Alaska is one of only a handful of states that celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day on the federal Columbus Day holiday. The state holiday was first created by annual proclamations in 2015 and 2016 by then Governor Bill Walker. In 2017, the Alaska legislature made the holiday permanent, and Walker signed the law while attending Utqiaġvik’s annual Nalukataq whaling festival.
Alaska has a legacy of bigger-than-life media personalities who ruled the presses like old-fashioned newspaper barons.
Above: Clarks Point students Adrianna Wassily-Wood and Mary Wassily-Wood with mini Yup’ik drums they made to celebrate their culture and Orange Shirt Day. Photo by Deanna Baier On…
This excerpt from Mr. Engelhard’s new memoir, Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range, (Mountaineers Books) is printed with permission.
Above: Paul Claus At 24 hours old, Paul Claus took his first flight in a Piper Super Cub. Sixty-five years later, he can still be found soaring across…
Above: The Dakhká Khwaán Dancers. Photo courtesy Simon Ager The Dakhká Khwáan Dancers from Whitehorse, Yukon, are the lead dance group at this month’s Celebration in Juneau, the…
It’s hard to walk into an Alaskan home without encountering a Rie Muñoz painting. A self-taught artist with an easy laugh, this Dutch-American found her way into the heart of the 49th state.
Kyle Worl is an athlete and coach competing in the arctic sports category of this month’s Arctic Winter Games, being held in the Mat-Su valley. The arctic sports events, which originated over many generations in Indigenous communities across the circumpolar north, are a high- light of the games. They include the two-foot high kick, knuckle hop, and other sports linked to Indigenous hunting skills. The Arctic Winter Games also host com- petitions in hockey, skiing, skating, and other sports.
The Iditarod is Alaska’s most famous sled dog race, but it’s not the only one. Here are some other races happening this winter. Yukon Quest The Yukon Quest,…
