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The 1867 Treaty of Cession transferred possession of Alaska to the United States. This online exhibition highlights the under-represented vibrant, complex and resilient cultures of Interior Alaska during the time period. Past Athabascan lifeways in interior Alaska are understood from archaeological sites, artifacts, and oral history.

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The 1867 Treaty of Cession transferred possession of Alaska to the United States. The majority of the Western historical and anthropological research relating to this time period has focused on the cultures of Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, where the Russians primarily focused their colonization efforts. This exhibition highlights the under-represented vibrant, complex and resilient cultures of Interior Alaska during this same time period. Past Athabascan lifeways in interior Alaska are understood from archaeological sites, artifacts, and oral history.

A TIME OF CHANGE

"Village on the Lower Yukon, during the fishing season" from Alaska and its Resources (1870) by William H. Dall.

FOLLOWING THE SEASONS

The climate in Interior Alaska is highly variable with seasonal extremes. Plants and animals are available at different times and places within the Interior. Athabascan activities and economy followed the seasons, and the abundance and migration patterns of animals.

Interior Athabascan subsistence and settlement patterns around 1867. Figure adapted from Climatic, Economic and Technological Change in Interior Alaska; Evaluating Process-Pattern Relationships, by Ben A. Potter (2008).

During the summer months (June, July, and August) the primary focus was on obtaining stores of dried fish, salmon, pike, burbot and whitefish to eat during the winter.

Alexandria Seseui cutting whitefish in Telida in 1949. Charlene Craft LeFebre Collection, Tochak Historical Society, McGrath, Alaska.

In the fall (September and October) when the fishing season was over, but before the rivers and lakes froze, people turned their attention toward hunting. Caribou were the main focus of fall hunting and caching activity and camps were often placed in the uplands between the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. Waterfowl were hunted during their fall migration south, and often camps were set up near lakes where these birds would congregate. Berry picking, trapping muskrat, and hunting moose and sheep were also important subsistence activities but were conducted more opportunistically either during or in between fishing and hunting waterfowl and/or caribou.

Dancing at the Healy Lake potlatch, 1927. Archives, University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF-1988-35-9).

Winter months (November, December, and January) were spent in more permanent camps set up near cached fish and meat. As the surplus of stored food dwindled winter camps were vacated for the late winter season (February and March) as people traveled the countryside searching for wild game. With the onset of spring (April and May) camps would be set up, often near a large lake, in order to fish and hunt returning migratory waterfowl, small mammals, and moose.

Precontact Technology and Settlements

The material culture of Alaska Natives prior to widespread contact with Westerners was complex and used a variety of stone, bone, wood and metal resources. What archaeologists term "the Athabascan tradition" begins around 1500 years ago. It is marked by a shift towards bow and arrow technology with the reliance on bone and antler tools, introduction of native copper items, decorative items (including trade items such as beads and buttons), boulder spall scrapers, and bone fleshers.

Trade networks became more complex, possibly due to expansions in population around the year 1000. Chief among these traded materials was obsidian, native copper, and other prestigious items (e.g. shells) that were traded hundreds of miles from their original source. These trade goods attest to extensive exchange networks and interconnections between groups in Interior Alaska, and with groups in the Yukon and British Columbia, Canada.

"Tenan-Kutchin and Kutcha-Kutchin" from Alaska and its Resources (1870) by William H. Dall.

Athabascan seasonal activities across the Interior were closely aligned to the abundance and migration patterns of game. The Athabascan economy, prior to direct contact with Europeans, was based on a cyclical pattern of hunting, fishing, gathering, and trade. These seasonal rounds varied by local group depending upon the availability of natural resources. Like all northern Indigenous groups, the goal of Alaskan Athabascans was to obtain a surplus of resources to last throughout the winter months.

Traditional settlement patterns consisted of winter villages with substantial multi-family structures near major rivers and tributaries, and temporary camps that served as bases for various subsistence tasks, i.e. hunting, fishing, and fish processing. Many of these camps were reoccupied year after year. Caching food became more common during the Athabascan period. While families usually lived and traveled in smaller groups, extended families and bands would come together to celebrate or memorialize events and people in gatherings and potlatches.

Euro-American Contact in Interior Alaska

Direct Euro-American contact occurred at various times in Interior Alaska beginning in the early- to mid-19th century. Prior to direct contact with traders, miners, and trappers, Athabascans in the Tanana River valley sought these imported goods from Native people in the Kluane region of present day Yukon Territory, Canada..

As early as the 1840s, Russian goods were also widely in use in the Yukon River valley. Important early trade goods included rifles, metal (as knives, adzes, and projectile points), beads, buttons, and tobacco. Imported foods like flour, lard, and sugar as well as clothing were also widely traded and increasingly available through the latter half of the 19th century. In many areas the fur trade led to increased trapping to use as trade for Western goods.

At Camp 32, one mile north of T[a]ral." Schrader Collection, U.S. Geological Survey. 1898.

By the 1890s, Euro-American contact resulted in significant changes to the settlement patterns and material culture of Interior Athabascans. Large gold rushes brought thousands of outsiders to the Interior who built towns and imported unprecedented amounts of trade goods and luxury items, which led to permanent changes to Athabascan ways of life as sedentary practices increased for longer periods of the year and communities became more centralized. Western diseases introduced into several populations led them to abandon some smaller settlements and move into larger settlements closer to trading and missionary centers. However, given all these changes Athabascan populations by and large continued to live according to a subsistence lifestyle and close to the resources of the land.

1867 Interior Alaska

Archaeological sites and materials are used to supplement the oral historic and historic records understand past human lifeways. The following sites illustrate how some of the interior Alaska archaeological sites and remains that have helped inform us about Athabascan settlements over the past 1000 years.

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Alaska Treaty of Cession | Museum | Museum of the North

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The 1867 Treaty of Cession transferred possession of Alaska to the United States. The majority of the Western historical and anthropological research relating to this time period has focused on the cultures of Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, where the Russians primarily focused their colonization efforts.

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This film series is designed to teach viewers about traditional Alaskan Indigenous ways of using wild plants for food, medicine and construction material.

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Ethnobotany | Museum | Museum of the North

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Ethnographic filmmaker Sarah Betcher has produced a series designed to teach viewers about the many traditional Alaskan indigenous ways of using wild plants for food, medicine, and construction material.»

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Aunt Phil's Trunk Alaska History Course for High School Students

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Aunt Phil's Trunk Alaska History Course for High School Students

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Everything you need to know about Alaska history for high school credit in one semester! Over 1,300 high school students have successfully earned their 1/2-credit of Alaska state history from this engaging course. We have worked with parents, students and educators to make sure this six-unit course meets the Alaska history requirements listed in the Alaska statute. It includes geography, Alaska cultures, the Russian era, Alaska as a possession of the United States, Alaska as a territory and Alaska becoming a state up to present.

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Interview Protocols for Community & Education

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Interview Protocols for Community & Education

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Association of Alaska School Boards & the Alaska Family Engagement Center by community-based artist and educator Ryan Conarro.

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Lesson Plan by See Stories. Target audience 9th grade. 1-2 class periods. Series is designed so teachers can pick and choose 1 or more lessons, or even parts of lessons.

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See Stories is proud to share a SNEAK PREVIEW of our new collection of films and lesson plans exploring the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)

Each lesson stands alone. They are designed for educators to choose the parts that fit with your class.

Our goal is to help students gain a basic understanding of ANILCA and to see multiple perspectives. There is a lot more to learn; we don't cover it all.

Standards-aligned. Each lesson meets multiple new social studies standards for 9th-grade Alaska Studies.

Background for this project:
With generous support from Audubon Alaska and the Jeanne S. Williams Fund at Alaska Conservation Foundation, See Stories led an internship for 8 young adults to learn in-depth about the history of ANILCA, meet and discuss with policymakers, Alaska Native Elders and leaders, as well as representatives from federal agencies managing land with ANILCA provisions. These interns created 5 short documentary films, each telling a different piece of the ANILCA story. Their films highlight the crucial role that ANILCA plays in managing and conserving Alaska's federal land, while giving special attention to conveying the many and diverse perspectives on this topic.

Our full collection of 6 lesson plans will be available in December 2025. For now, we have Lesson 2, Subsistence & ANILCA available for FREE download! See below.

Lesson 1: Overview of ANILCA + f ilm coming soon!

Lesson 2: Subsistence & ANILCA + film ANILCA: Protecting our Resources Sustaining our Way of Life by Jackson Pearson - AVAILABLE NOW FOR FREE DOWNLOAD, BELOW!

Lesson 3: Indigenous Sovereignty, ANILCA, and the Story of Angoon + films Sentinels of the Island by Luke Jack and Perspectives on ANILCA by Miska Alexi

Lesson 4: Climate Change & ANILCA + film ANILCA in the Age of Climate Change by Iqlas Dubed

Lesson 5: Fisheries and ANILCA + films ANILCA and the Ocean by Scout DeVries and Yakutat Subsistence by Dyson and Greg

Lesson 6: Past, Present, Future ANILCA + Film coming soon!
FREE DOWNLOAD:
Lesson 2: Subsistence & ANILCA

This lesson goes with the film ANILCA: Protecting our Resources Sustaining our Way of Life

Thank you to our funders for making this project possible!

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See Stories is proud to share a SNEAK PREVIEW of our new collection of films and lesson plans exploring the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Each lesson stands alone. They a...

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A Geopolitical Frontier: The Aleutian Islands, Home of the Unangax^ People

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A Geopolitical Frontier: The Aleutian Islands, Home of the Unangax^ People

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This is a website created for NHD by three Indigenous middle school students from Atka, Alaska. It contains numerous primary sources, as well as an extensive annotated bibliography

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Resources for Teaching About Indigenous Peoples 

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Resources for Teaching About Indigenous Peoples 

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NEA compiled links to

- lessons, books, and films to examine for teaching the truth about Columbus, “Indian Removal” policies, and Indigenous Peoples’ history.

- digital education tools, lesson plans, and resources available for free and downloadable from the National Indian Education Association.

- Four Indigenous storytellers recite a scary tale and share a little about the meaning behind these chilling yarns.

- and more!

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Educators should be mindful of cultural appropriation when teaching about other cultures and understand that Native American students in class may experience lessons differently than non-Native students.

Indigenous People's Day Resources
The Zinn Education Project has lessons, books, and films to examine for teaching the truth about Columbus, "Indian Removal" policies, and Indigenous Peoples' history.

Celebrate Indigenous People Lesson Plan (PDF)
In this activity from IllumiNative, elementary school students will make a booklet to celebrate the contributions of Native Americans.

Transforming Teaching and Learning About Native Americans
Teaching and learning about Native Americans can occur in meaningful ways across different subject areas. Use these resources, from the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative to bring new ways of thinking Native Americans to multiple disciplines, including science, English language arts, and social studies.

Student-Centered Digital Learning Activities
Check out these digital education tools, lesson plans, and resources available for free and downloadable from the National Indian Education Association.

Living Nations, Living Words: A Guide for Educators
This guide offers teachers and other educators ideas for using U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's signature project, "Living Nations, Living Words," in the classroom. The project gathers and highlights the diverse voices of 47 contemporary Native American poets.

Native Now: The Dos and Don'ts of Talking Respectfully about and with Native People from IllumiNative (PDF)

Indigenous Storytellers Share Scary Stories and the Wisdom They Hold
Four Indigenous storytellers recite a scary tale and share a little about the meaning behind these chilling yarns.

NEA's Land Acknowledgement Guide
Land Acknowledgements are a reminder that every major city, town, and municipality benefits from the dispossession of Indigenous land and people. It is a formal recognition of that painful reality and history and a small first step in truth, healing, and reconciliation. This guide outlines why land acknowledgements are important, how to approach them, and includes further actions to support Indigenous communities.

Find more resources for teaching about Native Americans at our American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month resource page.

Recommended Books About Indigenous Peoples from NEA and Read Across America

Share stories of Indigenous Peoples and cultures in your classroom with these titles and related resources.

ELEMENTARY AND PICTURE BOOKS

MIDDLE SCHOOL

YOUNG ADULT

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Resources for Teaching About Indigenous Peoples | NEA

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Here are resources to help you educate students honestly and accurately about Native history and the people whose land we occupy.

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Out of print, but available via interlibrary loan if you have a local library.

