NOTE: Map is reprinted with permission from Travel Alaska (travelalaska.com) and Alaska Native Heritage Center (alaskanative.net); edited text is courtesy of Travel Alaska.
IÑUPIAQ & ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND YUPIK
The Iñupiaq and the St. Lawrence Island Yupik people call themselves the “Real People.” Their homeland covers Alaska’s northern Arctic region, remote and diverse, and accessible primarily by plane. Filled with an amazing array of wildlife and a landscape ranging from coastline to tundra, Alaska Natives here rely on subsistence.
SUGPIAQ & UNANGAX
The southwest region’s coastal communities and archipelago are defined by rugged shoreline and terrain. Having long depended on the sea for survival, water is central to the Unangax̂ and Sugpiaq way of life. Their homeland stretches from Prince William Sound to Kodiak Island and along the 1,200-mile-long Aleutian Islands Chain.
TLINGIT, HAIDA, EYAK, & TSIMSHIAN
The southeastern panhandle is home to the Tlingit, Haida, Eyak, and Tsimshian. Their intricate weavings are world renowned, and their carvings can be seen on totems and canoes as well as ceremonial objects throughout the Inside Passage—a region still being shaped by massive glaciers today.
DENE (ATHABASCAN)
Alaska’s heartland has been the traditional lands of the Dene Athabascan people for thousands of years, with 11 distinct subgroups: Ahtna, Dena’ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Tanana, Tanacross, Upper Tanana, Han, and Gwich’in. Known for following fish and game throughout the interior and southcentral regions, Athabascans historically created migratory communities near some of Alaska’s largest rivers.
YUP’IK AND CUP’IK
As with Native cultures across the state, elders in southwest Alaska are recognized as leaders in communities for guidance and advice in many parts of rural life. In this region, the verdant landscapes facing the great Bering Sea host a powerhouse of natural wonders and wild terrain. The Yup’ik and Cup’ik peoples have called this area home for thousands of years and are known as the “Genuine People.”
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