Alaska's
history is rooted in its indigenous peoples: Aleuts,
Inupiat and Yupik Eskimos, Athabascans, and Tlingit and Haida Indians, whom European explorers first made contact with in the mid-1700s. Archeologists have found evidence of human occupation of the Nome area dating back 15,000 years. At the time of European contact, Native groups lived within defined regions and did not mingle with other ethnic groups except occasionally in trade.
Tlingits and Haidas found plentiful salmon, deer and other
foods to establish permanent settlements in Southeast Alaska and establish themselves as artisans, with their monuments of cedar, the totem poles, and other intricate works of art, and dance.
Athabascan Indians migrated for many more years to follow the fish, game and other wildlife needed for their subsistence, while Aleuts and coastal Eskimo groups depended on marine and land mammals and vegetation, including berries, teas and herbs that grew in abundance on lands they traversed.
The Tsimshians came from British Columbia in 1887 to Annette Island in Southeast Alaska. They settled at Metlakatla, where fishing is their primary occupation.
Native Alaskan cultures have evolved over 200 years of exposure to other cultures.
Much of the diversity of Native economic roles in the state today is linked to the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. That legislation directed that, along with the return of 40 million acres of land, profit-making regional and village Native corporations be established to assure continued ownership of lands returned. The regional and village corporations have been intricately involved in a number of tourism and other industry ventures that have reaped millions and millions of dollars.
As a result, individual regional and some village corporations have scholarship funds that have helped ensure the education of Alaska Natives at the nation's finest universities. The economic clout has brought political clout, and many modern amenities, including sewer and water, to many rural communities. Health care, communications and transportation resources have greatly improved in rural areas.
Perhaps most important, there is renewed emphasis on rich Native Alaskan cultures: art, music, dance and legends. Elders are renewing efforts to teach their grandchildren, and Native groups take pride in their role in telling and showing visitors all about their heritage. In 1999, an Alaska Native Heritage Center opened in Anchorage, and almost every community includes in local celebrations some aspect of the role of Native Alaskans in their heritage.
Inupiat and Yupik Eskimos, Athabascans, and Tlingit and Haida Indians, whom European explorers first made contact with in the mid-1700s. Archeologists have found evidence of human occupation of the Nome area dating back 15,000 years. At the time of European contact, Native groups lived within defined regions and did not mingle with other ethnic groups except occasionally in trade.
Tlingits and Haidas found plentiful salmon, deer and other
foods to establish permanent settlements in Southeast Alaska and establish themselves as artisans, with their monuments of cedar, the totem poles, and other intricate works of art, and dance.
Athabascan Indians migrated for many more years to follow the fish, game and other wildlife needed for their subsistence, while Aleuts and coastal Eskimo groups depended on marine and land mammals and vegetation, including berries, teas and herbs that grew in abundance on lands they traversed.
The Tsimshians came from British Columbia in 1887 to Annette Island in Southeast Alaska. They settled at Metlakatla, where fishing is their primary occupation.
Native Alaskan cultures have evolved over 200 years of exposure to other cultures.
Much of the diversity of Native economic roles in the state today is linked to the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. That legislation directed that, along with the return of 40 million acres of land, profit-making regional and village Native corporations be established to assure continued ownership of lands returned. The regional and village corporations have been intricately involved in a number of tourism and other industry ventures that have reaped millions and millions of dollars.
As a result, individual regional and some village corporations have scholarship funds that have helped ensure the education of Alaska Natives at the nation's finest universities. The economic clout has brought political clout, and many modern amenities, including sewer and water, to many rural communities. Health care, communications and transportation resources have greatly improved in rural areas.
Perhaps most important, there is renewed emphasis on rich Native Alaskan cultures: art, music, dance and legends. Elders are renewing efforts to teach their grandchildren, and Native groups take pride in their role in telling and showing visitors all about their heritage. In 1999, an Alaska Native Heritage Center opened in Anchorage, and almost every community includes in local celebrations some aspect of the role of Native Alaskans in their heritage.
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