild Alaskan frontier that shouldn't be missed.

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