There's also a good article here: https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/first-filipinos-in-alaska-history-a2336-20190815-lfrm

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Foreward from Ramona The story of Alaska's Filipino heritage is largely unknown to Alaskans. Therefore, I was very pleased to sponsor the appropriation of funds to research and document the early history of the Filipino contact and growth in Alaska, when I served as Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives in 1993 to 1994. As Chair of the House World Trade and State/Federal Relations Committee, I have become more aware of the importance of Southeast Asia. And because I once lived in the Philippines as a military wife, I am perhaps more aware than the average Alaskan of the importance of the Philippines and of the Filipino community in Alaska. We all must recognize'the community's cultural importance and value to Alaska as we integrate into the dynamic Pacific Rim economy. Alaska's Filipino heritage is an integral part of our common heritage, and it is my hope that this research report will result in the teaching of this history in our schools and universities. To the degree Alaskans become aware of their Asian Pacific roots , Alaska's growth as a Pacific Rim trading partner will be assured. While our schools now focus upon our European and African backgrounds, our future involving Pacific Rim trade will require our educational focus on Alaska's Asian heritage. The story of the Filipino contact and community growth in Alaska is an important element of this Alaska Asian heritage. To the degree that Alaska-born Filipinos and young Filipino immigrants are made aware and proud of their Filipino heritage. as well as the may contributions Filipinos have made to our common growth and development, Alaska's Filipino community will flourish and gain strength, and this strength will benefit all Alaskans. It is my hope and belief this document will promote public knowledge and pride in Alaska's Filipino heritage.

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Foreward from Ramona The story of Alaska's Filipino heritage is largely unknown to Alaskans. Therefore, I was very pleased to sponsor the appropriation of funds to research and document the early history of the Filipino contact and growth in Alaska, when I served as Speaker of the Alaska House of...

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Alaska Native Language Posters & Audio Recordings

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Alaska Native Language Posters & Audio Recordings

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Listen to short audio clips in Alaska Native languages. You can listen on any device such as a personal computer, tablet or mobile phone or print out the poster forms for personal use. Audio transcripts and translations are provided. These materials are also accessible by QR codes on the posters. Additional Alphabet posters here: https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/programs/for-educators/online-resources/alaska-native-language-alphabet-posters/

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Dena'ina, Central Yup'ik, Alutiiq/ Sugpiaq

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Alaska Native Language Posters - The Anchorage Museum

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View and listen to posters in various Alaska Native languages. For learners of all ages.

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Anchorage Museum Lesson Plan. Learn about Black civil rights in Alaska, activism efforts, and representation.

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Anchorage Museum Lesson Plan. Students evaluate portraits to learn more about Alaska and its place before and during the Great Migration.

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Alaska Native Language Literacy K-3 Reading Standards

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Alaska Native Language Literacy K-3 Reading Standards

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Alaska Native Language Literacy K-3 Reading Standards

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The Department of Education and Early Development, Office of Tribal Affairs, has collaborated with the Sealaska Heritage Institute and TIDES Education Associates to create Alaska Native Language Arts K-3 Reading Standards (ANLARS) for students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. These standards have been adopted by the Alaska State Board of Education and will play a crucial role in supporting the instruction of Alaska Native languages. By establishing these standards, it will be clear that reading in Alaska Native languages is a valid way to demonstrate K-3rd grade reading proficiency.

Additionally, these standards will work alongside the Literacy Screeners for Alaska Indigenous Languages (LSAIL) Project to develop literacy screeners for Alaska Native Languages. Alaska Native Language Arts K-3 Reading Standards - Education and Early Development

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Alaska Native Language Literacy K-3 Reading Standards

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This 5-6 day investigation challenges students to think about how sea ice is changing and the effects of a warming climate on sea level in Alaska. Students begin by viewing a presentation showing a Alaska Native person talking about the importance of ice to his life and his culture. They then view a series of photos and headlines about shrinking sea ice. In this activity students graph data on sea ice extent over time.

More Lessons from Alaska Waters Education Resources here: https://alaskawaters.org/lesson-plans-database/

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This 5-6 day investigation challenges students to think about how sea ice is changing and the effects of a warming climate on sea level in Alaska.

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Explore Alaska's mineral and energy resources, economics, and careers

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The story of Alaska’s lands, resources, economy, and careers. The ARE classroom is a collection of recorded guest speakers for enriching a classroom setting. (ARE will co-teach a 9-unit intensive with you if you are interested.) akresource.org/alaska

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A Sense of History  Reference Guide to Alaska's Women 1896- 1985

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A Sense of History  Reference Guide to Alaska's Women 1896- 1985

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This is a wonderful list of references about Alaska's women. There are so many links to original documents and the location. This make a wonderful source for a report/project.

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Slides and note sheet. Overview of the discovery of oil in Alaska, connection to ANCSA, and PFD.

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Article by Evon Peter (Gwich'in) describes the history of colonization from an Indigenous perspective

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The Colonization of Alaska Natives by Evon Peter.pdf

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There Are Two Versions of the Story of How the U.S. Purchased Alaska From Russia

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There Are Two Versions of the Story of How the U.S. Purchased Alaska From Russia

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article by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley provides overview of Indigenous and American perspectives on claims to Alaska throughout time.

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There Are Two Versions of the Story of How the U.S. Purchased Alaska From Russia _ History_ Smithsonian Magazine.pdf

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Students will watch 3 short films to better understand personal, cultural, historical, and environmental connections to place and will learn stories of environmental and personal change.

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Students will watch student created films to better understand personal, cultural, historical and environmental connections to place. To better understand how documentaries can have an overlap of c…

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Subsistence in Alaska : An Enduring Way of Life

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Subsistence in Alaska : An Enduring Way of Life

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Introduction to subsistence through images, quotes, descriptions

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National Wildlife Refuges and the Legacy of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)

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National Wildlife Refuges and the Legacy of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)

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interactive website with readings, historical images, and maps

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National Wildlife Refuges and the Legacy of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)

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Alaska National Interest Lands Claim Act (ANILCA)

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Alaska National Interest Lands Claim Act (ANILCA)

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Overview reading from Trustees for Alaska

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What does the law do? ANILCA and public lands in Alaska
Welcome to our first piece in a series of articles about what the laws we use do and how they protect the lands, waters and animals important to people and our climate future.
By Madison Grosvenor

Alaska's wild places are made up of towering peaks that meet the sea, sprawling tundra, ancient forests, and waterways teeming with life. It's home to iconic wildlife like grizzly bears, caribou, and salmon, who thrive in these vast natural landscapes.

From Denali's glaciers to the Yukon Delta's wetlands, these lands not only play a central role in Alaska's identity to its human inhabitants, but they also inspired Congress to pass a law designed to protect these places-the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act or ANILCA.

Managing such a vast and varied area requires balancing the need for conservation with other human needs. Signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, ANILCA protected more than 104 million acres while ensuring local communities could continue to rely on these lands for subsistence and their livelihoods. More than just a policy, ANILCA created a framework for conserving Alaska's wild places while honoring the deep cultural connection of Alaska Native people, who have stewarded these lands for generations.

"This law made a profound contribution to how we recognize and honor Alaska ways of life and landscapes," said Vicki Clark, executive director with Trustees. "Anyone who steps into a national park, refuge or wilderness area in Alaska, whatever their draw to the land, experiences these places in a more essential way because ANILCA preserved the relationships between natural landscapes, animals, and people."

Teeing up ANILCA

The push to protect areas in Alaska for national interest began before statehood, driven by the recognition that commercial interests in extracting oil, timber, fish, minerals and metals would have impacts on people and animals. Early conservation efforts, such as the establishment of the Tongass and Chugach national forests and national parks like Glacier Bay and Denali, gained bipartisan support.

Upon statehood in 1959, the state gained the right to select 105 million acres of federal land, which included areas like Prudhoe Bay. The discovery of oil in 1968 led to conflicts over land use, particularly with Alaska Native people, who asserted their land claims before a pipeline could be built.

In 1971, Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act or ANCSA, granting 44 million acres and nearly $1 billion to newly created Alaska Native corporations while extinguishing aboriginal land claims. However, ANCSA did not address Alaska Natives' subsistence rights, leaving their future access to traditional resources uncertain. It also left federal land conservation unresolved, though it authorized the Interior Secretary to withdraw up to 80 million acres for potential protection as parks, refuges, national forests, wild and scenic rivers, or wilderness areas.

Those withdrawals were not permanent; they required subsequent action to ensure permanent protection. ANILCA was born out of this tension.

What does ANILCA do?

ANILCA set aside over 104 million acres of land for national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas-more than doubling the size of existing protected areas like Denali and Katmai national parks and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while also creating entire new national parks, like Gates of the Arctic and Lake Clark.

Beyond establishing new parks and wilderness areas, ANILCA put strong safeguards in place to prevent land and large-scale industrialization, requiring congressional approval for any major changes. It set a new standard for conservation by recognizing the importance of protecting vast, interconnected ecosystems for people and animals.

With ANILCA, Alaska's national parks and refuges were guaranteed to be managed with conservation as the priority.

As stated by Congress, "...it is the intent of Congress in this Act to preserve unrivaled scenic and geological values associated with natural landscapes; provide for the maintenance of sound populations of, and habitat for, wildlife species of inestimable value to the citizens of Alaska and the Nation; preserve in their natural state extensive unaltered tundra, boreal forest, and coastal rainforest ecosystems; protect the resources related to subsistence needs; protect and preserve historic and ecological sites, rivers, and lands; and preserve wilderness resource values and related recreational opportunities."

What sets ANILCA apart from many conservation laws is its recognition of Indigenous peoples' long stewardship of these lands. It gives rural residents, especially Alaska Natives, priority for subsistence hunting and fishing. This federal law defines subsistence uses as hunting, fishing, and gathering for food, clothing, shelter, fuel, transportation, and making handicrafts, for survival and cultural traditions. The word "subsistence" means putting food on the table and sustaining Alaska Native identities, cultures, customs, traditions, values and beliefs.

ANILCA's recognition of Indigenous stewardship and its focus on subsistence rights underscores the law's commitment to the needs of Alaska's people and its wild places.

ANILCA's role in our work

Since the passing of ANILCA, it has become one of our greatest legal tools for defending Alaska's public lands from massive industrial infrastructure, pollution, and land destruction, including roads, pipelines, oil platforms, toxic waste areas, and much more. The act is at the forefront of a lot of our work, both past and present.

ANILCA looms large in our litigation to protect the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Since the 1980s, commercial interests have advocated for a road on the Izembek Isthmus for commercial interests and allied businesses that process and transport fish, among other potential activities. The road would threaten the health of a narrow isthmus and wetland region that supports an array of birds, fish, and animals important to the refuge and nearby communities.

We've won in court before on Izembek, but here we are yet again, with yet another land swap proposed. In late 2024, the Biden administration put out a draft analysis and identified a land swap and road as its preferred alternative.

ANILCA explicitly protects Izembek. While it allows land exchanges to further its conservation goals, it does not permit trading lands solely for private economic purposes. These land swap attempts have repeatedly ignored and undermined the purposes outlined within ANILCA and the particular refuge statute itself. ANILCA's intent is clear: to preserve Alaska's wildlife, habitat, and subsistence resources-all of which a road through Izembek would certainly endanger.

And a land exchange also tries to go around a key part of ANILCA: Title XI. Title XI of ANILCA provides a process for approving transportation and other infrastructure projects on protected lands, requiring agencies to prove that no feasible alternative exists, and in the case of Wilderness like in Izembek, to go through Congress.

"If a current land swap to make way for this road goes through, it would set the dangerous precedent of an Interior Secretary giving public lands to private interests without congressional oversight," said Siobhan McIntyre, staff attorney. "The impact would be enormous and devastating, potentially opening the door to similar land exchanges in any national park, refuge or wilderness area in Alaska. Roads, pipelines, and webs of industrial infrastructure could cross through the very national park lands that Alaskans cherish and visitors from throughout the country and world come to Alaska to see."

ANILCA is also central to our work to stop the Ambler road proposal. The 211-mile industrial road plan would cut through Gates of the Arctic National Preserve, once again triggering Title XI's strict review process for transportation projects in conservation lands.

The law also plays a part in our Arctic National Wildlife Refuge work, as it affirms the refuge's conservation priorities and mandates the protection of its wildlife habitat and subsistence resources. Upholding ANILCA in the refuge is crucial to protecting the Porcupine caribou herd and the Gwich'in way of life.

A law under fire

The immeasurable power of ANILCA to protect public lands in Alaska plays a big part in our work on behalf of people today and for generations to come.

The Trump administration clearly seeks the industrialization of Alaska across the board, as executive orders direct the heads of agencies to reverse or rescind protective actions while pushing industrial interests across the state. Direct affronts to ANILCA are expected to come consistently over the next four years.

As industry and political interests continue to test the limits of laws like ANILCA, we continue defending them. One reason advocates of ANILCA saw the need for the law in the first place was to prevent the loss of lands to industrialization and destruction that so many other states had endured.

ANILCA remains one of our most powerful tools in ensuring that future generations can experience, live within, and be nourished by these landscapes for years to come.

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What does the law do? ANILCA and public lands in Alaska

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Welcome to our first piece in a series of articles about what...

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Katie John Prevails in Subsistence Fight (NARF)

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Katie John Prevails in Subsistence Fight (NARF)

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Native American Rights Fund Legal Review from 2001 detailing the Katie John subsistence court case

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Short documentary film and lesson plan focuses on Yup'ik subsistence changes through time. In this lesson, students will understand that subsistence is an important cultural tradition, although times are changing families still subsist to different degrees. The food gathered from the land is important to the well-being of the Alaskan Natives. Food purchased from the store is changing the way of life and affecting the health of the Alaskan Natives.

