Exhibits

Indigenous Peoples of Northern Alaska

Linguistic pattern across Alaska and Russia. The Iñupiat language and culture is nearly the largest covering all of Northern Alaska.

The Iñupiat communities of Point Barrow, Alaska can trace their lineage back to some of the earliest peoples migrating into the North American continent some 14,000 years ago. North Alaska became a hot spot of human settlement and evolved into a landscape in which indigenous peoples carved their place into the ecosystem. The harsh conditions and swift seasonal changes which occur in this region make living there extremely difficult. The result of these harsh conditions is a pattern of cultural adaptation.

This exhibit will highlight the vast array of archaeological artifacts used by Iñupiat communities in the early 1900’s. These collections are some of the most specialized and complex artifact assemblages in the world owing to the demands of an artic lifestyle. They highlight elements of Iñupiat life such as whaling, seal hunting, fishing, over land trading, domestic adornment, cooking practices, clothing production and the distinct connection the Iñupiat had to their environmental surroundings.