Alaska’s people have been living off the land for thousands of years. Through several of these stories we learn about Alaska Native women’s subsistence lifeways and values, experiences of cultural change, challenges, and perseverance for these traditional rights.
The late 19th and into the 20th century saw an increased variety of self-sufficient and homesteading lifestyles. More women came to Alaska from the continental U.S. and Europe, some drawn to opportunities and adventure, others to making a life off the land through associated mining, trapping, hunting, guiding, and homesteading activities.
Learn More - early people and subsistence:
- Explore Ancient Alaska and find out what archeology tells us about the people who were living at these sites, designated National Historic Landmarks at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nhlalaska/ancient-alaska.htm
- Promises to Keep: Subsistence in Alaska’s National Parks brochure https://www.alaskacenters.gov/sites/alaskacenters.gov/files/subsistencebrochure.pdf
Learn More - self sufficient and homesteading lifeways:
- Miners, Trappers, Hunting Guides, and Homesteaders: An Ethnographic Overview and Assessment, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve at: https://www.nps.gov/wrst/learn/historyculture/miners-trappers-hunting-guides-and-homesteaders-an-ethnographic-overview-and-assessment.htm
- Alaska’s Matanuska Colony lesson plan: https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/twhp-matanuska-colony.htm
Last updated: July 30, 2020