Living Our Cultures, 

Sharing Our Heritage

The First Peoples of Alaska

>>> Teacher’s Guide

LIVING OUR CULTURES,

SHARING OUR HERITAGE

The First Peoples of Alaska

>>> Teacher’s Guide
 

1 Smithsonain Arctic Studies Center | Living Our Cultures

an introduction

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WRITTEN |

EDITED |

DESIGN AND LAYOUT |

EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING |

ILLUSTRATIONS |

PHOTOGRAPHS |

FUNDING | 

OVERVIEW

MUSEUM

the smithsonian arctic studies center

WEBSITE

sharing knowledge

TEACHING

learning about alaska native cultures

RESOURCES

additional publications and websites

Patricia H. Partnow, Ph.D.

Dr. Aron L. Crowell and Dawn D. Biddison, 

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center

Jessica Halloran

Monica Garcia, Anchorage Museum

John Locascio (Ralph Appelbaum Associates) and Jessica Halloran

Chuck Choi; Roy Corral; D’Anne Hamilton; Bill Hess; Donald E. 

Hurlbert, National Museum of Natural History Imaging, 

Smithsonian Institution;National Museum of the American Indian 

Photo Services Staff; Archives, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Rasmuson Foundation
For the first time, Alaskans – and, through the Sharing Knowledge website, 

people all over the world – can examine, study, appreciate and learn from the 

astounding creations of the indigenous peoples of the North as 

represented in the Smithsonian Institution’s collections. The 

Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First 

Peoples of Alaska exhibition produced by the 

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center at the 

Anchorage Museum brings together some of the 

finest cultural objects from Alaska and eastern 

Siberia, collected over 150 years by dozens of 

collectors and scientists.

This Teacher’s Guide and website offer 

teachers, students, parents and lifelong 

learners a virtual entry into the exhibition 

through a series of classroom and 

research activities. Each Learning Experience leads to an exploration of the cultural knowledge, beauty and ingenuity 

that are made tangible through the Smithsonian collections, arranged in thirteen 

themes that cut across cultures and historic 

periods.

The guide can be used for independent

 teaching and learning in the classroom or at 

home. It can serve to complement a class or 

personal visit to the exhibition at the Anchorage 

Museum, offering both pre-visit orientation 

activities and post-visit explorations and 

classroom activities.

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OVERVIEW

 Nussix

(Woman’s Knife)
This virtual Teacher’s Guide contains activities and resources designed 

specifically for middle and high school classroom settings, and can be extended 

to home-schoolers and lifelong learning by college students and adults as well.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: You don’t need a teacher to explore 

and learn from the site. Click on the Teaching tab for descriptions of the thirteen 

Learning Experiences. Undertake independent research as your interests lead 

you.

TEACHERS: Detailed instructions for facilitating thirteen Learning Experiences 

in the classroom, arranged thematically, are supplemented with links to relevant 

websites, assessment suggestions, and state and national standards. Each 

Learning Experience is designed according to the Understanding by Design 

(Backward Design) model. Click on the Teaching tab.

PARENTS: The instructions and information at the Teaching tab work equally 

well for formal classrooms and home-schooling parents and their children.

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND LIFELONG LEARNERS: Follow your interests and 

conduct your own research. Enter the website through the thirteen themes in the 

Teaching tab, or jump directly into descriptions and histories of the objects in the 

exhibit from the Website tab. 

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TARGET AUDIENCES
MUSEUM TAB: Learn about the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center and its 

resources. See a photographic preview and floor plan of the Living Our Cultures 

exhibition. Learn about education programs and school visits to the Anchorage 

Museum.

WEBSITE TAB: Get an overview and link to the Sharing Knowledge website, 

where you will find detailed information about the objects in the exhibition and 

the cultures that produced them, as well as interview transcripts about the 

objects’ cultural importance. 

TEACHING TAB: Start with a brief description of the thirteen Learning 

Experiences that have been designed for middle and high school students. 

Choose those you want to explore and find detailed teaching strategies and 

activity ideas, vocabulary, links to other websites, lists of materials you’ll need, 

assessment ideas, and Alaska and national academic and cultural standards. 