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In this lesson, students will understand that subsistence is an important cultural tradition, although times are changing families still subsist to different degrees. The food gathered from the la…

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Alaskan Salmon, Migration, and Immigration

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Alaskan Salmon, Migration, and Immigration

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Through the two primary sources, Canoe Brand Canned Red Salmon Label and the Automated Fish Butchering Machine, students will build knowledge about how Alaskan canneries have influenced Alaska Native land and harvesting rights, and impacted human migration and immigration in Alaska. Students will learn about the representation of Alaska Native peoples over time in commercial print media. Synthesizing what has been learned, students will create and pitch a research based and culturally responsive design of a contemporary canned salmon label.

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Extra Tough Leadership and Activism by Women of the North

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Extra Tough Leadership and Activism by Women of the North

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Workbook from Anchorage museum includes reading, reflection questions, and historical images, detailing the role women have played in advocating for and leading Alaska, including Elizabeth Peratrovich, Alice Brown, Mayugiak of Unalakleet, and more.

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Student-made documentary film includes oral history from Wrangell community members about the history of the logging industry, the boom and bust cycle, and the impact on the community.

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Boom & Bust Logging in Wrangell (SeeStories)

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History of Dena'ina people through colonization to today

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Alaska Oil Spill Lesson Bank from PWS Regional Citizens Advisory Council

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Alaska Oil Spill Lesson Bank from PWS Regional Citizens Advisory Council

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Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council

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Free lesson plans on topics related to our mission. K-12 lesson plans used by teachers, homeschool parents, and informal educators.

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Students will identify the impact of the EVOS and identify who was harmed

Students will evaluate the factors that caused the EVOS and judge the responsibility to redress the harms

Students will investigate options for repairing the harm

Students will advocate for actions to continue to repair harms from the EVOS and/or to prevent future oil spills

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Primary Source Lesson Plan: Alaskan Migration Stories

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Primary Source Lesson Plan: Alaskan Migration Stories

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Through analyzing primary sources, students will understand migration as a force in history, as well as a force in individual people and families' lives. Seeing the faces of Alaskan migrants throughout history will help connect students to the human experience of these migration waves, and perhaps they will make connections between their own and/or their family’s experience with that of other groups in Alaska’s history.

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Primary Source Lesson Plan: Alaskan Migration Stories

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Barbara Shagin tells the story of her family being forcibly relocated from Atka to Angoon during WWII. (Free download, login required)

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Website has lots of information and resources about international Arctic issues.

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ICC is the body that represents all Inuit from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka on matters of international importance.

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Slides with basic information about the 1918 flu, historical images, and a newspaper clipping.

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Ipani Eskimos: A Cycle of Life in Nature

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Ipani Eskimos: A Cycle of Life in Nature

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Book by James K. Wells, 1974 is a written record of the oral history of the life of the traditional Inupiaq life month by month from January to December. The author is from Deering, Alaska.

I assign one month to each student. I have them make a list of all the animals, fish, and plants that are harvested in their month, and note other important activities.

Students share with others who read from the same season (Dec, Jan, Feb. Mar, Apr, May. Jun, Jul, Aug. Sept, Oct, Nov) and create a poster for their season. Then they present to the class.

Later we compare with resources and activities from other regions and in modern times.

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Naration of major population shifts in AK history: First Alaskans, Russian America, Early American Alaska, Gold Rush, Interwar period, WWII, Oil boom, and Alaska since 1980.

I had each student read one chapter, make posters for their chapter, and then share with others who read other chapters.

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"Waiting To Move," a photo essay by Ciril Jazbec, documents the community and traditions of Shishmaref Island. Jazbec's photographs capture the daily activities of island residents, including subsistence activities that have taken place for centuries, as well as some of the physical destruction being wrought by climate change. In addition to viewing the images, the lesson includes Discussion questions, Reflection, and Projection

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Watch two videos to learn more about the Alaska Permanent Fund, investing and how diversification ensures stability and maximizes returns. Download a PDF Workbook for use in classrooms and at home, includes videos and all lessons.

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The Alaska Permanent Fund was established in 1976 to permanently save and invest at least 25% of the state's oil royalties for intergenerational benefit. The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation is a state-owned corporation based in Juneau, Alaska that manages the assets of the Alaska Permanent Fund and other funds designated by law. APFC's pioneering investment model has been recognized globally for its ability to create and grow value for Alaska on a sustainable basis.

​

Alaska's youth are the future leaders of our great state. As the investment manager of Alaska's largest renewable financial resource, APFC recognizes the Alaska Permanent Fund and the youth are essential aspects of Alaska's future. The lessons in this workbook were created to teach and empower Alaska's youth about financial literacy, the fund, its structure, investment management, and how the fund is used to convert non-renewable mineral resources into a renewable economic resource for Alaska at middle school and high school education levels.

Overview Videos

Watch two videos to learn more about the Alaska Permanent Fund, investing and how diversification ensures stability and maximizes returns.

Workbook

Download a PDF Workbook for use in classrooms and at home, includes videos and all lessons.

Teacher Training

Watch short videos on how to implement these lessons into your classroom

Created in Partnership with

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Alaska'a Renewable Revenue

Alaska'a Renewable Revenue

The Permanent Fund - Alaska's Renewable Revenue | Alaska Resource Education

Play Video

Alaska's Renewable Revenue: Diversification | Alaska Resource Education

Play Video

The Permanent Fund in Action

Play Video

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Alaska's Renewable Revenue | Alaska Resource Education

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Explaining Alaska's big eonomic concepts in a fun and engaging way. ARE's mission is to spark an interest and fuel a passion in Alaskan students through education. ARE inspires future engineers, scientists, operators and regulators.

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All text and images on this site are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. All images are the property of the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. Images are made available for limited non-commercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined in the United States copyright laws.

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Learn about Alaska's largest industries and the history of labor behind them.

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Alaska Is: How We Work With Each Other - The Anchorage Museum

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Learn about some of Alaska’s largest industries and the work conditions surrounding them with grades 6-8.

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The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) was a new approach by Congress to federal Indian policy. ANCSA extinguished aboriginal land title in Alaska. It divided the state into twelve distinct regions and mandated the creation of twelve private, for-profit Alaska Native regional corporations and over 200 private, for-profit Alaska Native village corporations. ANCSA also mandated that both regional and village corporations be owned by enrolled Alaska Native shareholders. Unlike in the lower-48 states where the reservation system was the norm, ANCSA departed significantly - its foundation was in Alaska Native corporate ownership.

Through ANCSA, the federal government transferred 44 million acres - land to be held in corporate ownership by Alaska Native shareholders - to Alaska Native regional and village corporations. The federal government also compensated the newly formed Alaska Native corporations a total of $962.5 million for land lost in the settlement agreement.

ANCSA had expansive effects, reaching far beyond Alaska Native people. The passage of ANCSA allowed for federal lease sales to move forward across Alaska, with proceeds going to the federal government. Oil and gas exploration on the North Slope of Alaska and the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System created thousands of jobs and pumped revenues into the state coffers eventually leading to the creation of the Alaska Permanent Fund. Since the passage of ANCSA, various industries have been strengthened in Alaska, creating jobs in both the private and public sectors. By creating Alaska Native-owned, for-profit corporations, ANCSA also brought additional economic diversity to the state that has benefited, either directly or indirectly, all Alaskans.

To understand ANCSA, it is important to understand the history of aboriginal land claims in Alaska. More than 100 years prior to the enactment of ANCSA, Alaska was purchased from Russia. From the time of purchase until the passage of ANCSA, aboriginal land claims were not definitively addressed by the federal government.

Timeline of Significant Events: How ANCSA Came To Be

Below is a timeline that outlines how failure by Congress to address aboriginal land claims in decades worth of legislation led to the eventual passage of ANCSA in 1971. Federal legislation from the Treaty of Cession to the Statehood Act did not explicitly address aboriginal land claims, leaving it to finally be dealt with by Congress 104 years after Alaska was purchased from Russia.

1867: The Treaty of Cession The United States purchases Alaska from Russia

In 1867, the Treaty of Cession was signed. The treaty outlined the terms for the sale of Alaska from Russia to the United States. The United States paid $7.2 million for Alaska.

The Alaska Native peoples who had inhabited Alaska for thousands of years disagreed with Russia right to sell their land. The Russian claim to aboriginal lands of Alaska was under the Laws of Discovery, which state the two conditions aboriginal people can lose their land: 1) through a just war, or 2) by giving up specific land in a treaty. Neither of these conditions applied to the Alaska Native people, which left land claims unresolved when the purchase took place.

1884: The First Organic Act for Alaska becomes a civil and judicial district of the United States

When the Organic Act of 1884 was passed by Congress, it established the civil and judicial district of Alaska. Status as a civil and judicial district allowed the non-indigenous residents of Alaska to stand up a civil government, which included a district governor, a district court with a judge and court clerk, four commissioners, and a United States marshal.

The Organic Act of 1884 marginally addressed land issues relating to mines and mineral privileges. The act also specifically mentioned Alaska indigenous peoples (calling them Indians) and their occupation of the land, but did not resolve their land claims. The act states,

The Indians or other persons in said district shall not be disturbed in the possession of any lands actually in their use or occupation or now claimed by them but the terms under which such persons may acquire title to such lands is reserved for future legislation by Congress

1912: The Second Organic Act for Alaska becomes a territory of the United States

The Second Organic Act established Alaska as an incorporated United States territory, which allowed Alaska to elect a territorial delegate to Congress, elect legislators to a territorial legislature, and elect a territorial governor. The Second Organic Act outlined the laws for territorial elections and the purview of elected officials.

The Second Organic Act included no specific language addressing aboriginal land claims, leaving them to be dealt with by Congress in the future.

1959: The Alaska Statehood Act of 1958 Alaska becomes the 49th state of the United States

In 1958, Congress passed the Statehood Act, which made Alaska the 49th state of United States, effective on January 3, 1959. The Statehood Act established a state government, defined elected representation for the state in Washington, D.C., and outlined the types of public lands that the state could select.

Again, the Statehood Act did not specifically address comprehensive land claims by Alaska indigenous peoples. The Statehood Act did, however, declare that the

State must disclaim all right and title to lands and other property not granted or confirmed to the State including right or title which may be held by any Indians, Eskimos or Aleuts (natives) or is held by the United States in trust for said natives.

The act went on to state that any land that may belong to natives shall be under the jurisdiction and control of the United States.

Because Congress did not resolve the issue of aboriginal land claims outright, it was around this time that Alaska Native leaders began to organize into groups to represent their respective regions as they sought resolution to their land claims.

1966: The Alaska Federation of Native is formed to advocate for a land claims settlement

The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) formed in 1966 in response to the land claims issues that were being brought forth by various organized Alaska Native groups. AFN consolidated the various Alaska Native groups efforts and became the statewide organization to advocate for aboriginal land claims.

AFN earned an early victory in 1966 when then-Secretary of Interior Stuart Udall imposed a land freeze. AFN delegates pressed for the land freeze to stop land selections and conveyances across the state, which were viewed by Alaska Native people as encroachment on their lands. By freezing all land conveyances within Alaska, Secretary Udall forced the State of Alaska, the federal government, and the Alaska Native people to resolve aboriginal land claims before any further land selections could take place.

The late 1960s: Commercial quantities of oil are discovered on the North Slope of Alaska

In the late 1960s, commercial quantities of oil were discovered on the North Slope of Alaska. To get the oil to market via the Gulf of Alaska, it first needed to traverse the state from the North Slope all the way down to Valdez. The proposed Trans-Alaska Pipeline system (TAPS) would need to cross over land that various Alaska Native groups claimed. With Alaska Native land claims still unsettled and the land freeze in place, the proposed construction of TAPS was put on hold. Further oil exploration and development also stalled.

These circumstances put Secretary Udall land freeze in the spotlight in both Washington, D.C. and in Alaska. The oil and gas industry and early environmentalist organizations entered the land claims debate, adding more voices and complexity.

1971: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 Federal government explicitly addresses aboriginal land claims in Alaska

After intense internal negotiations among the various Alaska Native groups and between Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) delegates and representatives of state and federal government, Congress finally passed Alaska Native land claims legislation in 1971. On December 18, 1971, President Richard Nixon addressed the delegates of AFN by phone and informed them that he had just signed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act into law.

At the time of its passage, ANCSA was entirely different than any previous federal Indian policy. ANCSA extinguished aboriginal land claims in Alaska and mandated a for-profit model with land title under corporate ownership. Upon the passage of ANCSA, a new era began for Alaska Native people. Many of the early leaders of the Alaska Native regional corporations had never worked in a corporate business and few had college degrees, let alone advanced degrees in business or law. Despite the humble beginnings, Alaska Native regional corporations have become an integral part of the Alaska economy.

