subject: Living Off The Land - An Important Aspect Of Alaskan Heritage [print this page] When some people think about Alaska, they picture the beautiful scenery. Rolling hills, mountains and glaciers, blue skies and green grass, and trees of all sorts. They can just barely see the moose and caribou camouflaged by the trees and other foliage, and they notice the eagles soaring in the sky. They turn just in time to catch the silvery glint of a fish jumping in the river, noticing the ripples left behind from its splash. These beautiful, natural resources are one reason that tourists and adventurers seek refuge in Alaska for temporary stays, hiking, hunting, or fishing and soaking in the natural beauty surrounding them. However, some people do not have that same image of Alaska. Some simply see it as a place where natural resources can be gathered. They do not look beyond the profits to be made from minerals such as ore and precious metals such as gold to really appreciate the natural beauty and untouched ecological glory that Alaska has to offer.
For the Native populations that live in Alaska, however, the natural beauty is a part of their Alaskan heritage. For them, Alaska is home and has been home to their ancestors for centuries. They want to make sure it continues to be home for their children and children's children for many years to come. To that end, they want to preserve their culture and Alaskan heritage in order to continue to pass it down to their progeny. As their elders before them, they want to teach their children of their traditions and cultural values. One of those values is to preserve the natural resources of the land, using what is necessary for survival and daily life, but with respect and in an environmentally responsible way.
Alaskan Native people come from eleven different cultural groups, as in the past, different tribes and families developed their culture and language in separate areas of what is now the state of Alaska. The Alaska Native Heritage Center groups those eleven cultures into five groupings based on geographic area in order to educate people on their life and history. One such group is the Athabascans, who call themselves 'Dena,' which means, 'the people.' One very important value to the Athabascans has always been, and continues to be, respect for any living thing. This is true as they teach their children respect for other people, especially within family groups. Traditionally hunters and fishers, their Alaskan heritage is characterized by sharing with each other from the natural resources that they gather for their subsistence. An additional aspect of their Alaskan heritage is that they show great respect for nature, whether it is living animals or living plants. They live off the land, both historically and in modern times. By hunting, fishing, and gathering edible plants and plants for medicinal purposes, they utilize the resources around them. This subsistence way of life is valuable to them, and they continue to pass it on from generation to generation.
Yup'ik and Cup'ik people are another geographical and tribal grouping of Alaskan Natives. They also live a subsistence lifestyle, and traditionally their camps and villages were mobile as they traveled seasonally to the best spots that they could hunt, fish, or find resources. Elaborate ceremonies featured in their traditional culture, as their Alaskan heritage was celebrated within their family groups, extended family gatherings, and community festivals. Their emphasis on community was so great that they even had shared living spaces. The men would live in community together in one building while the women lived in another building. They would all come together for ceremonies, meals, and other gatherings in the largest building, where the men lived. In this way, women and men could pass down their values and teach their daughters and sons.
