Alaska Native Culture • 2024 • Subsistence Living

Alaska Natives believe there is a strong connection between what we eat and where we live. Stewarding their ancestral lands, Alaska Natives gather bounty from their environment to provide sustenance for their people—both physically and spiritually.

Throughout Alaska, harvesting traditional foods is fundamental to Alaska Natives’ livelihoods. Fishing, hunting, and foraging encompass the passing on of cultural knowledge, community cooperation, and a deep connection to land and water. These subsistence practices not only strengthen ties between people and nature–they are especially critical for Alaska Native families in remote and rural areas as a means of providing food security, economic stability, and nutrition.

Traditional food sources ensure healthier diets amongst Alaska Natives while reducing dependence on costly imported foods. Whether hunting wild game or fishing marine species, when an animal is harvested, the entire animal is utilized or eaten. Alaska Natives believe waste is offensive and disrespectful to both the animal and the people who depend on it.

Alaska Native gifting protocol ensures the first catch or harvest is always given away—a type of offering for a plentiful season. Elders are honored with the first gift.

SEASONAL HARVEST

» Across Alaska, vibrant fireweed is gathered. It is made into tea and salves, as well as sweet condiments.

» Edible plants and mushrooms are foraged in the lush boreal forests of Southeast’s Tongass National Forest.

» Herring eggs are collected from branches and seaweed and are often pickled.

» Shorebird (ducks and geese) eggs are collected as soon as the ice melts in ancestral Yup’ik homelands.

» Whales, seals, and walrus are hunted in the Arctic as important food sources. Muktuk is a traditional food of the Iñupiat, consisting of bowhead whale skin and blubber.

Summer

» Berries galore! Blueberries, salmonberries, cloudberries, beach strawberries, currants, lingonberries, and more are picked throughout Alaska. Alaska Natives turn them into desserts, jams, jellies, and syrups. They are perfectly paired with fry bread.

» Salmon fishing season runs through the summer. Salmon is a staple for Alaska Natives. A favorite summer pastime for many is the practice of drying and smoking salmon.

» Other fish harvested are halibut, cod, Arctic char, and Dolly Varden, which are caught and processed for winter.

Fall

» Moose, deer, caribou, bears, mountain goats, Dall sheep, and beavers are in season for hunting. They are made into stews, burgers, sausages, jerkies, and reindeer dogs (Alaska’s version of a hot dog). Reindeer fat is often utilized to make Akutaq, an Alaska Native ice cream.

» Seaweed and kelp farmers plant seeds for harvest in the spring for items like kelp chili crisp, pickles, condiments, and sushi come fall.

» Berries are still in season, including cranberries. Try them in a juice, vinaigrette, or cranberry ketchup.

Winter

» King crab season begins in the Southwest islands and in Northwest Alaska.

» Interior fishermen head out on ice fishing trips for coho salmon, Arctic char, rainbow trout, and Arctic grayling.

» Alaska’s state bird, the ptarmigan (or grouse), is commonly hunted throughout the winter to be grilled, fried, baked, or slow-cooked.

» Winter roots, such as cattails and dandelions, greens like nettles and watercress, a variety of mushrooms, and medicinal plants are all collected in winter.

COASTAL CATCHES

Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the United States combined, so it’s no wonder we’re able to harvest a bounty of fresh-caught seafood from the hook to the table for both visitors and locals year-round. From sea urchin, mussels, octopus, and shrimp to weatherwave scallops, four species of king crab, and 48 different species of fish, many Alaska Natives rely heavily on subsistence fishing for personal or family consumption as food, sharing, or customary trade.

Alaska Native Culture - 2024

Subsistence Living

SEASONAL HARVEST

Summer

Fall

Winter

COASTAL CATCHES

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