Explore Alaska native culture

Alaska’s 229 federally recognized tribes span thousands of years of traditions and stories to share with visitors.

 They remain a living and dynamic part of each community, with Alaska Native-owned tours and experiences awaiting travelers throughout the state.

Many new experiences are set to open in 2022 and 2023:

The Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus is a new cultural experience and gathering space for the community and visitors in Juneau. Sealaska Heritage Institute’s goal is to establish Juneau as the “Northwest Coast Arts Capital of the World,” and contribute to creative and sustainable economies for artists. The campus includes a totem pole and five bronze masks, which represent Alaska’s major cultural groups, called “Faces of Alaska.” The campus will also have dedicated space for performances. Classrooms will offer instruction in traditional practices like basketry, textile weaving and printmaking.

The Alaska Native-owned cruise ship destination Icy Strait Point debuts the new Sky Glider gondola, leading to hiking trails and scenic overlooks atop the 1,550 Sky Peak on its massive coastal property. The popular cruise port near Glacier Bay features a range of shore excursions from cultural experiences to wildlife tours and adventures, mostly led by Alaska Natives.

Cape Fox Corporation, the Alaska Native corporation that represents the Tlingit tribe from Saxman, is expanding its “Taste of Alaska” tour offered at the George Inlet Cannery. The tour will highlight the cultural value of the region’s seafood, the impact seafood has on the community and includes a seafood tasting with an optional beer tasting. The corporation’s in-town Lodge is replacing its tram that transports guests from the hotel lobby to Ketchikan’s Creek Street, a historic boardwalk built over a creek on stilts downtown.

A new cruise ship destination will open near the Inside Passage community of Klawock in 2023. Featuring sport fishing, culinary experiences, wildlife viewing and totem carving traditions, Alaska’s newest cruise ship destination is being built near the Tlingit village of Klawock. Oceania Cruises will be the first cruise line scheduled to visit on May 24, 2023.

Additional cultural tour opportunities around the state include:

Workshops on Alaska Native art, woodworking, weaving, song and dance, and more at Glacier Bay’s Huna Tribal House.

Visit Sitka National Historical Park, and watch a traditional Tlingit dance performance in a community house with Sitka’s Tribal Tours.

Owned by the Alutiiq/Sugpiaq people who have inhabited Kodiak Island for over 7,000 years, admire Alaska’s beautiful wilderness at the Kodiak Brown Bear Center & Lodge.

In Utqiaġvik, discover first-hand the lifestyles of Alaska’s Iñupiaq peoples on a tour of the village with a local host with Tundra Tours.

Discover more of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures on a small-ship cruise to Alaska Native rural towns, villages, and communities with Alaskan Dream Cruises.

Find more details, including listings of cultural centers and museums, at TravelAlaska.com.