Alaska Vacation Home: Anchorage Alaska: Alaska Native Heritage Center

The Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage Alaska

I'm going to start out with a confession!

I lived here for six years before I decided to go visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It just never sounded that interesting ... to me. Add in that it costs about $23 dollars to get in ($15 for kids) and it became easy for me to put off visiting there.

During that whole time, though, I never once heard of anyone (tourist or local), coming away disappointed. Some were straight out raving about the place.

So I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Well, I was very impressed and, now, I never miss a chance to recommend The Alaska Native Heritage Center to anyone.

The Native Heritage "Gathering Place"

Upon paying and walking in, it was the drum beat that drew us in. Straight ahead was the "Gathering Place". We couldn't have missed it.

As we approached there was singing, dancing and storytelling.

During some of the dances, visitors were invited up to learn and dance with them. Yours truly DID NOT get up there (call me shy), but maybe I will on my next visit.

Check out this video. Half way through you will see an older gentleman really getting into it! They are all having a great time!

Learn about Alaska's Culture

After we had watched the dancing, like what you just saw in the video, we headed out the back doors and into the 26 acre complex. There we were able to see six life-sized Alaska Native dwellings/structures.

There were structures representing the five major cultural groups (There are 11 total). Those five are:

• The Asthabascan (Southcentral and Interior Alaska)
• The Aleut (Aleutians and Southcentral Maritime)
• The Inupiaq (North and Northwest Alaska)
• The Tlingit (Southeast Alaska)
• The Yup'ik (Southwest Alaska)

There were guided tours, that one could take, but we opted to walk at our own pace.

Each of these structures had a representative of the appropriate cultural group to explain what we were seeing.

Immersed in Alaska Native Heritage

I read a brochure that pointed out that this is not a museum, but rather a cultural center. I agree!

From the dancing to walking into the different structures to even learning games they played, the visitors are always invited to particpate. Experience it, rather than just looking at it!

My kids had a great time learning and playing such games as the "stick pull". This is done at the Tlingit structure.

There were things to admire about all of the groups, but if I had to live like they did, I'd want to be with the Tlingits. They lived were there were plenty of trees (southwest Alaska).

It was due to the abundant trees that they were able to create such massive and substantial housing structures.

The picture below shows what the Tlingit lived in. A whole community would live in these types of structures. Some were larger than the one that you see below!

Alaska Native Stories ... Very Interesting and Exciting

So how do you kill a Polar Bear that is determined to eat you? Throw in the fact that you have no gun and the Polar Bear is faster, stronger and quicker than you.

Well, while visiting the Inupiaq area, of The Alaska Native Heritage Center, the young man there told a story about how they did it.

One thing to keep in mind, he told us, was that despite the loveable image that most have today of a Polar Bear, they are immensely lethal and very determined animals.

They don't give up easily.

The Unupiaq's structures were mostly underground. The top would be the only thing above ground and they would appear, from the outside, as a large mound. At the top center of this mound would be a hole. This allowed smoke (from the fire) to escape and it supplied them with oxygen.

We were told that when a Polar Bear discovered one of these holes, that they would do all they could to get in. They would literally come back, day after day, until they got what they wanted .... the people inside.

Unless the Unupiaq did something about it.

The bear would stick it's head or one of its paws into the hole. The Unupiaq then used some sort of noose, at the end of a long stick, and would grab the bear's head or paw. It took many men to hold the bear, once it was trapped.

As the Unupiaq on the inside held the bear (caught with the noose), men (usually two) would climb out of a small tunneled out door, near the back. They would then spear the bear!

(Note: The large "front" door you see in the picture is there only as an entrance for visitors. There was no big "front" door on the real Unupiaq structures. Only the very small one on the backside.)

Wow, What A Story!

When I heard this story, my thought was that the two that climbed out there, to do the spearing, must have had a lot of trust in their friends, on the inside. It would be bad news if that bear got lose, while they were outside!

There were more stories about Polar Bears, and other topics, but I'll leave those for another time. Bottom line, these cultures were genius, when it came to survival and living with what they had.

Amazing stories, all of them. They really kept me riveted. And it seemed all the more real when you were hearing these stories, while standing inside one of those structures!

I stood there, looking up at that center hole. Just imagining what it must have been like to have a Polar Bear trying to get in!

More Alaska Native Cultural to See

After seeing everything that we could, on the outside, we went back inside the main Alaska Native Heritage Center building, itself.

Once inside we discovered The Hall of Cultures. It featured exhibits and Native artist creating and selling their art.

The theatre was showing several movies that further explained Alaska's Native cultures and the diverse landscape and climates that had to be dealt with.

We then had a bite to eat, at the Raven's Call Cafe (I had a salmon sandwich!) and then we made a visit to the gift shop. I love gift shops!

And with that, we ran out of time and had to go.

My Conclusions

I was thoroughly surprised at how interesting and fun The Alaska Native Heritage Center was. I recommend that you take the time, during your Alaska Vacation, to visit.

It will not only be eye-opening, but I think it will prove to be one of the highlights of your Alaska visit!

Click to visit their website: The Alaska Native Heritage Center

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