RESOURCES TAB: Click here for a for a list of publications, guides and websites 

about Alaska produced by the Arctic Studies Center and the Smithsonian. Find 

subject-specific print and internet resources in each Learning Experience section, 

as well as under the Resources tab on the Sharing Knowledge website. 

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IN ADDITION TO THIS GUIDE . . . 

If possible, be sure to:

• Visit the exhibition

• Obtain the catalog for the 

 exhibition as a companion to the 

 website. The book is entitled Living Our 

 Cultures: Sharing Our Heritage: The 

 First Peoples of Alaska, edited by 

 Crowell, Worl, Ongtooguk and 

 Biddison (Smithsonian Books, 2010). 

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WHAT’S HERE?
The Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center, in partnership with the Anchorage Museum and a 

team of indigenous elders, scholars, educators and artists, has created a highly innovative multimedia exhibition that explores the vast and varied worlds of Alaska’s First Peoples. More than 

600 masterworks of Alaska Native art and design, all selected from historic collections at the 

National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian, are 

presented in a visually stunning modern gallery. Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage 

utilizes video, text, photography, sound and interactive touch-screen media to present richlylayered indigenous interpretations of the objects as well as an exciting view of contemporary 

Alaska Native lifeways and values. Twenty different cultures are represented overall. The 

exhibit collection will serve as a resource for on-going study by Native artists and experts.

You can visit the project website Sharing Knowledge at http://alaska.si.edu. The site includes

high-resolution images and detailed information for all of the objects in the exhibition and 

more, as well as maps and essays on Alaska Native and eastern Siberian peoples. There are also 

short films and tours providing additional in-depth information about objects and the peoples 

who made them.

The exhibition catalog Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska

is available at the Museum and online, featuring over 200 illustrated objects and over 275 

additional photographs and illustrations. After introductions to the history of the land and its 

peoples, universal themes are explored referencing exquisite masks, garments, basketry 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 evokes 

both historical and contemporary meaning.

Programs for the public are underway with plans to grow. 

Please check the Anchorage Museum website calendar for 

events or to learn more about school programs.

The Arctic Studies Center is a federal 

research and education program focusing on peoples, history, archaeology 

and cultures across the circumpolar 

North. The Center is part of the 

Smithsonian Institution's National 

Museum of Natural History. In 

1994, the Center partnered with 

the Anchorage Museum to open 

an Anchorage office.

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SMITHSONIAN ARCTIC STUDIES CENTER

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Sgan

(Halibut Sinker)
To contact the Arctic Studies Center:

write to 625 C St, Anchorage, AK 99501

email biddisond@si.edu

phone 907-929-9208

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SMITHSONIAN ARCTIC STUDIES CENTER

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In the first arrangement of its kind, the 

Smithsonian Institution has loaned more 

than 600 Alaska Native artifacts to 

their place of origin. These 

cultural treasures are 

exhibited in the 

exhibition Living 

Our Culture, 

Sharing Our 

Heritage: The 

First Peoples of 

Alaska. Through 

contemporary 

images, video, 

audio and touchscreen interactives, 

this exhibition places 

masterworks of the 

past into the context of 

people’s lives today. 

AT THE ANCHORAGE MUSEUM
To Contact the Anchorage Museum: 

write to 625 C St, Anchorage, AK 99501;

phone (907) 929-9200;

fax (907) 929-9290; 

email museum@AnchorageMuseum.org

The Anchorage Museum is located in downtown Anchorage, Alaska at the corner of 7th Avenue and 

C Street. To find out more about museum tours, go to www.anchoragemuseum.org/visit/tours

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VISIT THE ANCHORAGE MUSEUM

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SCHOOL GROUPS: Now, more than ever, the Anchorage Museum is a multicultural and 

interdisciplinary field trip destination – bringing the best of Alaska to the world and the best of the 

world to Alaska. Through focused experiential learning combining art, history and science, teachers 

and students engage their senses and exchange a variety of Western and Indigenous ideas. The 

Education Department has developed a rich slate of art, history and science programs. Offerings 

include lectures, docent-led tours, classroom investigations, hands-on student classes, 

demonstrations, planetarium star shows and customizable self-guided adventures. 

The Education Department aligns all programs and written curriculum to both the national and 

state standards. For more information on school programs and to download the Annual Educator 

Catalog, or for information on public programs, please visit the museum website at 

http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/learn/learn.aspx to learn more! 

