History and Culture

More than 14,000 years ago, people crossed from East Asia into North America through a large area of land (now largely submerged beneath the ocean) referred to as the Bering Land Bridge. Today's Alaska Native residents of the Arctic trace ancestry and cultural traditions to these first settlers, and many still have active ties to Yup’ik relatives across the Bering Strait (see this article in ScienceDaily). In the Brooks Range, archaeological sites show evidence of people on the land for more than 13,000 years. (Learn more about human migration across the Bering Land Bridge.)

Traditionally, populations were small and mobile, moving throughout the year among a series of camps to harvest seasonally available foods. It was not until last century that people settled in permanent, year-round villages. Today Athabaskan, Yup’ik, and Inupiat descendants, as well as various non-Native Alaskan peoples, still rely on hunting, fishing, and gathering within and around the Arctic parks and preserves.

• 

  Arctic Archaeology

  Archaeology in the Arctic reveals cultures adapted to local conditions.

• 

  Arctic Exploration

  Early journeys into the Arctic opened up the region to mining, whaling, and other activities.

• 

  Subsistence

  Subsistence is a way of life, it links people, culture, and the natural environment.