Alaska continues to be home to a diverse group of aboriginal people who first called the Last Frontier their home many thousands of years prior to the miners and merchants of the Gold Rush. The three main groups - Athabasca Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts - are collectively referred to as Alaska Natives. However, separately, they represent different cultures, languages and beliefs.

 

No other state in America holds such a broad range of Native cultures as Alaska. From the Inupiat (In-OOPY-at) Eskimos of Barrow, just above the Arctic Circle, to the Tlingit (CLINK-it) Indians of Ketchikan on the tip of Southeast Alaska, Native cultural diversity is a hallmark of the state. For the traveler who wants to explore Alaska Native villages independently, we suggest you contact a regional or statewide tourism organization to find out which communities are the easiest to get to from the state's population centers.