Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Quotes from Native Alaskans: In Five Pics

"We live in a changing world and what we have to do is define where we are today and what's important from the past. A lot of the values that were taught were lost or changed early on, and for a long time there was nothing to replace it. [These] values that existed [before] changed dramatically with the missionaries and government. [We need to] teach...who you are."

This is one of the quotes I found in Alaska, which sums up the cultural shock the natives went through. Before Russians and European explorers set their feet in Alaska, mainly southern Alaska, many native tribes lived there. Every tribe was wise. They had their traditions, cultures, values and way of living. Much of the Alaska was unexplored before US purchased it. These are some of the quotes from those native people who were affected by foreign settlers. Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum are excellent resources of this knowledge. I spent many hours at those two places, but it was not enough to understand and appreciate native Alaskan tribes and their culture. Below are few of the quotes I found there. Zoom in to read.


And this one is a bonus one, not from an Alaskan native but very well written.

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