Author : Ann Fienup-Riordan
Publisher :
Page : 18 pages
File Size : 40,9 MB
Release : 1992
Category : Eskimos
ISBN :
This study examines the discontinuities between the so-called 'traditional' cultural values of Alaska natives and the modernized social relations of the larger society, and the ways in which these discontinuities change how Alaska natives understand, and act in, the modern world, as well as over the last two hundred years of contact.
Author : Libby Roderick
Publisher : University of Alaska Press
Page : 114 pages
File Size : 50,90 MB
Release : 2010-07-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1602230927
Making up more than ten percent of Alaska's population, Native Alaskans are the state's largest minority group. Yet most non-Native Alaskans know surprisingly little about the histories and cultures of their indigenous neighbors, or about the important issues they face. This concise book compiles frequently asked questions and provides informative and accessible responses that shed light on some common misconceptions. With responses composed by scholars within the represented communities and reviewed by a panel of experts, this easy-to-read compendium aims to facilitate a deeper exploration and richer discussion of the complex and compelling issues that are part of Alaska Native life today.
Author : Eleanor Kyle Wirts
Publisher :
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 44,26 MB
Release : 2010
Category : Alaska Natives
ISBN :
"In the past century, especially since the 1960s, Alaska Natives have faced rapid cultural and socio-economic change as Western influences have increasingly infiltrated the Native life-ways; since the 1960s social problems, including alcohol abuse, violence, and suicide have plagued Native individuals, families and communities. Arguably, a source of these social problems is the striking shift from clearly defined gender roles for Native adults that guided youth to adulthood in the past to opaque and ambiguous roles for adults that draw on both traditional and Western cultures. Historically, clearly defined gender roles provided youth with the role models necessary for maturing into healthy, productive adults and thereby offered youth a sense of purpose, direction and identity. Today's youth must look for cues in both traditional and Western culture to envision their futures, and with often conflicting value systems and too few strong adult role models to follow, many youth, especially males, are floundering. Healthy adult and elder role models are essential to the well-being of Native youth as they mature into adulthood. The revitalization of mentors, role models and close relationships between adults and youth are critical to future health and well-being of Alaska Native individuals, families and communities"--Leaf iii.
Author : Ann Fienup-Riordan
Publisher : University of Alaska Press
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 44,3 MB
Release : 2012-05-15
Category : History
ISBN : 1602231621
Mission of Change is an oral history describing various types of change—political, social, cultural, and religious—as seen through the eyes of Father Astruc and Paul Dixon, non-Natives who dedicated their lives to working with the Yup’ik people. Their stories are framed by the an analytic history of regional changes, together with current anthropological theory on the nature of cultural change and the formation of cultural identity. The book presents a subtle and emotionally moving account of the region and the roles of two men, both of whom view issues from a Catholic perspective yet are closely attuned to and involved with changes in the Yup’ik community.
Author : Aron A. Crowell
Publisher : Smithsonian Institution
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 15,36 MB
Release : 2010-05-18
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1588342700
Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska features more than 200 objects representing the masterful artistry and design traditions of twenty Alaska Native peoples. Based on a collaborative exhibition created by Alaska Native communities, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, this richly illustrated volume celebrates both the long-awaited return of ancestral treasures to their native homeland and the diverse cultures in which they were created. Despite the North's transformation through globalizing change, the objects shown in these pages are interpretable within ongoing cultural frames, articulated in languges still spoken. They were made for a way of life on the land that is carried on today throughout Alaska. Dialogue with the region's First Peoples evokes past meanings but focuses equally on contemporary values, practices, and identities. Objects and narratives show how each Alaska Native nation is unique—and how all are connected. After introductions to the history of the land and its people, universal themes of “Sea, Land, Rivers,” “Family and Community,” and “Ceremony and Celebration” are explored referencing exquisite masks, parkas, beaded garments, basketry, weapons, and carvings that embody the diverse environments and practices of their makers. Accompanied by traditional stories and personal accounts by Alaska Native elders, artists, and scholars, each piece featured in Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage evokes both historical and contemporary meaning, and breathes the life of its people.
