Alaska Native Heritage Center
Website | 8800 Heritage Center Dr, Anchorage, AK 99504 | +1 907-330-8000
The Alaska Federation of Natives created the Alaska Native Heritage Center in 1987 by a unanimous vote, which called for the establishment of an Alaska Native culture center. Two years after its creation, the Alaska Native Heritage Center was off Bicially an incorporated 501 non-profit organization and, with the help of multiple organizations like the Alaska Native Corporations, began fundraising to build this center; this cultural center opened its doors in May of 1999, and celebrate its 24th Anniversary in 2023.
This Anchorage site offers an in-depth look at Alaskan Native life, focusing mainly on Alaska Natives. You can watch dances, listen to stories, hear from artists, meet cravers, and many more things. The Alaska Native Heritage Center’s setting is very intimate that even visitors are invited to join the dancers on stage. Your visit to this cultural center will make you realize that Alaska Native history is not just a collection of antique artifacts behind glass but a living and dynamic culture that you can experience firsthand.
Visitors can also see plenty of handiwork and crafts like birch bark baskets, beautifully adorned moose hide boots, and tunics made from seal fur. Outside, visitors can admire the lifesized traditional native dwellings to watch the rich diversity of Alaska’s Native Cultures, including a famous Southeast Alaska Longhouse -large wood construction with 0 windows and just one smoke hole at the top that housed many families. Inside, visitors can find four amazingly craved posts that represent different cultures. Each post is craved and painted with unique ‘respect’ themes: respect for environment, culture, family, and self.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center offers a free app for your smartphone, including a video tour, interactive audio, and a gift shop near the entrance for visitors who want to take a piece of culture with them.