December 18, 1971 marked a new era for federal Indian policy. It was also a significant day for Alaska Native peoples on an individual level. Several provisions of ANCSA affected individuals in ways that neither they nor the federal government really understood at the time.

ANCSA original language addressed the specific congressional mandates of Alaska Native corporations: government oversight of the corporations, eligibility requirements to enroll shareholders, the land selection process, redistribution of monetized natural resource wealth among regional and village corporations, and more. There have also been significant amendments to ANCSA since its passage, most notably the 1991 amendments.

The Twelve Regions, a Federal Indian Reservation, and a Thirteenth Regional Corporation

ANCSA divided Alaska into twelve regions defined by the common heritage and shared interests of the indigenous peoples within each geographic area. The regional boundaries established which people, villages, and communities that each Alaska Native regional corporation would serve. The boundaries do not directly represent land ownership; they did, however, define the areas in which each regional corporation could select lands to be conveyed under the provisions ANCSA. Today, within each region there is a complex landscape of governance, land ownership, roles, and relationships.

At the time Congress passed ANCSA, the Metlakatla Indian Community opted out of the settlement agreement. The community instead chose to be designated as a federal Indian reservation. The Annette Island reserve is the only federal Indian reservation in the state of Alaska.

In 1975, ANCSA was amended to create a thirteenth Alaska Native regional corporation, known as the 13th Regional Corporation. The 13th Regional Corporation was established to ensure that Alaska Native people who were not permanent residents of Alaska but who were otherwise eligible to enroll in an Alaska Native regional corporation were included in the land claims settlement. Unlike the original Alaska Native regional corporations, the 13th Regional Corporation did not receive any land conveyances under ANCSA; therefore, it cannot contribute any 7(i) funds; it is, however, eligible to receive 7(i) funds from the other Alaska Native Regional corporations. In 2013, the 13th Regional Corporation was involuntarily dissolved by the State of Alaska when their registered agent resigned.

Original Shareholder Enrollment (1971-1991)

Each Alaska Native regional and village corporation had to enroll shareholders within two years from the date that ANCSA was signed into law. This was no small task; Alaska Native people were spread across vast distances in every region, often with no roads connecting homes and communities. When the two-year deadline arrived, the twelve Alaska Native regional corporations had enrolled just over 64,000 original shareholders, each of whom received 100 shares.

The original language in ANCSA defined the eligibility requirements for enrollment in an Alaska Native corporation. It was not until the 1991 amendments to ANCSA were passed that individual Alaska Native corporations, through a vote of their shareholders, could amend their articles of incorporation to expand shareholder enrollment eligibility.

In particular, two requirements of original shareholder eligibility are noteworthy: blood quantum and date of birth.

ANCSA defined native as: a citizen of the United States who is a person of one-fourth degree or more Alaska Indian (including Tsimshian Indians not enrolled in the Metlakatla Indian Community) Eskimo, or Aleut blood, or combination thereof. Meaning only Alaska Native people of blood quantum were eligible to be enrolled in an Alaska Native corporation (regional or village). ANCSA did define other ways around this.

Only those Alaska Native people of one-fourth blood quantum who were born on or before 11:59 p.m. on December 18, 1971 were eligible to enroll in Alaska Native regional and village corporations. Those born on December 19, 1971 or after were not eligible.

Land Selection Process

ANCSA language stated that Alaska Native regional and village corporations would be conveyed a total of nearly 44 million acres of land in Alaska, about ten percent of the state. However, there were large tracts of land across all twelve regions that the federal government had already claimed for strategic purposes or conveyed to other entities. Because those lands were not eligible for selection by Alaska Native corporations, the corporations were compensated $962.5 million for lost lands.

The land selection process defined in ANCSA was different for Alaska Native village corporations and Alaska Native regional corporations. Alaska Native village corporations were to select lands on which any part of the village was located. For the most part, Alaska Native village corporations received title to the surface rights of those lands. In contrast, Alaska Native regional corporations were to select any lands from within the larger regional boundaries defined in ANCSA. Alaska Native regional corporations received title to the subsurface estate of much of the land they selected. Consequently, most of the Alaska Native regional corporations balanced their land selections between areas that had significant cultural or subsistence value and areas that had potential economic value for natural resource development.

Since the passage of ANCSA, some Alaska Native corporations still have not received their full conveyance of land. In addition, a number of Alaska Native corporations have engaged in land transfers with state and federal agencies and with other Alaska Native corporations, resulting in a mix of surface and subsurface rights owned by regional and village corporations.

The Revenue Sharing Provisions of ANCSA: Sections 7(i) and 7(j)

From the beginning of the land claims debate there was recognition that some regions were richer in natural resources and therefore had more potential for economic development. Congress and various Alaska Native groups felt a mechanism was needed to address the issue of regional natural resource haves and have nots. In the years leading up to the passage of ANCSA, several iterations of the land claims bill introduced in Congress attempted to address the disparity in natural resource wealth between the regions when calculating land conveyances and compensation for land lost.

The revenue sharing provisions that ultimately passed as a part of ANCSA were contained in sections 7(i) and 7(j). The goal of the sections is to ensure that all Alaska Native corporations, and accordingly their shareholders, benefit from revenues derived from natural resources developed on ANCSA lands. While typical for-profit corporations would balk at these provisions, many people believe that without sections 7(i) and 7(j), ANCSA would not have passed.

The original language of Section 7(i) states:

Seventy per centum of all revenues received by each Regional Corporation from the timber resources and subsurface estate patented to it pursuant to this Act shall be divided annually by the Regional Corporation among all twelve Regional Corporations organized pursuant to this section according to the number of Natives enrolled in each region pursuant to Section 5.

Section 7(i) requires that any annual revenues that an Alaska Native regional corporation receives from ANCSA lands (e.g., from timber resources or natural resources in subsurface estate) must be shared in a 70/30 split. The allocation means that 70 percent of the revenue is dispersed to the other Alaska Native regional corporations and the remaining 30 percent of the revenue is kept by the Alaska Native regional corporation that developed the natural resource.

Section 7(j) ensures revenues from natural resource wealth are also shared with Alaska Native village corporations. Section 7(j) directs Alaska Native regional corporations to disperse 50 percent of the Section 7(i) revenues they receive to Alaska Native village corporations within the region. Unlike Section 7(i), Section 7(j) does not require any revenue sharing distribution from Alaska Native village corporations to other village corporations or to regional corporations.

The original language of Section 7(j) states, in part:

Not less than 45% of funds from such sources during the first five-year period, and 50% thereafter, shall be distributed among the Village Corporations in the region and the class of stockholders who are not residents of those Villages, as provided in subsection to it.

To address issues that were not foreseen at the time ANCSA was passed, Section 7(i) has been amended a few times to address issues that have arisen since 1971.

Despite the ongoing debate about specifics of the revenue sharing provisions, the redistribution of natural resource wealth has generally had positive effects on all regions. In 2018, the ANCSA Regional Association commissioned a report by the McDowell Group on the economic impacts of sections 7(i) and 7(j) of ANCSA. Some key findings of that report are:

Every Alaska Native regional corporation has had periods when it received more 7(i) payments than it paid out so each of the twelve Alaska Native regional corporations (and therefore the shareholders of each corporation) has been a Section 7(i) beneficiary

The redistribution of wealth among the regions that receive 7(i) revenues creates a leveling effect in economic activity that otherwise would not occur

*McDowell Group A summary of the economic benefits of ANCSA section7(i) and 7(j)
The 1991 Amendments

Several original provisions of ANCSA that dealt with stocks and shareholder eligibility were set to expire in 1991, twenty years after passage of the bill. Expiration of the provisions presupposed that between 1971 and 1991, Alaska Native shareholders would gain a strong grasp of corporate ownership and activities and be ready to make significant decisions that would potentially impact Alaska Native ownership of the government-created corporations.

However, as the conclusion of the twenty years neared, the overall profitability and success of Alaska Native corporations was not where Congress had anticipated it to be. Therefore, in 1988, Congress passed amendments to ANCSA addressing provisions relating to the sale of stock, exemption from federal securities laws, and the expansion of eligibility of shareholders.

The series of amendments was passed in 1988 but because all amendments addressed changes to ANCSA that were to occur in 1991, they are often referred to as the 1991 amendments. While ANCSA has been amended numerous times since its passage, the 1991 amendments have been the most significant to Alaska Native corporations and their shareholders.

Prohibition of the Sale of Stock

As originally written in 1971, ANCSA had a twenty-year prohibition on the sale of Alaska Native corporation stock. In other words, stock in Alaska Native corporations could not be sold until 1991. In 1988, ANCSA was amended to prohibit the sale of stock in perpetuity, unless the shareholders of an Alaska Native corporation voted to amend the articles of incorporation of their corporation to remove restrictions on stock sales. To date, no Alaska Native corporation has amended their articles of incorporation to allow for the sale of stock.

While stock cannot be sold or traded, original stock (i.e., stock issued to those born on or before December 18, 1971) can be gifted, willed, or bequeathed.

The Exemption from Some Federal Securities Laws

Originally, ANCSA exempted Alaska Native corporations from some federal securities laws for twenty years. Because Alaska Native corporation stocks were not eligible to be sold or disposed of during the twenty-year period after the passage of ANCSA, many federal securities laws did not apply.

Because the 1991 amendments extended the prohibition of the sale of stock into perpetuity, accordingly the exemption of Alaska Native corporations from certain federal securities laws was also extended.

Expansion of Shareholder Eligibility

To individual Alaska Native people, one of the most significant of the 1991 amendments (and a subsequent amendment in 1992) was the expansion of shareholder eligibility. The amendments addressed the eligibility of Alaska Native people who missed the original enrollment deadline and the date-of-birth cutoff of December 18, 1971.

The initial amendment allowed a corporation shareholders to vote to amend its articles of incorporation to add new shareholders. In 1992, an amendment clarified and expanded how shareholders of an Alaska Native corporation could allow for additional shares to be issued to descendants of Alaska Native shareholders. The 1992 amendment also removed the blood quantum requirement originally set by ANCSA.

For an Alaska Native corporation to expand shareholder eligibility and allow for additional shares to be issued, the shareholders of that specific Alaska Native corporation must vote to amend their articles of incorporation. To date, six of the twelve Alaska Native regional corporations original shareholders have voted to open their rolls to those born after December 18, 1971, resulting in a larger shareholder base.

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About the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act - ANCSA Regional Association

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Introduction The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) was a new approach by Congress to federal Indian policy. ANCSA extinguished aboriginal land title in Alaska. It divided the state into twelve distinct regions and mandated the creation of twelve private, for-profit Alaska Native regional corporations and over 200 private, for-profit Alaska Native village [...]

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Teachers guide, resources, and printable workbook for students on simple but meaningful history of ANCSA.

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A Moment in Time: ANCSA - The Anchorage Museum

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Investigate primary sources to examine the events surrounding the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Intended for ages 12 and up.

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Book: Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools

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Book: Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools

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By Leilani Sabzalian

Examines the cultural, social, and political terrain of Indigenous education by providing accounts of Indigenous students and educators creatively navigating the colonial dynamics within public schools. These stories highlight the ways that colonization continues to shape Native students’ experiences in schools. The goal is also to develop educators’ anticolonial literacy so that teachers can counter colonialism and better support Indigenous students in public schools.

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Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I: Colonialism in the Classroom

1. Pilgrims and Invented Indians

2. Halloween Costumes and Native Identity

3. Native Sheroes and Complex Personhood

Part II: Colonialism in the Culture of Schools

4. Little Anthropologists

5. Native Heritage Month

6. Education on the Border of Sovereignty

Conclusion: Interventions for Urban Indigenous Education

Index

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Indigenous Children's Survivance in Public Schools

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Indigenous Children's Survivance in Public Schools examines the cultural, social, and political terrain of Indigenous education by providing accounts of Indigenous students and educators creatively navigating the colonial dynamics within public schools.

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Book: “Tlingit Law, American Injustice, and the Destruction of Tlingit Villages"

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Book: “Tlingit Law, American Injustice, and the Destruction of Tlingit Villages"

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In this Box of Knowledge Booklet essay, Sealaska Heritage President Dr. Rosita Worl explores Tlingit and Western laws, focusing on the bombardments of the Tlingit villages of Kake, Angoon, and Wrangell.

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"Tlingit Law, American Injustice, and the Destruction of Tlingit Villa

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In this Box of Knowledge Booklet essay, Sealaska Heritage President Dr. Rosita Worl explores Tlingit and Western laws, focusing on the bombardments of the Tlingit villages of Kake, Angoon, and Wrangell. The Tlingit had a highly developed system of law.

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Article: Elizabeth Peratrovich, the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and Indigenous Women’s Activism, 1943–1947

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Article: Elizabeth Peratrovich, the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and Indigenous Women’s Activism, 1943–1947

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By Alaska Native historian, Holly Miowak Guise

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Elizabeth Peratrovich Alaska Native Sisterhood Indigenous Women's Activism.pdf

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Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska

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Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska

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This map shows the indigenous language regions of Alaska.

