The Alaska Native Heritage Center is a museum in Anchorage with exhibits on the ways of life of five cultural groups in Alaska. It has traditional dwellings, a gift shop, a café, and offers educational programs. Visitors can also visit an interactive sled dog exhibit for an additional fee.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is a museum located northeast of Anchorage, Alaska on 26 wooded acres surrounding Lake Tiulana. Examples of indigenous dwellings surround the lake, while the main museum complex consists of the Gathering Place, the Sala delle Culture and the theatre. The exhibits focus on ways of life in five distinct cultural groupings located throughout Alaska.
During the summer, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is open daily for self-guided walking tours. Discount tickets are available for Alaska residents, children, seniors, military, and large groups. Special events such as the World Music Celebration and the Holiday Bazaar are held throughout the year and the buildings can be rented out for special events such as weddings and reunions.
Inside the Alaska Native Heritage Center, the Gathering Place showcases various half-hour demonstrations throughout the day, including traditional dances, Native games, and storytellers. Movies focusing on different aspects of Alaska’s heritage are shown in the vicinity of the theater. The Hall of Cultures exhibits artifacts such as traditionally made tools, clothing, and even kayaks. Throughout the hall, Alaska Natives practice traditional crafts, answer questions, and teach crafts to visitors.
Six full-sized traditional dwellings are located on a path that encircles Lake Tiulana. Each of the five cultural groups is represented by at least one building. Culture representatives are stationed at each site to discuss the artifacts placed in each dwelling, such as the whale bones at the Inupiaq village site.
A gift shop, located near the main entrance, sells authentic pieces made by Alaska Natives, including masks, dance fans, and jewelry. Museum operators recommend allowing a minimum of two hours to tour the Alaska Native Heritage Center, but many visitors enjoy spending several hours longer. These visitors often stop by Raven’s Call Café inside the main building, which sells soups, sandwiches and other food items to hungry guests.
For an additional fee, guests can also visit Qipmigaq, an interactive sled dog exhibit. Experienced Iditarod mushers demonstrate sled dog artifacts, answer questions, and demonstrate how teams are harnessed. Visitors can play with the puppies and even ride with an expert musher behind a team of 14 sled dogs.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center maintains many educational programs. Field trips for groups of students in kindergarten through 12th grade can be scheduled throughout the year. Additionally, the center offers free classes for high school students. Many subjects are available, including native dances, leadership, and native art. High school or college students are also eligible to apply for summer internships.
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