The Reindeer Fair was started in 1915 as a way to increase interest in the reindeer industry and provide an opportunity for widely dispersed Eskimo herdsmen to exchange ideas. The first fair was hosted by the Kakaruk Herd and Mary’s Igloo and was held near Pilgrim River and on the Seward Peninsula. The Kakaruk Herdsmen...
Unalakleet once proclaimed itself the garden capital of the state when gardens grown there in the 1920s and 1930s produced enough food to sell region-wide. Many credit Reverend Ernest B. (E.B.) Larsson who introduced many Unalakleet residents to agriculture in 1923. This gardening tradition was practiced up until the 1970s when larger gardens were being...
An Inukshuk is a figure made of piled rocks or boulders constructed to communicate with others. Inukshuks have been part of the Arctic’s history for thousands of years. The oldest Inukshuk dated back to a period circa 2,400 to 1,800 BCE. The word Inukshuk can be translated to: “something which acts for or performs the...
BSNC shareholder Ada Blackjack Johnson, nee Deletuk, was born in 1898 in Solomon, Alaska. She moved to Nome, Alaska where at the age of 16 she married Jack Blackjack and gave birth to three children. Only one, a son named Bennett, survived past infancy. Jack deserted Ada 40 miles outside of Nome and the young...
In the past decade, Inuit women revitalized the ancient art of traditional tattooing. The practice dates back at least 10,000 years and involves skin stitching or hand-poke/stickand-poke. Ethnographically, tattooing was practiced by all Inuit but was most common among women and would commemorate an achievement or reaching a certain milestone in life. During the influx...
This past spring, the Alaska Native Heritage Center celebrated its 20th Anniversary and honored BSNC shareholder Paul Tiulana, who was the original visionary for the Center. Opening its doors in 1999, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is a renowned cultural center and museum in Anchorage, Alaska where all people can come to expand their understanding...
Anyone who has visited Nome has seen the iconic White Alice antennas atop Anvil mountain. The White Alice Communication System (WACS) once connected with the remote Air Force sites, the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line and also served to enhance and expand telephone service in Alaska. The primary use of the system was as an...
The Arctic Arc Peace Project (1986-1991) was composed of two landmark sculptures by shareholder artist Joe Senungetuk from Ki igin (Wales) and David Barr of Michigan. The “hand,” located in Kiŋigin, symbolizes a peaceful handshake between the Alaska and Chukotka Inuit amidst a history of international tension dating back to the Cold War. The hand...
During World War II, the Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG), also known as the Eskimo Scouts, held an important role in defending United States soil from foreign invasion. The ATG was organized in 1942 and was comprised of more than 6,000 Alaska Native volunteers from across the state. In the year 2000, ATG service people were...
Nearly one hundred years ago on Oct. 12, 1917, the property known as Pilgrim Hot Springs was deeded by George Schofield to the Jesuit Province of California. Father Bellarmine LaFortune had been searching for a new location for the his mission, which had been established at Mary’s Igloo. The acquisition of Pilgrim Hot Springs would...
