The Alaska Native Reader: History, Culture, Politics

The World Readers

by Maria Shaa Tláa Williams (Editor), Robin Kirk (Editor)

Alaska is home to more than two hundred federally recognized tribes. Yet the long histories and diverse cultures of Alaska’s first peoples are often ignored, while the stories of Russian fur hunters and American gold miners, of salmon canneries and oil pipelines, are praised. Filled with essays, poems, songs, stories, maps, and visual art, this volume foregrounds the perspectives of Alaska Native people, from a Tlingit photographer to Athabascan and Yup’ik linguists, and from an Alutiiq mask carver to a prominent Native politician and member of Alaska’s House of Representatives. The contributors, most of whom are Alaska Natives, include scholars, political leaders, activists, and artists. The majority of the pieces in The Alaska Native Reader were written especially for the volume, while several were translated from Native languages. The Alaska Native Reader describes indigenous worldviews, languages, arts, and other cultural traditions as well as contemporary efforts to preserve them. Several pieces examine Alaska Natives’ experiences of and resistance to Russian and American colonialism; some of these address land claims, self-determination, and sovereignty. Some essays discuss contemporary Alaska Native literature, indigenous philosophical and spiritual tenets, and the ways that Native peoples are represented in the media. Others take up such diverse topics as the use of digital technologies to document Native cultures, planning systems that have enabled indigenous communities to survive in the Arctic for thousands of years, and a project to accurately represent Dena’ina heritage in and around Anchorage. Fourteen of the volume’s many illustrations appear in color, including work by the contemporary artists Subhankar Banerjee, Perry Eaton, Erica Lord, and Larry McNeil.

Genres: Nonfiction, The United States Of America, History, Indigenous

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2009

Reviews

[Emily Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I have to explain why I'm giving this book five stars. There are some formatting issues and it's a bit choppy. It's a compilation of articles written by Alaska Native people. I read this for a college class on Alaska Native History. The articles are about these people's traditions, spiritual beliefs, subsistence living, their colonization by Europeans, disease and despair that swept through their villages, their language being stripped from them, and their lands being taken. While the words may not be perfectly written, it perfectly describes the heart and soul of the authors, their experiences and feelings about the historical trauma that took place in their families. You cannot put a rating on these types of experiences. This book is full of truth and hope for Alaska Native people to find peace again.

[Sandy]

It did take me longer to read this than I had thought since I do think it leans more dense/academic than I have been reading recently but I am really glad I did. Since moving up here to Alaska I've been wanting to learn more/familiarize myself with the area including learning more about its original inhabitants and I think this book was really helpful with that. I'm glad I got a physical copy of it too to keep with me. I really like all the different sections, I feel like it helped me understand many different sides. I would definitely recommend this to other people who want to learn more as well. I think a lot of stuff about Alaska Native and Indigenous people in general tends to be from an archeological standpoint so its nice to be able to read about them from Alaska Native people or people who have worked closely with Alaska Native groups. I think it would be cool to reread this again at some point. I think there is certainly more that I can get out of it still.