Alaska Native Heritage Center

This Anchorage Cultural Center offers an in-depth look at Alaskan Native life—with a big focus on Alaska Natives. Watch dancing, listen to stories, meet carvers, and hear from artists. The setting is so small and intimate that visitors are sometimes even invited to join the dancers on stage.

You'll see how Alaska Native history is not a collection of artifacts behind glass: this is a living, dynamic culture that you can experience firsthand.

Of course, you can also see plenty of crafts and handiwork: beautifully adorned moose hide boots, birch bark baskets, and tunics made from seal hide. Outside, you can check out the life-sized traditional native dwellings to see the richness and diversity of Alaska's Native cultures, including a Southeast Alaska Longhouse—large wooden constructions with no windows and only a smoke hole at the top—that generally housed several families. Inside you will find four beautifully carved posts that each represent a different culture. Each post is carved and painted with a different theme of respect; respect for family, environment, culture, and self.

During your visit, you can support Alaska Native Artists at Ch'k'iqadi Gallery and have a quick bite to eat at D’eshchin Café.