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This map shows the indigenous language regions of Alaska. Related languages of neighboring Canada and Russia are also shown. The language boundaries represent traditional territories at approximately 1900 and are based on those established in Michael E. Krauss' Native Peoples and Languages of Alaska map (1974, revised 1982 -- G961K1974b). The current map was generated digitally using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. In addition to language boundaries, the map includes more than 270 indigenous place names in indigenous orthography. An interactive version of this map is currently under development and will be made available on the Alaskool website.

Contributors

Original design and concept by Michael E. Krauss.

Digital map created by Gary Holton, Jim Kerr, and Colin West.

Interactive online map at the Alaskool website by Ben Saylor.

Place names complied by Gary Holton. (Sources for individual names are listed on the place names page.)

Graphic design and layout by Clemencia Merrill.

How to obtain copies

Printed copies of the map suitable for wall mounting can be purchased from ANLC.

Download a digital copy of the map

GIS shapefiles on which the map is based can be downloaded from the archive [updated 2013-07-17].

Citation and Usage Guidelines

Permission to use this map for non-commercial, educational purposes is granted under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. For information about commercial use in publications please contact ANLA.

Permission to share and adapt the GIS and language data available through the archive's website is granted under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Please cite as follows:

Krauss, Michael, Gary Holton, Jim Kerr, and Colin T. West. 2011. Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska. Fairbanks and Anchorage: Alaska Native Language Center and UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research. Online: https://www.uaf.edu/anla/collections/map/

If you are referencing the previous version of this map (1974, revised 1982), please cite as follows.

Krauss, Michael. 1974 (1982). Native Peoples and Languages of Alaska. Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center.

History of the Map

More information about the history of this map and other Alaska language maps can be found in a recent paper entitled Behind the Map (download G002H2010).

News

Map announced in UAA Research Maters no. 54

Map featured in a July 10 article in the Anchorage Daily News

Funding provided by

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This map shows the indigenous language regions of Alaska. Related languages of neighboring Canada and Russia are also shown.

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SCROLL RIGHT to see themes

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If your post doesn't align with any standards, please add to the OTHER RESOURCES column.

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Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools

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Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools

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Cultural Standards for Students

Cultural Standards for Educators

Cultural Standards for Curriculum

Cultural Standards for Schools

Cultural Standards for Communities

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Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools | Alaska Native Knowledge Network

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The following standards have been developed by Alaska Native educators to provide a way for schools and communities to examine the extent to which they are attending to the educational and cultural well being of the students in their care.

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Click on the points to see books written from authors within that region. More authors will be added at a later date.

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1Joyanne Hamilton Boarding Schools in Alaska Lesson plan

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Russian Colonization Challenges & Solutions

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Russian Colonization Challenges & Solutions

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I created a lesson using resources from Steven Cothran's online textbook. Here students use historical thinking skills to analyze quotes from Russians on the Alaska territory prior to sale to America to answer the essential question, "What problems did the Russians experience in Alaska and how did they try to solve them?" Students read several quotes with a partner, engage in a debate, and then write a reflective piece using quotes to support their position. Lesson plan includes a graphic organizer.

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Russian Colonization Challenge & Solutions Lesson Plan 

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Climate Change: Voices From The Frontlines of a Changing Bering Sea

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Climate Change: Voices From The Frontlines of a Changing Bering Sea

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Exxon on Trial: Whose is Responsible for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? 

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Exxon on Trial: Whose is Responsible for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? 

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Students will identify the impact of the EVOS and identify who was harmed

Students will evaluate the factors that caused the EVOS and judge the   responsibility to redress the harms

Students will investigate options for repairing the harm

Students will advocate for actions to continue to repair harms from the EVOS and/or to prevent future oil spills

3-6 class periods

Grades: 6-12

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Southcentral (Alutiiq/ Sugpiaq, Dena'ina, Eyak)

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World War II Alaska: Oral Histories

Students will learn about Indigenous scholar, Dr. Holly Miowak Guise and her process in authoring Alaska’s Native Resilience: Voices From World War II. Students will learn about the World War II experiences of Alaskan Native elders through their oral histories (primary sources). The oral histories describe the experiences of the Unangax Internment, being a veteran, in the Territorial Guard, and being a Native child during this time.

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Students will learn about Indigenous scholar, Dr. Holly Miowak Guise and her process in authoring Alaska's Native Resilience: Voices From World War II. Students will learn about the World War II experiences of Alaskan Native elders through their oral histories (primary sources). The oral histories describe the experiences of the Unangax Internment, being a veteran, in the Territorial Guard, and being a Native child during this time.

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Students will learn about Indigenous scholar, Dr. Holly Miowak Guise and her process in authoring Alaska's Native Resilience: Voices From World War II. Students will learn about the World War II ex...

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Film: The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors

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Film: The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors

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Film and Conversation Guide on Indigenous Enslavement and impacts from colonization. (Registration required)

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Unangax, Alutiiq/ Sugpiaq (SW, Southcentral) and L48 US focus

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Reading: The Colonization of Alaska Natives by Econ Peter

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Reading: The Colonization of Alaska Natives by Econ Peter

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Brief 2 page overview, statewide focus. Great overview reading for MS/ HS students.

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The Colonization of Alaska Natives by Evon Peter.pdf

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Ahtna History of Colonization 2 page reading

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Ahtna History of Colonization 2 page reading

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Page 8-9 gives brief overview of colonization and land writes in Ahtna region

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This is a 'live' list of literature that can be used K-12. The Alaska Statewide Mentors have been making an effort to locate literature by Indigenous authors. This list is a mix of both. Please add to the list as you discover more books.

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We the People of Alaska, High School Civics Capstone Project

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We the People of Alaska, High School Civics Capstone Project

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Do you want your students to learn research skills, how to work with a small group, how to prepare for a presentation, how to have a successful interview, how to dress professionally, all while learning about Alaska (or local) history or current issues? This project has it all! This is a link to a folder with all the information you need. Start with "Starting the Project" and look at the Project Description. You will have to make a copy of the file to edit and tailor to your class and needs.

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Learning Activity: Project Based Learning

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Curriculum Units written by Alaska Native Teachers, while attending an Elder Camp.

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These resource books were written by Alaska Native teachers.

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This is a webquest about the Klondike Gold Rush which follows the National Parks Service website.

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Klondike Gold Rush Webquest - NPS Website

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This is the template for students to submit through Google Classroom for their project.

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Being Alaskan Design Project_Student Template

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This is a lesson to introduce a project for students where they design their own sticker to represent what it means to be Alaskan.

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Student template for Alaska travel brochure.

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Alaska Studies Course Structure Share Out Slides

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Alaska Studies Course Structure Share Out Slides

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These are the slides I'll be using during the "What's Working - Teacher Share Out Session" at the summit, relating to the course structure I've developed and how I strive to balance between different priorities for Alaska Studies.

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2025.5 Stanton Alaska Studies Summit Share

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Magnetic North is a documentary film series that explores the stories of Alaskans whose actions and ideas have shaped the history, spirit, and values of Alaska.

Films are 30-60 minutes and most have discussion guides.

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Magnetic North - Alaska Humanities Forum

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This guide can help students conduct meaningful interviews with their families, community members, or elders. Student-led interviews are an excellent strategy for bringing community and family knowledge into the school.

The guide was developed in 2024 for the Association of Alaska School Boards & the Alaska Family Engagement Center by community-based artist and educator Ryan Conarro.

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Learning Activity: Project Based Learning

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Interview Protocol Guide for Students – Alaska Family Engagement Center

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The Art of Interview guide created by Ryan Conarro in 2024 for the Association of Alaska School Boards and the Alaska Family Engagement Center encourages students to interview family members, community figures, or elders. This initiative not only strengthens family bonds but also enriches the school’s understanding of local culture and knowledge. Drawing on the themes from the play “Dear Fish”, which highlights the experiences of fishers in Juneau, Alaska, and Deer Isle, Maine, the guide exemplifies a practical approach to integrating community insights into educational contexts.

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Rights and Responsibilities in AK History, 6-12th Lesson Plans

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Rights and Responsibilities in AK History, 6-12th Lesson Plans

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Five lesson plans and materials created by Alaska teachers and historians related to "Rights and Responsibilities". These varied plans consider different areas of the (now) state, from the Seward Peninsula, to Southeast, to the Interior, and the Aleutians, over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

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This year's National History Day theme is "Rights and Responsibilities in History," inviting students to view history through that thematic lens. Alaska History Day's sponsor organization, the Alaska Historical Society, adopted the rights and responsibilities theme for the 2024 conference, held in Cordova.

Thinking about rights AND responsibilities in history, whether local or global, invites historians of all ages consider questions of time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance.

Rights: Freedoms or privileges that individuals possess as human beings or as individuals in a society.

Responsibilities: the duties or obligations of individuals as members of society

Rights and responsibilities are two powerful forces in history, but one does not work without the other.

In recognition of these two important and interrelated concept, we are pleased to announce the publication of five lesson plans and materials created by Alaska teachers and historians. These varied plans consider different areas of the (now) state, from the Seward Peninsula, to Southeast, to the Interior, and the Aleutians, over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

In these lesson plans, aimed for students in middle and high school, students will learn about:

These lessons are available via the links above, or at: https://www.akhistoryday.org/lesson-plan-category/rights-and-responsibilities-theme/

Thank you to the Atwood Foundation for grant funding that supported these teachers' valuable work! We hope these lessons can help teachers connect these important concepts to the history of our home state.

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Rights and Responsibilities in Alaska History Lessons and Materials – Alaska History Day

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The Alaska Myth: The Problem with the Last Frontier, Russian Enslavement of Sugpiaq & Gold Rush Perspectives

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The Alaska Myth: The Problem with the Last Frontier, Russian Enslavement of Sugpiaq & Gold Rush Perspectives

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The Alaska Myth Podcast and multiple lesson plans to go with each episode.

Alaska Myth Podcast by Kaitlin Jade Armstrong is free https://www.thealaskamyth.com/

Lesson plans are free to download, login required:

Episode 1: The Problem with the Last Frontier

The Frontier Myth Lesson

Angoon Bombardment Lesson

Episode 2: Kodiak Remembers

Russian Enslavement of Sugpiaq Lesson

Sugpiat Trauma and Resilience Lesson

Episode 3: Sourdough’s Dreams

Gold Rush Background Lesson

Gold Rush Economies Lesson

Gold Rush Perspectives Lesson

Lawlessness Lesson

Myth v. History Lesson

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Teacher Resource: Tribal Governance F112 Course (No Cost)

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Teacher Resource: Tribal Governance F112 Course (No Cost)

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This is an excellent (no cost) resource for educators to acquire information on Alaska land claims, treaties, Russian occupation, subsistence, Alaska Tribes, ANILCA, ANCSA, etc.

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This course is an introduction to Federal Indian Law, focusing on the impacts to modern Alaskan Tribal Governments. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between Federal Indian Law and tribal justice systems in Alaska.

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Open source materials for tribal governance courses.

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Here is an article from Alaska Public Media that I think is a great introduction to these two organizations, the movement for Indigenous rights in the state, and provides some background information before talking about ANCSA.

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How the Alaska Native Brotherhood Changed Alaska History

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In “A Dangerous Idea,” author Peter Metcalfe explores the crucial role the Alaska Native Brotherhood played in securing Native rights and land claims before, during and after statehood. The recently published book explores an often overlooked chapter in Alaska’s story. Metcalfe suggests, without the ANB, the Alaska of today would be a very different place.Download Audio

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This is a short read about life before statehood - one that gives a baseline for middle and HS students about this time period/

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Building the Alaska Highway | Article

Alaska Natives Before Statehood

From the Collection: Native Americans

Two young Native Alaskans. National Archives

In the early spring of 1942, when the Army Corps of Engineers arrived to begin building the Alaska Highway, Alaska's population was approximately 73,000. About half of those residents were Native Alaskans, members of indigenous groups who inhabited Alaska before it was colonized by Russia. Native Alaskans are divided into three broad groups: the Aleuts, the Inuit, and the many different Indian tribes.

Aleuts
The Aleuts, who call themselves Unangan, lived in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of mainland Alaska. Some anthropologists believe their ancestors migrated to the Aleutians 7,000 years ago. Aleuts had both permanent and seasonal homes. Permanent Aleutian villages consisted of underground homes mainly located on the northern coasts of the islands that faced the Bering Sea, due to the abundance of resources on that side. Aleutian culture is based heavily on the sea. They are famous fishers and hunters, and are known for their basketry.

Inuit
The Aleuts lived on ice-free waters, but the Inuit were surrounded by the icy northern seas of Western Alaska. As a result, the Inuit were more mobile that the Aleuts. One distinguishing feature of the Inuit was their near total dependence on the sea. Their food, clothing, furnishing for their homes, and fuel all came from the marine life that they hunted, such as whales and seals.

