Indigenous Ingenuity: What We Can Learn From the Alaska Native Heritage Center 

Did you know that indigenous Alaskan villages and tribes have been thriving in this vast land for over 13,000 years? Probably not, because their history wasn’t written down until 1725. But the Alaska Native Heritage Center is on a mission to educate and connect each visitor that comes through their doors, aided by their passionate Manager of Indigenous Training and Outreach, Christopher Delgado. 

Hear firsthand from Chris how the Alaska Native Heritage Center is not only preserving Alaska’s rich indigenous history, but sharing what we can continue to learn from their past and present generations.

Meet Chris, Manager of Indigenous Training and Outreach

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A background of the Alaska Native Heritage Center

While 2024 saw the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) celebrate its 25^th anniversary, its story first began back in 1987 when a unanimous vote from the Alaska Federation of Natives called for the establishment of a statewide Alaska Native culture center. By 1989, ANHC was officially a non-profit organization and began fundraising to build the Center, finally opening its doors in May 1999.

“We’ve been here since time immemorial, or roughly 13,000 years,” says Chris – that’s about 625 Alaskan generations. But shockingly, “our written history only started in 1725.”  That’s why it’s so important for the Center to pack in over 10,000 years of Alaska Native history within (and outside) its walls.

Chris’ story at the ANHC began around 18 months ago, having worked in healthcare for over 20 years beforehand (among other endeavors). When he joined the Center, “I finally felt awake,” he says. Chris himself is Iñupiaq, descending from the Iñupiat people, but he admits that “the first week was scary – I didn’t feel native enough. I’m barely scratching the surface a year and a half later!” 

The Center is open from Mother’s Day until the end of September each year, and sees around 300-500 tourists come through its doors every day – though Chris mentions that it’s generally leaning towards the higher end of the numbers now.

What does the Alska Native Heritage Center do?

Asking how indigenous Alaskans have lived throughout the centuries doesn’t have a simple answer. “We have five cultural regions in Alaska. It’s hard to make such broad statements with 229 recognized tribes and villages,” Chris explains. One of the most important aspects of the Center is educating visitors on the immense diversity within indigenous Alaskan people.

But this isn’t a static museum where you simply look at artifacts behind glass windows and read the history. This is a living, breathing experience, where passionate guides like Chris take you around the 26-acre site; you’ll enter life-sized traditional houses, stare up at towering totem poles, and watch live performances from athletics to dancing. “We’re more of a cultural center than a heritage center,” Chris emphasizes.

When you do get to the artifacts, they’re all around you. “We have over 4,000 artifacts and cultural items here on site,” Chris proudly shows off, passing underneath various traditional boats hanging from the ceiling (including one made entirely from one giant cedar log). “There are so many cultural items, it’s hard to have enough room!” Marvel at moose hide carpets, birch bark baskets, and tunics made from seal hide.

You’ll realize that language is important when walking through the Center. When showing us some of the traditional indigenous clothing, he clarifies: “We don’t like using the term costume. That suggests you’re stepping out of who you usually are, getting into a costume like Halloween. We say regalia because it’s our natural indigenous clothing from across thousands of years.”

When you travel to Alaska with Trafalgar you’ll explore the Center in various ways: on our Alaska Northern Lights tour you’ll watch a presentation of the Native Alaska Games, showcasing the mental and physical challenges endured in subsistence living in Alaska; while on our Majestic Alaska trip you’ll take an Indigenous Plants Tour, discovering indigenous plant life encircling Lake Tiulana, their nutritional and health benefits, and a heightened awareness of the deep connection we share with the natural world.

Indigenous Ingenuity

Native Alaskans haven’t just survived for thousands of years, but thrived, and that’s thanks to Indigenous science – or as Chris likes to call it, Indigenuity (Indigenous Ingenuity). “Indigenous science is equal, and just as important as all other sciences,” Chris accentuates.

Most people are familiar with the Indigenous snow goggles (“The original Ray-Bans,” Chris jokes), but there are countless other examples of this Indigenuity across the Center, from subterranean dwellings to fish-drying racks, and wooden houses that expand and contract with the seasons. The lakeside area of the Center is perhaps the most immersive section; six examples of traditional houses and structures from the Aleut, Yupik, Tlingit and other tribes are found here, each embedded with their own ingenious tricks of survival.

How do the Unangam people (living on the Aleutian Islands) battle the 200mph winds? With subterranean houses! “We would rather have the wind go above our house than through our house!” says Chris. The underground entrance to these houses are much smaller than your regular door – in order to keep polar bears out, they were carefully measured and only large enough only to fit through the largest member of the community.

Even something as humble as driftwood becomes an incredible story of human ingenuity at the ANHC. Wood is scarce in these parts, so driftwood was gathered by the Iñupiat, Yup’ik and Cup’ik people during the spring and summer from the shoreline to build their homes.

A Philosophy of Indigenous Outreach & Education

The ANHC isn’t just for tourists and visitors – it’s for local people, particularly the younger generations. “We hire about 50 interns, apprentices and cultural ambassadors every summer. It’s very competitive,” Chris explains. “The admission price goes straight to the cultural education program, straight to the next generation.” It’s these interns that put on live performances like the incredible athletics show, who bring the Center to life. “Part of my job is to pass my knowledge down to them, just like we have for the last 13,000 years,” he adds.

Outside, there’s an event space with a patio and large tent where the Center holds concerts, community events and holiday parties for the community. There’s also the magnificent Southeast totem pole renowned Alaskan Tlingit carver Nathan Jackson, best known for his dramatic cedar totem poles. “Each totem pole tells a story,” says Chris, who highlights the importance of keeping these stories and lessons in circulation. “It keeps the culture alive, keeps the story going, and gets the next generation ready for their time to shine.”

While you might expect to come away with respect and knowledge of just Alaskan culture, the Center casts a much wider net. In teaching about Indigenous culture, Chris hopes to connect people from around the world with each other. “We appreciate and celebrate all cultures,” explains Chris. “We want to focus on our similarities, not our differences – the importance of family, language, food! So if we could be called the Alaska Native Culture Center, we would.”

Every visitor helps the Center continue its mission to continue this indigenous legacy. “We do have some bumps in our history,” Chris acknowledges, “but this is part of the healing process.”