What is Alaska Native culture?
A traditional subsistence lifestyle of hunting, fishing and gathering food has enabled Alaska Natives to thrive in some of the world's harshest and most challenging environments. We are many nations and tribes, with ancient traditions that continue to be practiced today and adapted for the modern world.
Alaska Native cultures strongly influence our way of life, from names of rivers, mountains, and communities on traditional lands to art, architecture, and culture in our cities. About 15 percent of Alaska's 730,000 residents are Alaska Native, with 20 distinct cultures and 300 different dialects.
When referring to American Indian or Alaska Native persons, it is still appropriate to use the terms “American Indian” and “Alaska Native.” These terms denote the cultural and historical distinctions between persons belonging to the indigenous tribes of the continental United States (American Indians) and the ...
Alaska Natives increasingly prefer to be known by the names they use in their own languages, such as Inupiaq or Yupik. "Inuit" is now the current term in Alaska and across the Arctic, and "Eskimo" is fading from use. The Inuit Circumpolar Council prefers the term "Inuit" but some other organizations use "Eskimo".
Hearing and understanding American Indian history from Indian perspectives provides an important point of view to the discussion of history and cultures in the Americas. Indian perspectives expand the social, political, and economic dialogue. Indigenous people played a significant role in the history of the Americas.
- Ambition.
- Appreciation.
- Positivity.
- Trust.
The ancient Native American history, customs, and oral traditions shape the unique perspective of Native Americans living today. They think about family, community, life, values, physical places, and the cosmos in ways that Western cultures do not instinctively understand.
Alaska's indigenous people, who are jointly called Alaska Natives, can be divided into five major groupings: Aleuts, Northern Eskimos (Inupiat), Southern Eskimos (Yuit), Interior Indians (Athabascans) and Southeast Coastal Indians (Tlingit and Haida).
Alaska (21.9%) Oklahoma (16.0%) New Mexico (12.4%)
Anthropologists believe that today's Alaska Natives originated in Asia, either crossing over the Bering land bridge from Siberia or traveling by watercraft along the shorelines.
What language do native Alaskans speak?
The two groupings include Inuit-Unangan (a.k.a. Eskimo-Aleut) and Na-Dene (a.k.a. Athabasan-Eyak-Tlingit). Since its creation by the Alaska Legislature in 1972, the Alaska Native Language Center has researched and documented Alaska's Native languages.
Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.
It is encompassed by the broader term "Native American," which also includes indigenous peoples of Canada (known as Aboriginal Canadians, Native Canadians, or First Nations), Mexico, and Central and South America. "Alaska Native" is used to refer jointly to Eskimos (Inuit), Indians, and Aleuts living in that state.
the indigenous culture. Indigenous or less commonly indigenous : of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized by a now-dominant group. Indigenous peoples. : innate, inborn.
In general, the Native American Church believes in one supreme God, the Great Spirit.
Alaska Culture
Protestants make up the largest group in Alaska, though it is considered one of the least religious states in the United States. After Protestant, Catholicism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Southern Baptist are the next largest.
We are famous for the Iditarod, gold mining, sourdough, the Alaska Railroad, aviation, Alaska Native heritage, homesteading, world-class fishing and seafood, outdoor adventures, fresh air, and a slower, more self-sufficient way of life.”
Traditional Alaskan foods include wild game meats, fish, seafood, marine mammals, plants, and berries. There are some exceptions, which will be discussed in the next section.
American Indian culture emphasizes harmony with nature, endurance of suffering, respect and non- interference toward others, a strong belief that man is inherently good and should be respected for his decisions. Such values make individuals and families in difficulty very reluctant to seek help.
1. Native Americans spoke more than 300 languages. North America was home to a huge number of spoken languages prior to colonization: more than 300, with as many as 500 spoken across the continent. However, many of these languages have disappeared as a result of assimilation policies by the government.
Why is it important to keep Native American culture alive?
The importance of keeping cultures alive stems from the need to preserve the identity of a people. As a culture fades away, so does an entire people. Imagine not knowing your heritage, once popular holiday traditions, customary dance forms and art, family recipes served on special occasions, and more.
The culture of the Tlingit, an Indigenous people from Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon, is multifaceted, a characteristic of Northwest Coast peoples with access to easily exploited rich resources. In Tlingit culture a heavy emphasis is placed upon family and kinship, and on a rich tradition of oratory.
The term 'Eskimo'
Stricktly speaking, eskimos can also be regarded as native Americans, because what western people call 'eskimos' are actually the indigenous people inhabiting parts of the northern circumpolar region ranging from Siberia to parts of the Americas (Alaska and Canada).
Alaska native (no capitalization) refers to those born in the state who are not descendants of original inhabitants. Alaskans, generally, refers to all inhabitants of the state, whether Native or not.
1. A native Alaskan, on the other hand, is any person born in Alaska. The term Alaska Native represents 11 distinct cultures and languages, and 22 different language dialects.
Tlingit, northernmost of the Northwest Coast Indians of North America, living on the islands and coastal lands of southern Alaska from Yakutat Bay to Cape Fox. They spoke the Tlingit language, which is related to Athabaskan.
After Christianization, the Tlingit belief system began to erode. Today, some young Tlingits look back towards what their traditional tribal religions and worldview for inspiration, security, and a sense of identity. While many elders converted, contemporary Tlingit "reconcile Christianity and the 'traditional culture.
Alaska's indigenous people, who are jointly called Alaska Natives, can be divided into five major groupings: Aleuts, Northern Eskimos (Inupiat), Southern Eskimos (Yuit), Interior Indians (Athabascans) and Southeast Coastal Indians (Tlingit and Haida).
Answer and Explanation: Eskimos are part of the larger designation of "Native American" or "First Nations." However, they are also made up of unique ethnic groups: the Yupik, the Inupiat, and the Inuit. These all originated in Siberia but arrived in the North American Arctic at different times.
Among the Inuit, kunik is a form of expressing affection, usually between family members and loved ones or to young children, that involves pressing the nose and upper lip against the skin (commonly of the cheeks or forehead) and breathing in, causing the loved one's skin or hair to be suctioned against the nose and ...
Do Eskimos still live in igloos?
While igloos are no longer the common type of housing used by the Inuit, they remain culturally significant in Arctic communities. Igloos also retain practical value: some hunters and those seeking emergency shelter still use them.