Author : Maria Sháa Tláa Williams
Publisher : Duke University Press
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 25,72 MB
Release : 2009-09-25
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0822390833
Alaska is home to more than two hundred federally recognized tribes. Yet the long histories and diverse cultures of Alaska’s first peoples are often ignored, while the stories of Russian fur hunters and American gold miners, of salmon canneries and oil pipelines, are praised. Filled with essays, poems, songs, stories, maps, and visual art, this volume foregrounds the perspectives of Alaska Native people, from a Tlingit photographer to Athabascan and Yup’ik linguists, and from an Alutiiq mask carver to a prominent Native politician and member of Alaska’s House of Representatives. The contributors, most of whom are Alaska Natives, include scholars, political leaders, activists, and artists. The majority of the pieces in The Alaska Native Reader were written especially for the volume, while several were translated from Native languages. The Alaska Native Reader describes indigenous worldviews, languages, arts, and other cultural traditions as well as contemporary efforts to preserve them. Several pieces examine Alaska Natives’ experiences of and resistance to Russian and American colonialism; some of these address land claims, self-determination, and sovereignty. Some essays discuss contemporary Alaska Native literature, indigenous philosophical and spiritual tenets, and the ways that Native peoples are represented in the media. Others take up such diverse topics as the use of digital technologies to document Native cultures, planning systems that have enabled indigenous communities to survive in the Arctic for thousands of years, and a project to accurately represent Dena’ina heritage in and around Anchorage. Fourteen of the volume’s many illustrations appear in color, including work by the contemporary artists Subhankar Banerjee, Perry Eaton, Erica Lord, and Larry McNeil.
Author : Nancy Yau Davis
Publisher :
Page : 10 pages
File Size : 38,55 MB
Release : 1978
Category : Aleuts
ISBN :
Author : Sally Woods Kookesh
Publisher :
Page : 122 pages
File Size : 36,23 MB
Release : 2009
Category : Alaska Native children
ISBN :
I have examined 47 articles that related to Alaska Native/American Indian education and culturally responsive education. I found problems in K-12 education for Alaska Natives; historical contexts; cultural context; building bridges; and the future for K-12 education for Alaska Natives were common themes throughout my review of the literature. Problems with education were established 200 years ago and Alaska Natives still perform lower than their non-Native counterparts; historical context tells a story of past Native educational and mainstram practices; cultural context can play a positive role in closing the achievement gap through language, culture, and involving the community; building bridges can occur between Native and non-Native systems by using best practices and local ways of knowing in a diverse cultural climate; and looking forward by changing K-12 education for Alaska Natives through involving Native parents, communities, educators, and universities as equal collaborators in education for Alaska Natives.
Author : Richard Guy Condon
Publisher : Rutgers University Press
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 48,38 MB
Release : 1988
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9780813513645
Ethnography of Inuit adolescence describing the life of young people between the ages of 9 and 20 in the community of Holman Island, NWT. Describes the day-to-day activities of Inuit youth, their time playing sports and games, attending school, engaging in sexual play, simply "hanging out" with friends and peers
Author : Cheryl L. Jerabek
Publisher :
Page : 580 pages
File Size : 20,49 MB
Release : 2014
Category : Alaska Natives
ISBN :
The objective of my research is to document the role that Russian heritage has played in the individual and group identity of Native people in the middle Kuskokwim River region of Alaska. For purposes of this study this area includes the villages of Lower Kalskag, Upper Kalskag, Aniak, Chuathbaluk, Napaimute, Crooked Creek, Red Devil, Georgetown, Sleetmute, and Stony River. The changes and adaptations that occurred in the middle Kuskokwim River area during the Russian era 1790-1867, the changes that occurred with the sale of Alaska to the United States, and the continued changes up to the present time, including the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), all impact the heritage and traditions of today. Today the middle Kuskokwim River region of Alaska includes Yup'ik, several Athabascan groups, Russian, and other European cultures. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Russian exploration, trading activities, and the Russian Orthodox Church changed the daily life of the indigenous population and added to the cultural blending of the region. That blending is evident even today, as Russian heritage has become part of the current Alaska Native cultural identity in the middle Kuskokwim. My study asks the following research questions: What impact did Russian explorers, traders, and Orthodox clergy have on the middle Kuskokwim River region of Alaska? How has Russian influence changed over time, and how has this Russian heritage impacted present-day cultural identity in the middle Kuskokwim region? Included is the broader discussion of how people in the region define their identity and what aspects of that identity are most important to them. Since I am using an ethnohistorical approach, I felt it was important to include an historical summary of the cultural change and indigenous adaptation during the Russian era and the changes brought about by the sale of Alaska, leading into more modern-day impacts. I interviewed 24 community members, focusing on their indigenous and Russian heritage. Interviews with two nonindigenous scholars also provided additional information on the indigenous and Russian history and culture of the region. From the semistructured interview dialogues, key themes and resonant narratives were identified. Those who were interviewed expressed indigenous values as the core of their identity including respect for elders and others, knowledge of family tree, respect for land and nature, practice of Native traditions, honoring ancestors, humility, spirituality, and importance of place. This helped me formulate an indigenous identity framework to illustrate the very complex pieces that influence identity in the middle Kuskokwim River region of Alaska. In the end, Russian heritage has been absorbed into the local culture, especially in the area of religion, and has been indigenized into a deeply rooted sense of place and ways of being and expressing Native culture. It is this indigenous rootedness that is at the core of identity in the middle Kuskokwim.