First Nations
The third group of Native Alaskans consisted of several Indian tribes (also known as First Nations). Two of the larger groups were the Tlingit and Haida, who resided in the southeastern inland region of Alaska. While these groups were adept at fishing, they were also known for their mountaineering skills. They were famed for their totem poles and their potlatches, gatherings of friends and family to celebrate important milestones in an individual's life, such as a first hunt or a funeral. Both of these tribes were seasonally mobile hunter gatherers with their own distinguishing features, most prominently linguistic ones.

Illnesses
The influx of civilians and military personnel into Alaska had a devastating effect on the Native Alaskans, who had already suffered a negative impact. In the century of Russian and American colonization prior to World War II, contact with outsiders had subjected Native Alaskans to diseases for which they lacked immunity, including meningitis, influenza, chicken pox and whooping cough.

Incursions
With the newcomers' arrival, Native Alaskans' whole way of living became endangered. Highway-building made travel and access much easier within Alaska. During their recreation time, the Army engineers would go fishing, or go hunting with their military-issued guns, for which they otherwise had little use. Along the narrow corridor of the highway, the outsiders depleted the natural resources on which the Native Alaskans depended for subsistence.

Dwindling Minority
As a result of disease, cultural confusion and the growing number of whites, the percentage of Native Alaskans in the general Alaskan population plummeted from 45 percent in 1940 to 26 percent in 1950 to 19 percent at the time of statehood in 1959. The highway construction led to a new era for the original Alaskans.

A World Ended
Historian Ken Coates described the effect of the Alaska Highway on the area's native population: "Construction projects transformed aboriginal life in the northwest very quickly and very profoundly. There was only occasional work to be found, they didn't hire very many aboriginal people to work. The women got involved selling handicrafts and doing some domestic work... There were a lot of attacks on aboriginal people, some rapes of native women, for example. A lot of misuse of alcohol with aboriginal people. So, a world had ended. A lifestyle that had been in place in many ways for centuries, but certainly since the arrival of the fur traders in the middle of the 19th century. It's a hundred years of fishing, and trapping, and sort of casual engagement with the market economy, poof, gone. Overnight."

Revitalization
Today, Alaska Natives account for just over 15 percent of the total Alaskan population of approximately 648,000 people. Since the 1960s and 1970s, aboriginal autonomy has rebounded in Alaska. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 officially ended native land ownership claims while creating regional corporations that administered approximately one-ninth of Alaskan territory; the shareholders of the corporations are the native peoples. The legal battles for rights to their ancestral land began a revitalization of native society that is evident today.

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Alaska Natives Before Statehood | American Experience | PBS

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In the early spring of 1942 Alaska's population was approximately 73,000. About half of those residents were Native Alaskans, members of indigenous groups who inhabited Alaska before it was colonized by Russia.

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Many years ago, while teaching in a rural Alaska village school, I came across research conducted by UAF professor Judith Kleinfeld and her graduate students. Based on interviews with students, parents, and community members, she identified several traits of the most effective teachers. Her findings profoundly affected my teaching experience. The following is a short summary of her research that I put together to share with colleagues over the years.

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This unit was created for middle school students through a Sealaska Heritage Institute course called "Through the Cultural Lens"

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AmyLloyd.Sealaska.Food and Culture Unit - Backward design

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This is a fantastic series of 30-minute-long documentary videos produced by KTOO that relate to diverse social, cultural, and educational stories across Alaska. There are 14 different documentaries so far!

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ReVision Alaska, a series from KTOO, is a curated collection of 30-minute documentary films from across Alaska that re-examines our past, revises stereotypes, and elevates a new generation of storytellers.
The ReVision Mission

As a small public media organization in Alaska's capital we aspire to help reshape the landscape of non-fiction documentary programming in Alaska. But we can't do this alone. Through a combination of in-house and independent productions directed by filmmakers in their own communities, each season of ReVision Alaska amplifies a rising tide of diverse voices who are rewriting the narratives about their communities. National headlines often approach Alaska through the language of loss and crisis, painting residents as passive victims of systemic racism, climate change or historical trauma. ReVision Alaska approaches the challenges facing Alaska through the eyes of those working on solutions, offering visions of social equity, cultural resurgence, economic transition, and hope.

SITKA HERRING: A TALE OF TWO HARVESTS PRODUCED BY ANDRES JAVIER CAMACHO
Sheet'ká, or Sitka, is one of the last places where herring eggs - a critical cultural food for Indigenous communities - can be harvested in Southeast Alaska. This film looks at the evolving relationship between the herring egg harvest, the commercial sac roe fishery, and state management.

AMIDUSIM AKALUĜAA: PATHWAY TO HEALING PRODUCED BY ANDRÉS CAMACHO AND KANESIA MCGLASHAN-PRICE
Amidusim Akaluĝaa: Pathway to Healing is a poignant documentary that explores the forgotten history of Alaska's forced relocation camps during World War II and one man's mission to protect and memorialize the gravesites of those who perished, confronting injustice and paving the way for healing.

RECONNECTING THROUGH RHYTHM PRODUCED BY: RAFAEL BITANGA
A n uplifting documentary that follows Filipino Alaskan dance coach Alma Manabat Parker's efforts to unite her community through the power of traditional Filipino dance, celebrating cultural identity and mental wellness.

INDIGENOUS RESISTANCE: NOW & THEN PRODUCED BY 'WÁATS'ASDIYEI JOE YATES
A thought-provoking documentary that amplifies the voices of Indigenous communities as they share stories of resistance against colonialism, reclaiming their cultural identities, and their ongoing fight for justice.

SABOR ÁRTICO: LATINOS EN ALASKA PRODUCED BY INDRA ARRIAGA DELGADO
Offers a compelling glimpse into the unique challenges and cultural adaptations of Alaska's growing Latino population as they forge their identities in the extreme Arctic environment.

A BEAUTIFUL PLACE PRODUCED BY ATMAN MEHTA
Set in Golovin, an Arctic village in Western Alaska, the film traces residents' lives amidst a significant climate crisis, offering both an expressionist and verité portrait of community life.

DECOLONIZING EDUCATION PRODUCED BY ANDRES JAVIER CAMACHO
Explore the decolonization of education through place-based learning, guided by the wisdom of Lingít elder and author Ernestine Hayes, and the transformative work of educators Lorrie Heagy and George Holly, who integrate culture bearers and music from the Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM) program to revitalize learning experiences.

WEAVING OUR IDENTITY PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS
For centuries, indigenous artifacts have been stolen and put on display in distant museums around the world, including the sacred textiles of Southeast indigenous peoples, known as Chilkat robes. Weaving Our Identity presents the story of a collaboration of indigenous weavers, chemists and Alaska State Museum curators, who are researching historic and new yarn dyeing techniques.

SM'ALGYA̱X LEARNERS GROUP PRODUCED BY LYNDSEY BROLLINI, PAIGE SPARKS, & ANDRÉS JAVIER CAMACHO
When the pandemic lockdowns began in Juneau, Shiggoap Alfie Price and a determined group of Sm'algya̱x (Tsimshian) language learners organized over zoom to continue teaching and learning their indigenous language. Now their learning community includes Tsimshian people from across Alaska and North America. Without institutional support, they are taking action to pass on Sm'algya̱x to the next generation.

CAUGHT IN THE UNDERTOW PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS & CLAIRE STREMPLE
Finding adequate behavioral health services is challenging in the remote landscape of Alaska. Gaps in funding, legislation and healthcare providers make it especially hard for those seeking sobriety and long-term addiction recovery. This film will spotlight the issues Alaska faces when it comes to solving our addiction crisis through the lived experiences of therapists, patients engaged in treatment, and the families of those who didn't get the resources they needed to survive.

AYAPRUN PRODUCED BY KATIE BASILE AND KYUK
Ayaprun Loddie Jones is a Yup'ik Elder and educator in Bethel, Alaska. She is the founder of one of the first Indigenous language immersion schools in Alaska. Ayaprun's teaching career spans 50-years and she is reluctantly retiring this Spring. Our film follows her through her last semester of teaching. As we watch her interact with students, parents and teachers we learn about Ayaprun's life, the importance of language revitalization and the struggle to get the Yup'ik immersion school started, its success and ongoing growth.

ALASKA'S AVALANCHE CAPITAL PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS, RASHAH McCHESNEY, & ANDRÉS JAVIER CAMACHO
In 1962, more than 30 homes were damaged in an avalanche in a Juneau subdivision. In 2008, a huge set of avalanches severed the town's connection to its biggest source of hydroelectricity. And in 2021, city officials went door-to-door in the Behrends Neighborhood telling people to evacuate their homes during unprecedented avalanche conditions. How did Juneau develop into a city with what some experts have called "unacceptable" risk for urban avalanches?

QUEENS AND KINGS OF JUNEAU PRODUCED BY PAIGE SPARKS, RASHAH McCHESNEY
Juneau, Alaska, a small town of 30,000 people, boasts a monthly drag performance of close to 30 drag performers, organized by Gigi Monroe who is, "drag mom" to nearly half that Juneau drag family. The family is working out how to provide a vibrant and safe space for each performer to flourish in, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the whole scene. In KTOO's new original documentary, Queens and Kings of Juneau, we meet a number of other queens and kings also finding their place in this family. The documentary depicts how a few people have come together to support each other in being as whole and vibrant as one can be.

The Gold Digger
When the pandemic threatened to shut down their popular Filipino restaurant in the cruise ship destination of Skagway, Arlene Diente and Albert Efergan took the leap and moved to Juneau. The Gold Digger tells the story of one Filipino-Italian family in Alaska, and how they've built a home for themselves and discovered community through their restaurant.

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ReVision Alaska Documentary Series - KTOO

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A curated collection of documentary films designed for Alaskans who want to see themselves and their communities authentically represented.

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Google Earth is a useful tool for educators and students to explore parts of Alaska from the classroom. This project allowed students to "fly" around the State to learn about the people and geography within the different regions of Alaska. It can be adapted for all grade levels K-12 and it can be a teacher created resource or student created resource for older students. I created this project for Southeast Alaska.

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Alaska Social Studies Standards & Resources

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Alaska Social Studies Standards & Resources

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Tools, professional development modules, and other resources to support teachers and districts in implementing the new 2024 adopted social studies standards. Includes a few AK Studies and AK History specific resources.

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Social Studies - Education and Early Development

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The Alaska Blanket Exercise is a participatory history lesson adapted from a best practice used by Indigenous people in Canada. Developed in collaboration with Alaska Native Elders, knowledge keepers, educators, and culture bearers, the Alaska Blanket Exercise fosters truth, understanding, respect and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.

The Youth Alaska Blanket Exercise (yABE) is an adaptation of the ABE focused on high school aged youth. This workshop takes place across two days in two three-hour sessions. The yABE workshop components include mindfulness, grounding exercises, site-based emotional support, and opportunities for youth leadership skill development.

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Learning Activity: Project Based Learning

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Alaska Blanket Exercise | Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

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Alaska Blanket Exerciseakblanketexercise@anthc.org The Alaska Blanket Exercise is a participatory history lesson adapted from a best practice used by Indigenous people in Canada. Developed in collaboration with Alaska Native Elders, knowledge keepers, educators, and culture bearers, the Alaska Blanket Exercise fosters truth, understanding, respect and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. Our vision is for people in Alaska to understand the past and live in thriving, connected communities by building collaborative relationships, teaching truth through storytelling, and promoting healing. There…

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The University of Alaska Museum of the North has educator resources, including a "Virtual Museum" with over 200 downloadable hands-on activities, lesson plans, and more. They also have Museum Kits available to borrow for educational purposes that can be mailed to your classroom. Use hands-on objects to enhance your lessons and help your students explore culture, science, art, and history.

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Learning Activities, resources, primary sources

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Educators | Museum | Museum of the North

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Museum resources and information for educators.

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Great lessons covering a wide range of topics associated with Alaska's Natural Resources.

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Free curriculum, lessons and activities for teachers about Alaska’s natural resources including energy, minerals and forestry. STEM education from kindergarten to high school. Covering the oil & gas and mining industries.

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Alaska Native Culture & History for 3rd Grade (ASD Nest Egg)

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Alaska Native Culture & History for 3rd Grade (ASD Nest Egg)

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This six-unit course consists of two project-based units and four shorter inquiry units, all aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies and the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools. Students learn about Alaska Native culture and history using the accompanying historical fiction text, The NEST Egg. They learn about geographic regions and resources through the lens of Alaska Native cultural values.

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Three stories about the fight for civil rights in AK. Funded by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, AK State Commission for Human Rights, and Anchorage Equal Rights Commission.

