Fun in the Woods

Just on the outskirts of Anchorage is a great visitor site called the Alaskan Heritage Cultural Center. I had it on my itinerary last year, but never made it, so I was really hoping to get there this year. Today was my day on my own and I headed out there. Days like this are great. Larry was working all day with a Sales Rep so I had the car to do as I please. We travel very well together, but we have somewhat different interests. He really enjoys just driving through the countryside, which I enjoy too. I, on the other hand, enjoy learning the culture of an area and reading all the pictures, dioramas and examining a display. When we stop someplace that has displays, he'll look at all the pictures and check out the displays. When I go to find him, I'll discover he's in the car waiting and I've just completed the first hall. So today was my day.

The Center is amazing. It is dedicated to informing the Alaskan natives of their culture as well as Alaskans and visitors. There are live presentations going on all day long, video presentations in the theater, and a walking exhibit outside of each of the 5 main native groups.

School kids watched a demonstration and explanation of dances. At the end they were invited to join in an "Invitation Dance". During the first dance I could see one little boy clearly wanted to go up, but no one else was brave enough. During the second dance lots of kids eagerly went up on stage and learned the dance. It was fun to watch.

The walking tour was great. A Native of a cultural group was present in each house to explain living routines and answer questions. Most of the winter homes were basic sod homes supported by wood beams or whale bone, depending on their location--by the sea or in the woods. The sod homes were a pretty good size. Some cultural groups had smaller sod homes for the women and children, but all seemed to have large community centers where the men stayed in winter and the women and children visited. The vision we have of igloo's may have been present in the Canadian Arctic Inuits, but was not used much with Alaskans. I heard 2 explanations for the pictures we see of igloos.

1) Igloos were 'fast' houses' built in the winter by hunters who needed shelter when a storm blew up.
2) When the Russians first arrived in Alaska they probably saw the sod houses covered with snow, and that resembled the igloos we see drawings of.

Another interesting tidbit was that villages in the northern regions built long, low entries to their sod houses 1) to keep out animals, and 2) to keep out the wind and cold air. They probably had to crawl in and out as the opening was just 3 feet high.

This picture shows a food cache. The Athabascans lived in the interior and used the same techniques campers are given to protect themselves from bears. The food cache was a distance away from the housing area, high up, accesible only by a ladder that was kept on the ground. The support poles were covered in bear grease. Since bears are territorial they would avoid the scent of another bear.

There is so much to discover here. I was amazed at my ignorance last year, and I really enjoyed walking through the downtown museum. I learned a lot. This year I find it just as fascinating. Today I learned a lot more. This is a large and complex state. It is so worth the visit!