Understanding Alaska's Native Cultures

The indigenous people of North and South America arrived about 10,000 years ago. They may have walked from Siberia over ground that's now the seabed beneath the Bering Sea, which was exposed at the time by the lower sea level of those Ice Age years — or maybe not. Archaeologists are less sure now than they have been in years about exactly how these indigenous people arrived. New theories keep cropping up, each with an apparent claim on the evidence.

However they arrived, communication among Native peoples continued long after the Ice Age. For example, the Eskimo or Inuit people (the two words mean the same thing, with Eskimo the preferred term by most of those in Alaska) scattered across Siberia, Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland share ties of language, legend, and lifestyle. Archeologists believe this connection was forged about 1,000 years ago, when the climate was warmer for a few hundred years and travel and migration was easier. When the weather got colder, people lost track of each other, but upon being reunited in the 20th century, a millennium of separation had left their language, stories, and cultural patterns still recognizable to one another.

Alaska's Eskimos include two peoples: the Iñupiat of the Arctic coast and the Yupik of the west and southwest. These are the legendary marine mammal hunters and users of the sea ice. In addition to Eskimos, there are several Alaskan peoples more properly called Indians: the Athabascan of interior Alaska, who are river dwellers and hunters of caribou and moose, and the Tlingit of southeastern Alaska, who were the richest of the Native people, thanks to the plentiful salmon, game, and wood of their rain forest home. The Aleuts, seafarers of the Aleutian Archipelago, are neither Eskimos nor Indians. Within these peoples, there are many villages, which are analogous to tribes elsewhere in the United States, each with its own dialect and traditions. Almost half of America's federally recognized tribes are in Alaska — more than 220 of them. Altogether, Alaska's indigenous people are called Alaska Natives (always capitalized), not American Indians.

If all this seems complicated, don't worry about it. No one will expect you to know the details. Visitors only need to be respectful and willing to learn.

Being courteous among Alaska's first people

It should come as no surprise that people from cultural traditions completely independent of Europe or Asia have different ways of behaving, but many visitors to rural Alaska assume that the manners they bring with them are automatically the right ones. It's a common mistake, and most Natives probably aren't offended by faux pas committed in this way.

But if you really want to get to know people, you should know something about how they relate to each other and how to show respect as they do. Here are some tips:

Slow down and listen. If you talk fast, interrupt, or don't wait for an answer, you may never hear anyone else speak. In Native communities, people speak slowly and carefully; a long pause means thinking about what has been said. It does take time to catch the nuances because people speak indirectly to avoid contradiction or conflict.

Show respect. Being demanding, pushy, or argumentative places you completely on the outside. Alaska Native culture calls for respect to be paid every person: deferring to others' wishes, helping, listening, offering and accepting small gifts (such as a cup of coffee), and always, always avoiding conflict.

Don't be shy. Native people you meet, especially in places tourists frequent, will respond to friendly approaches, conversation, and respectful questions. Tell people about yourself and where you're from; family ties are of special interest — anything that will create a connection.

Think about how you would feel. What if visitors came to your town from a foreign land? How would you want to be treated? If you see visitors treating Native people as if they were objects, you'll realize these tourists never asked themselves that question.

Finding Native culture

Here are some terrific places to see Alaska Native art and artifacts or to meet Native people who want to teach about their culture:

Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage: Indigenous people from all cultures join together where visitors can discover more about their ways of life.

UAF Museum of the North, Fairbanks: Alaska's most modern museum features Native art and demonstrations.

Alaska State Museum, Juneau: Stop here for an overview using some of Alaska's best examples of Native art.

Sitka National Historic Site (and other sites), Sitka: In the small area of the town's center, you can see the best collection of historic totem poles, meet artists at work, and see Tlingit dance.