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Made by the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights

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Anchorage 1910 - 1940 Legends & Legacies

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Anchorage 1910 - 1940 Legends & Legacies

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This project by the Cook Inlet Historical Society features biographies of people who lived and settled in Anchorage in the early 20th century, during Alaska’s formative years. They were from all walks of life: old timers and immigrants, Natives and non-Natives, crusty sourdoughs, and brash newcomers.

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The Cook Inlet Historical Society (CIHS) is the private, non-profit historical society for the Anchorage area, and has been instrumental since its founding in 1955 in fostering discussion, research, and publication of the history and ethnography of the Anchorage and Cook Inlet regions of Alaska as well as our state and its place in the Circumpolar North. In that regard, CIHS was the principal organization responsible for the establishment of the Anchorage Museum in 1968.

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Our vision is to revitalize the traditional Chugach Native culture and language. The goal is to make Sugpiaq/ Eyak history and heritage a part of the regular school curriculum with support and direction from our Elders’ traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). The Heritage Kits are based on the Chugach Region Elders TEK where lessons are scope and sequenced; aligned with the Chugachmiut Curriculum Framework and Alaska State Cultural, Science and Geography Standards at the time of development. The kits include curriculum, books, posters, banners, objects, inter-active digital experiences, and field experiences as appropriate.

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Sugpiaq/ Alutiiq and Eyak (Southcentral)

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The Alaska Native Knowledge Network's goal is to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. It has been established to assist Native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in gaining access to the knowledge base that Alaska Natives have acquired through cumulative experience over millennia.

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The Alaska Native Knowledge Network's goal is to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. It has been established to assist Native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in gaining access to the knowledge base that Alaska Natives have acquired through cumulative experience over millennia.

The collective works of Ray Barnhardt

We now have all of Ray's work compiled in one place. Check it out! So much information!

The collective works of Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley

Check out our newly compiled library of Angayuqaq's written work! Nice to have them all in one place.

Also, did you see this recent Oscar Kawagley story in UAF's centennial magazine?

The roll out of our new website

A lot of exciting changes are taking place at ANKN... not the least of which is the roll out of our new website! Take a look at the video to learn more!

Help us build and improve our website by filling out this Google form!

As you explore ANKN's website, you'll notice a number of Google Forms throughout. Each of this forms are different, and they give you the opportunity to give us direct feed back on the specific page your looking at. Our goal is to tailor our site to your needs, and these forms are a major tool for you to express what those needs are. They are all short, so to get things started, the below form ask some general questions about the homepage! Thanks, and can't wait to hear your thoughts!

ANKN's has a new communication strategy!

Access to our old ANKN website
Note: resources on the old website are no longer being maintained. Many links may be broken and/or connected to organizations that no longer exist.

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The Alaska Native Knowledge Network's goal is to serve as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. It has been established to assist Native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in gaining access to the knowledge base that Alaska Natives have acquired through cumulative experience over millennia.

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What was life like for Yup'ik people living on the Bering Sea coast 500 years ago? Nunalleq: Stories from the Village of Our Ancestors is a free interactive educational resource which invites children to explore the story of the archaeological excavations of the Nunalleq sod house. This multi-vocal resource was co-designed by the Nunalleq Archaeology Project and local Quinhagak community. It brings together narratives from archaeologists, Elders, Alaska Native artists and young people within the village.

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Nunalleq: Stories from the Village of our Ancestors is an interactive educational resource for children which tells the story of the archaeological excavations of a pre-contact Yup'ik sod house in Quinhagak, Alaska. The digital resource was co-designed between the local community in Quinhagak and archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen and creatively unites science and and history with traditional Yup'ik ways of knowing and contemporary oral storytelling.

The resource will be distributed to schools in the Lower Kuskokwim School District region of southwestern Alaska on USB drives in time for the new term in fall 2019. If you would like a personal copy you can also download and install the resource on your computer or laptop for free here.

Have fun, and please let us know what you think. If you have any technical issues we will try our best to help!

To find out more about the archaeology project and keep up to date with the excavations you can visit the Nunalleq Archaeology Project Blog.

This project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the University of Aberdeen's Impact, Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation fund and the University of Dundee, DJCAD.

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Nunalleq: Stories from the Village of our Ancestors is an interactive educational resource for children which tells the story of the archaeological excavations of a pre-contact Yup'ik sod house in Quinhagak, Alaska. The digital resource was co-designed between the local community in Quinhagak and archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen and creatively unites science and and history with traditional Yup'ik ways of knowing and contemporary oral storytelling.

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Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Learning Lab

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Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Learning Lab

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We invite teachers, students, parents and lifelong learners to explore Alaska Native cultures, museum objects, community videos and classroom lessons shared here. Learn about the peoples of this northern world from elders, culture-bearers, scholars and artists.

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Resource: readings, videos, primary sources

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Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska

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Alaska Native heritage is woven from the beliefs, values, knowledge and arts of the Iñupiaq, Athabascan, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Yup’ik, Unangax, Sugp…

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SILKAT (Sustaining Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Arts, and Teaching)

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SILKAT (Sustaining Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Arts, and Teaching)

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The purpose of the SILKAT project is to bring local cultural knowledge to the forefront of the curriculum and to recruit, equip and retain new teachers with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to competently and confidently teach in and through the arts and culture in Alaska's schools. The SILKAT grant is a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Bering Strait School District, and Kawerak Inc.

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Learning Activity: Project Based Learning

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The SILKAT grant is a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Bering Strait School District, and Kawerak Inc.

The purpose of the SILKAT project is to bring local cultural knowledge to the forefront of the curriculum and to recruit, equip and retain new teachers with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to competently and confidently teach in and through the arts and culture in Alaska's schools.

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The SILKAT grant is a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Bering Strait School District, and Kawerak Inc. The purpose of the SILKAT project is to bring local cultural knowledge to the forefront of the curriculum and to recruit, equip and retain new teachers with the

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See Stories' TeacherTools include lesson plans to go with See Stories educator- and youth- made films and The Alaska Myth podcast by Kaitlin Jade Armstrong. Their Digital Storytelling curriculum teaches you how to guide students in making their own films or podcasts - which can be able their communities and connect to Alaska history and culture.

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Learning Activity: Project Based Learning

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Sealaska Heritage Institute is a Native nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goals are to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. Sealaska Heritage also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide.

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The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act: Relationship with the Environment How Raven Stole the Sun by Maria Williams, published by the National Museum of the American Indian Haida Creation Story adapted from Memoir of the American Museum of Natural History, volume X, book II-Haida Texts-Masset Dialect. By John R. Swanton, 1908, p. 307-31 Yup'ik Creation Story from In The Beginning- Creation Stories from Around the World, Virginia Hamilton, 2007 Yuma Creation Story from Geoglyphs, Rock Alignments, and Ground Figures, Gerald A Smith, UCLA Insitute of Archaeology, Los Angeles, 1983

Tlingit Migration Story (Based on Glacier Bay history) Told by Susie James (Kaasgéiy of the Chookaneidí clan), translated by Nora Dauenhauer. Excerpted from Haa Shuká, Our Ancestors. Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, and University of Washington Pre ss, Seattle, 1987.

The Native peoples of Southeast Alaska migrated to their present-day homelands via a variety of routes. This included overland and coastal routes. The areas settled by the Tlingits became their kwáans. The inland Tlingit are found in the Yukon Territory of Canada. The Haida and Tsimshian both arrived in Southeast Alaska long after the initial arrival of the Tlingit. The Haida migrated to the southern areas of Prince of Wales Island and the Tsimshian to Annette Island, near Ketchikan.

Values are the rules that people use to live with one another. Beliefs are what people believe to be right. Not all cultures have the same values and beliefs. The values and beliefs of one group can clash with those of another group The values and beliefs of most Native tribes in North America underwent change or changed completely with contact. Despite this clash of values and beliefs, many Natives today continue to practice elements of their ancestral teachings.

Native peoples inhabited the islands and mainland of Southeast Alaska for at least ten thousand years. The relatively moderate climate of the area and an abundance of natural resources allowed for the development of highly sophisticated cultures. The social organization was complex and the development of Native art flourished. Most permanent communities began as camps or villages, with an economic base tied to fishing, forestry, and/or mining. Employment attracted many Native people to the permanent commercial centers of Southeast Alaska.

The Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples of Southeast Alaska traded amongst themselves. They traded with tribes to the south and north. Many of them made long journeys over rugged mountains and rivers. People traded with others that they trusted and liked. The traders would form partnerships that lasted many years. During this time, people would visit with each other's families. The would learn some of each other's language. People exchanged goods up to three times a year. They would meet in places or villages that they had agreed on during their last trading trip. Sometimes it was difficult to decide the value of the goods. The value of goods changed often.

The Tlingits of Southeast Alaska are divided into two groups called moieties. The word moieties is from French and means "half ". The Tlingit moieties are Raven (Yéil or-long ago-Laayaneidí) and Eagle (Ch'áak'). In earlier times, the Eagle moiety was known as Wolf (Gooch). The Tlingit who live in the interior in Canada still use the Wolf moiety. All Tlingits are members of one of the two moieties. The moieties are divided into smaller groups called clans. Members of one moiety refer to the other moiety as guneit kanáayi (opposite). All people in a moiety consider themselves related to one another. They are related to the members of the opposite moiety through marriage. Moiety membership is shown using an Eagle or Raven crest. Today, many people wear jewelry or their clan at.óowu (regalia) that show their moiety. In Tlingit life, it is important to have a balance between the Eagle and Raven.

There are many reasons for holding a ceremony. Approximately a year after a person dies, the clan of the deceased holds a ceremony. This ceremony is called a ku.éex' in Tlingit, wáahlaal in Haida and loolgit in Tsimshian. It is sometimes known as a pay-off party or potlatch, which is a word from the Chinook Jargon. Today, Native Elders have asked the younger tribal members not to use the word potlatch. They have asked them to use their own tribal names for the ceremonies. During a ceremony, the deceased and the ancestors of a clan are remembered. It is a time for the clan members to end a year of mourning. The ceremony is held to remove grief. The ceremony is a time for people to get together with their kin. It is a time to honor the opposite moiety. The opposite moiety comforts the grieving clan. The clan of the deceased repays the opposite moiety.

Over time, the Native peoples of Southeast Alaska developed sophisticated art forms. Even many tools that were used every day were decorated with art forms. Stories, songs, and drama were also important art forms. The traditional regalia of the Southeast Natives can show power, wealth, and lineage. Native peoples respect the opposite clan and their ancestors in the making and handling of the regalia. Importance is placed on the maker of the regalia. Members of the opposite clan are asked to make the regalia. Regalia in Native culture are an acknowledgment of all ancestors who came before.

Traditionally, the tools used by Native people were also works of art. These tools included stone adzes and axes, drills, and carving knives made from stone, bone, or shell.

For generations, the Native peoples of Southeast Alaska lived in communal clan houses. These houses were the social centers of the communities and intrinsically tied to the people, their ancestors, and their heritage. Early missionaries and government representatives failed to appreciate the importance of the clan houses to the Native cultures. The break down of the clan house system signaled major changes to the Native cultures of Southeast Alaska.

For generations, the Native peoples of Southeast Alaska lived in unison with the environment and developed rich traditions. Land ownership was not viewed as an individual undertaking; land was owned by groups. Respect for the land was integral to the Native code of survival. Contact with Europeans forever altered the Native lifestyles and introduced foreign concepts of land and natural resources management. While the Russians were harsh taskmasters, to say the least, they did not expect assimilation of Native peoples into Western cultures. That concept appeared with the Treaty of Cession and the governance of America.

Writing pieces from: The Coming of the First White Man by George R. Betts. (Dauenhauer, Nora Marks, and Richard Dauenhauer. Haa Shuká, Our Ancestors: Tlingit Oral Narratives), and J.F. La Pérouse Visit to Lituya Bay, 1786 (Excerpts from journal. Dauenhauer, Nora, Richard Dauenhauer, and Lydia Black. Anóoshi Lingít Aaní Ká,Russians in Tlingit America: the Battles of Sitka, 1802 and 1804).

In 1867, Russia signed the Treaty of Cession which governed the sale of Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. The Tlingit people living in Alaska were upset with the deal. They kept their independence during the Russian occupation and believed they owned the land of Southeast Alaska. Several councils of Tlingit clan leaders met to discuss their objections to the sale. In 1869, the clan leaders registered an official complaint with the United States Treasury Department that Alaska was sold without their consent. This effort was the beginning of Tlingit and Haida legal efforts and diplomacy to obtain title to their land.

The 1880 treaty was a typical federal policy and practice that failed to recognize Indian land ownership and functioned to transfer power to American hands. The Navy altered the Tlingit way of life in many ways. For example, the Navy told the Tlingit of American ownership of their former lands and introduced new rules around land ownership and usage. Prior to American confiscation of Tlingit lands, each clan owned and controlled specific geographical areas, and set guidelines for hunting and fishing. In 1881, Commander Henry Glass promoted the signing of a formal peace treaty between the Stikine Tlingit at Wrangell and the Xutsnoowú Tlingit at Angoon. This agreement contained language that regulated Tlingit hunting and fishing, and removed Tlingit jurisdiction and control over their former lands. The Navy also displaced Tlingit people from their traditional homeland, which violated the 1867 Treaty of Cession.

