Yaghelidu! Duch’duldihini! LETS LEARN!

Plan your classroom visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Students explore the past and present of Alaska's eleven indigenous cultures in a traditional setting under the guidance of Alaska Native instructors.

Grades K-12

Thursdays & Fridays
October 11, 2007 - April 11, 2008
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (2.5 hours)
Sack lunches allowed but teachers/chaperones are expected to help clean up.

Choose one of the 30-minute programs described below:

Program 1: Native Dance and Drumming

Students learn the importance of dance and are introduced to the meaning of the motions and words of the song. They will learn about drums and drumming and participate in a dance using traditional Native regalia and props.

Program 2: Native Games and Yo-yos

Students participate in games that traditionally prepared youth for the rigors of life in the North. They learn the history and importance of these games, what part of the body each game was meant to condition, and how the games relate to traditional and contemporary culture. Students learn how yo-yos are made, their traditional purpose, and how to use them.

Program 3: Native Stories and String Stories

Students listen to ancient oral traditions and string stories. They use props and artifacts to bring the story to life. They learn and practice telling string stories under the tutelage of Yup’ik and Inupiaq teachers.

Program 4: Whales and Whaling

Students learn about the bowhead whale hunt which is still undertaken by the Inupiat and St. Lawrence Island Yupiit. They learn the importance of the whale to all Alaska Native cultures. Weather permitting, students examine the gray whale exhibit outside and participate in a tug-a-whale activity. Three Whaling Lending Boxes are available for check-out immediately following the Whales and Whaling program. The boxes contain detailed information about whales and whaling, as well as activities and objects for use in the classroom. Choose the Alaska, Hawai’i, or Massachusetts whaling box – or all three. Each tells part of the story of subsistence and commercial whaling in America.

Each standard visit to the Center, October through April, consists of the following components in addition to the program choice.

Introduction to Alaska Native Cultures and Film (30 minutes)

Watch one of eight different films, that we choose depending on student age and interest and your program choice.
Film titles include:
Living Dena’ina: Ye Uh Qa Ts’daltsiyi (We Live Upon the Outdoors)
Stories Given, Stories Shared
Alaska’s Three Bears
The Eskimo and the Whale
Asveq, the Walrus Hunt
Living from the Land and Sea
Qayaqs and Canoes
Games of the North

Village Site Tour (30-45 minutes)

Students take a quarter-mile walk around the five recreated village sites that illustrate the traditional structures in a typical village before or shortly after contact with non-Native cultures. Knowledgeable cultural representatives share the history and traditions of each site. Dress warmly for this outdoor tour!

Art Project (30 minutes)

Choose one of the following art projects:
Regalia Adornments (grades K-12)
Mukluks (grades K-3)
Single-Strand Necklace (grades K-1)
2-Strand Choker (grades 6-12)
3-Strand Choker (grades 7-12)

Extend you vist by downloading these packets for the classroom: