Alaska Native Culture - 2024
Modes of Passage
2023-09-27 12:37:22
SAMANTHA PHILLIPS TLINGIT & MARY GODDARD TLINGIT
Navigating the vast and often harsh landscape of Alaska required skillful innovation and determination of its Indigenous people to survive, thrive, and ensure future generations.
Perilous seas and winding rivers, rugged mountain terrain, frozen tundra, and deep snow called for distinct methods of travel. Traditional sea and land travel demonstrated a deep connection to the environment. Hardly a trace was left of what was borrowed from the land. Skilled in making the most of their resources, Alaska Natives relied on natural materials such as wood, animal skins, bone, organs, and sinew for crafting the most eco-friendly transportation mechanisms.
Seagoing vessels made by the Iñupiaq, Unangax, and Yup’ik were small one- or two-person boats covered in skins. Paddlers fit into a small, carefully measured hole. Used for hunting, they were swift, easily maneuvering through ice and water. These were called qajaqs in Iñupiat and baidarkas in Unangax. Larger flat-bottom boats called umiaks (open boats) transported people and goods.
Dene (Athabascan) built canoes out of cottonwood, plentiful in Interior Alaska, combined with birch bark and moose hide. Some were light, around 40 pounds, making it easy for a hunter to paddle and carry overland between lakes and rivers.
Tlingit, Haida, Tismshian, and Eyak crafted substantial dugout canoes, carved and shaped out of cedar or spruce. Elaborately painted in traditional formline design, their ceremonial canoes continue to be of cultural significance.
Traversing the snow required lightweight materials. Dene (Athabascan) bent birchwood and wove sinew across to construct snow shoes to traverse many miles. Similarly, they engineered sleds to glide across the snow.
Even with the addition of modern travel options (motorized boats, floatplanes, snowmobiles, and ATVs), Alaska Natives continue to use many of their traditional modes of passage.
JOIN THE JOURNEY
These time-honored traditions of transportation date back 10,000 years and can still be found today–be it by snow, land, or water. Experience some of them yourself when traveling Alaska:
In Southeast Alaska, head out on a voyage through Icy Strait in a traditional Tlingit dugout canoe, or yaakw, for a cultural experience with a Tlingit guide in Hoonah.
On land, try your hand at dog sledding. Alaska is home to a myriad of dog sledding tours state-wide that allow visitors to experience mushing, even in the summer months.
Alaska is known for the Iditarod, a sled dog race that started in 1973. The remarkable achievement of three Alaska Natives claiming the top three spots in the 2023 Iditarod race was a celebrated honor, showcasing their deep connection to the land and their ancestral traditions.
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