Kohklux's map is the earliest known recording of southwestern Yukon. It portrays three-dimensional views of mountains along rivers and lakes that are clearly recognizable. The map is scaled-not in distance, but in the number of travel days between points. It also contains information about caches, villages, events, and living conditions. The map indicates an extensive knowledge of the land and the people. This knowledge was likely gathered from several sources, including both oral history and firsthand experience.

The Organic Act of 1884 established schools in Alaska for all children. The schools were set up "for the education of children of school age in the Territory of Alaska, without reference to race." Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary, was the general agent of education in Alaska. He used $25,000 provided by Congress to pay for mission schools set up for Native children. Federal subsidies for church-run schools continued until 1895, when the Bureau of Education assumed control of many Alaskan schools. The United States educational policy was to "civilize" Native children. In school, there were many rules in place that prevented Native children from speaking their traditional language. Often times, corporal punishment was used to discourage Native children from practicing their traditional culture. In 1905, the Nelson Act passed which also established two separate systems of education. The federal government was responsible for Native education, while the territorial government controlled white education.

In 1880, Chief Kaawaa'ee, a Tlingit of the Aak'w Kwáan, led Joe Juneau and Dick Harris to gold. Prior to the gold find, the non-Native population in Alaska was less than 400. After the discovery, thousands of miners and settlers arrived. This put pressure on Tlingit land. The Organic Act of 1884 established a land district (a type of administrative land division) and branches of government in Alaska. The law gave title to land held by non-Native people in the new territory, but did not allow Alaska Natives to acquire title to their land. The first duty of the new land office was to give legal title to mining claims. A number of Tlingit people attempted to file mining claims, but were denied because they were not United States citizens. Although the Tlingit still owned southeast Alaska under aboriginal title (a common law doctrine that the land rights on indigenous people persist even after settler colonialism), they did not benefit from wealth generated by the mineral resources.

The Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded in 1912. Originally, there were thirteen members: twelve men and one woman. By the mid-1920s, there were chapters, or camps, in many Tlingit villages, and an affiliate organization, the Alaska Native Sisterhood. The brotherhood and sisterhood fought for the rights of Alaska Natives. Their efforts were helped when brothers Louis and William Paul joined the brotherhood. These two men led many of the legal and political battles for the organization.

The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) was founded in 1935 and was the first federally recognized tribal government representing the Tlingit and Haida people. It was founded in response to efforts and actions undertaken by the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood in their effort to obtain a representative and federally recognized tribal government. An initial function of the Central Council was to bring suit against the United States for aboriginal claims. The Central Council believed the federal government had unfairly taken lands from Native people in Alaska when it created the Tongass National Forest, Glacier Bay National Monument, and the Annette Island Reservation. The Central Council believed the land taken from the Tlingit and Haida was worth $80 million. The government valued the land at $3 million. A court-appointed commissioner estimated the land to be worth $16 million. The Tlingit and Haida were only awarded $7.5 million, however, as it was all the government was willing to pay. William L. Paul, the first Alaska Native lawyer, noted that the value of the timber sold from their forests totaled more than $600 million alone and recommended an appeal. But in 1968 the Central Council accepted the award. Claims for the remaining 2.5 million acres, which included hunting and fishing grounds, were carried over to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.

In 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was passed by Congress. The act extinguished aboriginal title for Alaska Natives. In return, Alaska Native people were compensated $1 billion and were allowed to retain ownership of 44 million acres of land. However, it is important to note that this means Alaska Natives had to give up the rest of the land (380.5 million acres), which was not granted to the corporations, for less than $3 an acre. The original legislation called for creation of twelve profit-making regional corporations and paved the way for approximately 239 village corporations to oversee the money and land. Although Haines, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Tenakee Springs, and Wrangell were historically Tlingit villages, they were not allowed to establish village corporations because their populations were mostly non-Tlingit or there were less than twenty-five Native residents living there at the time. A later ANCSA amendment allowed Ketchikan to form a corporation and receive land. Haines, Petersburg, Wrangell and Tenakee have not yet received lands.

Although facing many pressures over the years, Native culture has persisted in Alaska. This was due to many dedicated people and groups who kept Native heritage alive. The Alaska Native Brotherhood originally promoted efforts to suppress Native language and traditions. However, the organization led the revival of aboriginal culture by adopting traditional rules, procedures, and protocol for their meetings. By the late 1980s, the Tlingit language was spoken only by people over the age of 50. Nora Dauenhauer and several respected traditional scholars offered Tlingit language classes and developed curriculum materials. Although children are no longer speaking Tlingit as their first language, they continue to sing Tlingit songs in dance groups, learn cultural traditions at culture camps, and experience firsthand the vibrancy of their Native culture in action at ku.éex', totem pole raisings, and other celebrations.

There was a dispute over who rightfully owned it. And, how many acres should be owned by all of us, protected in national parks and wildlife refuges? In 1971 an act of Congress was passed that ended the fight over who owns most of Alaska's land. This act was the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act or ANCSA.

Native leaders became effective lobbyists against some of the most powerful political and business leaders in the world. It all made for some interesting alliances. By the end of 1971 a compromise had been reached, and the land claims legislation had been passed by both bodies of Congress. In December, back in Anchorage, a special AFN convention was called to vote on the act as passed by Congress. On December 18th, the AFN delegates voted to accept the act, 511 to 56.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The fight over who owned the land in Alaska was finally settled after two hundred years.

What do the corporations created by ANCSA actually do? In most ways they are like any other corporation. They're expected to make a profit. The Native corporations invest heavily in the economic growth of Alaska.

Once all of the 44 million acres promised through ANCSA are conveyed to the corporations, it will make Alaska Natives the largest private land owners in Alaska (Laster, 1986).

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is not very big, but it has had a tremendous impact on the state. The act contains many components, all with the same potential for far-reaching benefits or negative consequences.

Section 7 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act created the regional Native corporations. It was these, along with the village corporations, that received the land and money of the settlement (Laster, 1986).

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act created a new role for Natives in Alaskan society, politics, and business.

The Native corporations have changed Alaska in other ways. Before ANCSA, only about one half of one percent of all Alaska land was privately owned. When ANCSA placed 44 million acres under Native control, those 44 million acres became privately owned. That is more than 15 times as much private land than before the passage of ANCSA in 1971.

ANCSA cleared the way for construction to begin on the trans-Alaska pipeline. It allowed the state government to continue its selection of land promised in the Alaska Statehood Act. ANCSA also started a process that turned one quarter of Alaska into national parks and monuments. But for Alaska's Natives it raised more questions than it answered.

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SHI Alaskan Teachers Educational Resources

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Sealaska Heritage Institute SHI ALASKAN TEACHERS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES teaching resources for Alaskan Teachers EMPOWERING EDUCATION THROUGH SOUTHEAST ALASKAN NATIVE CULTURE AND HERITAGE It is critical that Native cultures be incorporated into public schools and that teachers have a general understanding of the cultures. Much of the knowledge and tradition of Southeast Alaskan Native people is [...]

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Project Jukebox is the digital branch of the Oral History Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Oral History Program was established in 1981 to collect and curate audio and video recordings that relate to various aspects of Alaska's history and the people who have contributed to its rich heritage. The collection contains over 13,000 individual recordings, including interviews with politicians, pioneers, and Native elders.

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Project Jukebox is the digital branch of the Oral History Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Project Jukebox was originally developed using Hypercard in 1988, with initial support from Apple Computer’s Apple Library of Tomorrow program, and is a way to integrate oral history recordings with associated photographs, maps, and text. We have over 50 projects from throughout Alaska, each specific to a topic or an area and we are constantly creating more. We eventually hope to make all the recordings in our oral history collection digitally available. Permission and ethical issues about making people’s recordings so widely accessible have slowed the process of putting more projects online.

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An arts-infused high school Social Studies curriculum, which fulfills Alaska History content standards, Alaska Arts Standards, and Alaska Cultural Standards, uses a holistic, arts-integrated approach to invite learners to respond to cultural and historical content by artistically expressing their own personal, familial, and community stories. In so doing, the course helps to acknowledge and uplift the lived experiences of students’ communities (many of which are composed of largely Alaska Native students) as an integral part of Alaska’s unfolding history.

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We are thrilled to announce the national launch of Passages Alaska, our arts-infused high school Social Studies curriculum, through a new partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Passages Alaska is derived from PCC's interdisciplinary production ALAXSXA | ALASKA, a multimedia theater piece created in 2017 by Ping Chong, Ryan Conarro, Gary Upay'aq Beaver, and Justin Perkins. The show illuminates lesser-known moments of cross-cultural encounter in the epic changing landscapes of Alaska through three lenses: an Alaska Native perspective, an outsider/settler perspective, and a "historical" perspective that tends to show up in Westernized accounts of the state's narrative.

Alaskan educators who saw the production on tour in rural and urban Alaska in 2018 recognized the potential of its critical and Indigenized perspectives to deepen students' understanding of Alaska histories and cultures, and provide a counter narrative to the largely Western lens typically represented in the state's social studies curricula. In response to teachers' call for educational materials, and with support raised by the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) in southwest Alaska, from the AK state Council on the Arts, and the New England Foundation for the Arts, PCC began crafting the nine-week course for 9th graders. The curriculum development team was composed of ALAXSXA | ALASKA cast member Conarro, as well as Bunnell Street Arts Center Artistic Director and University of Alaska Anchorage-Kenai Peninsula College art instructor Asia Freeman, longtime educator Nita Yurrliq Rearden who won the 2023 Alaska Federation of Natives' Culture Bearer Award, and Alaska Social Studies curriculum expert Jen Romer, who is indigenous from three different communities.

The curriculum, which fulfills Alaska History content standards, Alaska Arts Standards, and Alaska Cultural Standards, uses a holistic, arts-integrated approach to invite learners to respond to cultural and historical content by artistically expressing their own personal, familial, and community stories. In so doing, the course helps to acknowledge and uplift the lived experiences of students' communities (many of which are composed of largely Alaska Native students) as an integral part of Alaska's unfolding history.

After piloting the Passages Alaska course in LKSD schools, PCC has partnered with the University of Alaska in Anchorage to house the curriculum locally, and to provide access to teachers across the state, and indeed, the nation! PCC and the university intend to partner further on professional development for educators interested in teaching the curriculum, as well as on revisions designed to broaden the curricula's representation of the 20 different Alaska Native cultures and histories, and an elementary-level version for 3rd grade teachers. Through the UAA/APU Consortium Library, teachers and administrators who wish to implement the curriculum in their schools can download Passages Alaska.
Click to access the curriculum here.

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Passages Alaska curriculum launches on Indigenous Peoples' Day

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We are thrilled to announce the national launch of Passages Alaska, our arts-infused high school Social Studies curriculum, through a new partnership with ...

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Our Future Ancestors: A Story of Education in Alaska

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Our Future Ancestors: A Story of Education in Alaska

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12.5 minute video from Cook Inlet Tribal Council about the history of western education in Alaska and what AK Native people want education to look like in the future. Recommended viewing for Alaska teachers. Could be used in the classroom too.

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Our Future Ancestors: A Story of Education in Alaska

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A presentation on Inuit and Iñupiaq culture. Note some place names are out of date. "Barrow" should be replaced with "Utqiaġvik".

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This is Volume 3 of the three-volume “Guide to Sources for the Study of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act” by the Alaska Historical Society (2022). This guide is the result of a year-long effort to locate primary archival, published and on-line sources useful to anyone interested in learning about the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).

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Alaska Historical Society - Dedicated to the promotion of Alaska history by the exchange of ideas and information.

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PDF Resources for Teaching ANCSA at 50 - Alaska Historical Society

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“Resources For Teaching ANCSA at 50” is Volume 3 of the three-volume “Guide to Sources for the Study of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act” by the Alaska Historical Society (2022). This guide is the result of a year-long effort to locate primary archival, published and on-line sources useful to anyone interested in learning

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A variety of activities that can be used in classrooms. Ability to filter by topics, including Alaska Native Cultures and Alaska History.

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The Anchorage Museum offers a range of online resources and publications to support your teaching. These resources are designed for classroom teaching, home learning, and museum visit preparation.

To explore lesson plans and tools for teaching and learning about Alaska and the North click on the items below.

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Explore resources by theme, grade and standard.

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The Alaska Native Curriculum and Teacher Development Project (ANCTD) brings together teams of teachers, elders, and community members in various parts of Alaska with university-based specialists to develop curricula on Alaska Native studies and language that is available to all schools through the internet or on CD. The project is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

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Alaskool.org - Alaska Native history, education, languages, and cultures

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Visit Alaskool to learn about Alaska Native history, education, languages, cultures, including curriculum, stories, reports, free fonts, and much more.