Alaska Natives are not a single, homogeneous entity. Broadly identified by anthropologists as Aleuts, Eskimos, and Indians, Alaska Natives belong, more specifically to one of twenty language and culture groups. Within those are particular village and tribal affiliations. And though many Natives have moved to Alaska's urban areas, each identifies with a different geographic region where their ancestors lived and where their home villages are today.
This book takes a closer look at the rich and diverse cultures of Alaska's various Native groups, and how they continue cultural practices and activities within the context of contemporary society.
As the first people crossed the Bering Land Bridge into North America, they arrived in what is now called Alaska. Today, many of the descendents of those migrating peoples to stayed in Alaska still live here. Of those who stayed in Alaska, many still speak their ancestral languages, perform ancestral dances, tell ancestral stories, and follow values handed down from generation to generation. Since the short time span of about twenty-seven decades ago when the first Caucasians discovered and explored parts of the Alaskan coastline under the command of Vitas Bering, Alaska Natives have met the challenges and solved problems of today's world while more and more looking within their cultures for solutions.
Using updated maps, historical pictures, new contemporary photographs, and updated text, the revised edition of Native Cultures in Alaska: Looking Forward, Looking Back is now available in this contemporary format. We are pleased to publish this work in collaboration Alaska Geographic. --Book Jacket.