THIS LAND
“This Land is an intricately woven fabric of relationships, every creature held within its community of being, its natural ecosystem, its context of home, there is & can be no separation.”
-Emma Restall Orr
For thousands of years, Alaska has been home to roughly five groups of people: Iñupiat & St. Lawrence Island Yup'ik in the Arctic; Athabascan in Southcentral & Interior Alaska; Yup’ik & Cup’ik, Unangax̂ & Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) in Southwest Alaska; & Eyak, Haida, Tsimshian, & Tlingit in the Inside Passage.
Alaska Native cultures strongly influence our way of life, from names of rivers, mountains, & communities on traditional lands to art, architecture, & culture in our cities. About 16 percent of Alaska residents are Alaska Native, with 20 distinct cultures & 300 different dialects. Many Alaska Native people live in villages scattered along the coastline & rivers of Alaska, where they still practice traditional subsistence hunting & fishing lifestyles. In all five regions of our state & in communities both large & small, our culture & history are shaped by Alaska Native language, artwork, storytelling, ceremonies, & customs.
At The Arctic Bonfire, we practice our sacred ceremonies with reverence to the Alaska Natives who have long done so before us & who share our common goal of sustainability & reciprocity with this land.
To learn more about Alaska Native heritage & what you can do to support, visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center