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Film

KEY

Display

Case Interactive Bench Table & Chairs Touchscreen

Cultural 

Consultation

Room

Gillam

Archaeology 

Laboratory

The Listening Space

Gottstein

Learning

Center

Living from the Sea, Land, & Rivers

Ceremony & Celebration

Community & Family

naihsmisT

adiaH

tignilT

kayE / nacsabahtA

xagnanU

qaipguS

ki’puY

ki’puY dnalsI ecnerwaL .tS

tignilT

kayE / nacsabahtA

ki’puY

nairebiS nretsaE

qaipuñI

qaipuñI

Website

Access

Introductory Film

Archaeology

Laboratory

Listening Space

Learning

Center
ALASKA NATIVE COLLECTIONS: SHARING KNOWLEDGE 

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The Sharing Knowledge website presents the collaborative 

work of indigenous communities from across Alaska and 

eastern Siberia with the Arctic Studies Center and the Anchorage Museum. Its resources interpret the materials, techniques, cultural meanings, history and artistry represented by 

objects in the collections of the National Museum of 

Natural History and National Museum of the 

American Indian. The goals of Sharing 

Knowledge are to make the Smithsonian 

collections accessible to all and to support 

cross-cultural learning among indigenous 

home communities, in schools and around the 

world.

Object records on the website – reached by browsing or 

searching – include edited transcripts of discussions with 

Native elders, artists and scholars; summaries drawn 

from history, anthropology and recorded oral 

tradition; object names in Native languages; and 

archival images that provide cultural context. The 

Cultures section includes regional introductions, a 

map and information about contributors. The 

Resources section offers reading materials and 

web links.

The Sharing Knowledge website will grow 

over time as more information is recorded 

and new contributors can be brought into the 

discussions. Please watch the site for updated 

materials and features.

http://alaska.si.edu

 Aqsruq

(High Kick Ball)
This guide presents 13 learning experiences designed for middle and high school 

students that will deepen and enrich their understanding of the peoples of the Far North. 

They are written for teachers, but all students and life-long learners should feel free to 

undertake the investigations on their own or as part of an independent study.

The topics are:

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 1: Geographic Study of the Peoples of the North

Examine the cultural map on the web site, then prepare a visual display that shows the 

linguistic and cultural relationships among the various peoples, then choose one 

cultural group to study in depth.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 2: Natural Resources and How They Are Used

Explore the clothing you wear and learn about its manufacture. Compare these 

processes with those used in making clothing of the North.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 3: Seasonal Knowledge, Yearly Cycles

Choose one or two culture groups and search the website to find information on the 

objects from those cultures. Select at least one item that relates to each season, then 

draw a poster that shows the seasons and depicts the seasonal items you chose for the 

seasons.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 4: Living From the Land and Sea

Explore objects on the website that were used by people of the North to hunt on both 

land and sea. You will learn that every successful hunt is the result of good preparation 

and is followed by efforts to process and preserve the food and to share it.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 5: Traveling 

Explore the website for information about how, where and why the peoples of the Far 

North traveled in pre-contact days.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 6: Northern Clothing: Designed for Extremes

Examine your own clothing choices and identify the factors that help you decide what 

to wear in any given situation. Then examine traditional articles of clothing made by 

the indigenous peoples of the North and learn about the construction and materials 

used in their manufacture.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 7: Children in Northern Cultures

Learn about the ways children prepare for adulthood through formal and informal 

education and activities. Make a replica of a toy or game from the site and teach 

younger students how to use it.

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LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

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LEARNING EXPERIENCE 8: Whaling Traditions

You will learn how art, ceremony and spiritual beliefs are integral to Native whaling 

traditions of the Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean and Gulf of Alaska. Take the virtual tour 

“Whaling Traditions” with a study guide in hand. At the end of the tour, choose one 

object that relates to whaling and compose a story about it.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 9: Northwest Coast Ceremonial Art

Study the aesthetics and ceremonial use of clan objects from the three Northwest 

Coast cultures represented on the website: Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 10: Ceremonies

Explore the website for information about ceremonies that were and are important to 

northern peoples. Examine, in-depth, one object that was used exclusively for 

ceremonies.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 11: Division of Labor by Gender

Examine the collection to determine the respective roles of men and women in the 

traditional societies of the north. Consider the complementary nature of the division 

of labor in these cultures.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 12: What Is the Nature of the Universe?

