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

Tuesday - Friday
October 11, 2011 - April 20, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. or 11:00 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
 

Please Choose one of the 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.

Program 2: Native Games

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.

Program 3: Native Stories and String Stories

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

Program 4: Collections

Students learn about Alaska Native cultures through the objects that are in the permanent collection at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.  Curators will bring out a group of objects and describe what they are made of, how they were used and what the Alaska Native Heritage Center is doing to protect the objects for future generations.  Topics available are Subsistence Tools, Music and Dance Implements, Hall of cultures tour or Qayaqs and Canoes Tour.  This program is appropriate for students in grades 3-12. 

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 (10 min.)

  • Film (20 minutes)

Watch one of ten films, depending on student interest and age:
Film titles include:
Alaska’s Three Bears                                                                               (K-3)
Raven Tales                                                                                             (K-4)
Stories Given, Stories Shared                                                                  (1-12)
Games of the North                                                                                  (3-12)
Asveq, the Walrus Hunt                                                                            (4-12)
 

  • 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 outside cultures. Knowledgeable cultural representatives share the history and traditions of each site. Dress warmly for this outdoor tour!

  • Art Project (30 minutes)

Students will participate in age/grade level appropiate cultural art activities.

Extend you visit by downloading these packets for the classroom:

 Students may bring sack lunches. Please help clean up after your students.

Customized School Visit

Grades K-12
Tuesday - Friday
October 11, 2011 - April 20, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. or 11:00 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

This program allows for:

  • Your choice of film and program.
  • A specialized tour that fits your class’s current interest, such as architecture, environment, oral tradition, hunting and gathering, clothing or traditional watercraft.
  • Your choice of one of Alaska’s eleven Native cultures and see the related film, stories, dance and art.

More information

Summer Season Visit

Grades Pre K-12
Monday - Friday
May 7 - September 3           9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Summer season visits are unguided field trips to the Center for up to a full day. Students may take a special guided tour for an additional fee. We suggest that teachers design a “learner’s guide” for students to follow during their field trip. Food is available for purchase at the Center. Sack lunches are also welcome.

Students with Marge Nakak, Cultural Programs Coordinator