Learn about the European cosmological systems described by Aristotle, Ptolemy, 

Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, St. Thomas Aquinas and others. Compare one of those 

representations with your own ideas of the nature of the universe, which you in turn 

compare with the universe as understood in the indigenous cultures of the north.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE 13: Non-Human Beings

Read the exhibit script, cultural essays and a traditional tale about the relationship 

between people and non-human beings. Explore your own ideas about the relationship 

between humans and non-humans.

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You can find many resources for crosscultural education at the Alaska Native 

Knowledge Network website at 

http://ankn.uaf.edu. For cultural standards 

developed by Alaska Native educators, 

choose the “Publications” tab, then select

“Cultural Standards and Guidelines.” 

There you will find the downloadable 

booklet Guidelines for Preparing 

Culturally Responsive Teachers for 

Alaska's Schools 

(http://ankn.uaf.edu/

publications/

teachers.html).

 You will also find another booklet entitled 

 Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive 

 Schools (http://ankn.uaf.edu/publications/

 standards.html), which includes the section 

 “Cultural Standards for Educators.” 

 An additional general resource is the “Learning and 

 Teaching about Indigenous Cultures” section of The 

 Ancient Americas Educator Guide produced by The 

 Field Museum. It provides strategies for classroom 

 teaching and is available online at 

 http://www.fieldmuseum.org/education/guides/

 aaguide.pdf.

Tinmiagniasutit

(Bolas)

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CROSS-CULTURAL EDUCATION RESOURCES:

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 • Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska (2010); 

 edited by Aron L. Crowell, Rosita Worl, Paul C. Ongtooguk, and Dawn D. 

 Biddison. Note: This book is the catalog for the exhibition and serves as a companion 

 to the website. You will find references to it in each Learning Experience.

 • Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People (2001); edited 

 by Aron L. Crowell, Amy F. Steffian and Gordon L. Pullar.

 • Agayuliyararput (Our Way of Making Prayer): The Living Tradition of 

 Yup'ik Masks (1996); by Ann Fienup-Riordan.

 • Crossroads of Continents: Cultures of Siberia and Alaska (1988); edited by 

 William W. Fitzhugh and Aron Crowell.

 • Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo (1982); by William W. Fitzhugh 

 and Susan A. Kaplan.

For each Learning Experience lesson, you will find references to additional 

resources including publications and websites specific to the topic. Below are 

general Alaska resources from the Arctic Studies Center and the Smithsonian 

that you will also find useful.

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center | Living Our Cultures

overview | museum | website | teaching | resources

BOOKS:

WEB SITES

 • Sharing Knowledge: Alaska Native Collections 

http://alaska.si.edu/ 

 • Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq 

 People of Southern Alaska

http://www.mnh.si.edu/lookingbothways/

 • Agayuliyararput: Our Way of Making Prayer (Yup’ik Masks)

http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/yupik/index.html

 • Crossroads of Continents

http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/croads/index.html 

 

 Yuktuktaak (Snow Goggles)

Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the 

Alutiiq People – Tools for Teachers (2001); 

Patricia Partnow, Alaska Native Heritage Center & 

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center (booklet, video 

& CD-ROM available upon request from the 

Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center)

Smithsonian In Your Classroom: Teaching from

Objects and Stories – Learning about the 

Bering Sea Eskimo People (1998): Smithsonian 

Office of Education (booklet available upon 

request from the Smithsonian Arctic Studies 

Center)

GUIDES:
 “Esghallghilnguq, 

 Nagaqullghilnguq, 

Nanghillghilnguq, 

 Nalluksaghqaq.” 

(“What you do not see, Do not hear, 

Do not experience, You will never really know.”)

- Iyaaka (Anders Apassignok, St. Lawrence Island Yupik)

 Sivuqam Nangaghnegha Siivanllemta Ungipaqellghat 

 (Lore of the St. Lawrence Island: Echoes of Our Eskimo Elders)

 

13 Smithsonain Arctic Studies Center | Living Our Cultures