Heritage

Heritage Kits are designed for kindergarten through twelfth grade, and align with Alaska Cultural & Content Standards addressed through hands-on activities in each exhibit. Students learn about themselves and the world around them within the context of their culture.

To find out more about the kits visit http://chugachheritageak.org

Current kits include:

An Abundance of Birds

Lean why birds are an essential resource and their spiritual aspects; investigate the many ways that birds were used for food, apparel, and tools; create and use models of traditional puffin beak rattles; learn about bird migration, habitat and anatomy; and research traditional bird hunting and gathering methods. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Ancestry: Cuqllitet

Explore genealogy from traditional and modern perspectives; learn kinship terms; collect information and think about kinship in one’s life and community; look back on traditional roles within the family; try on traditional Sugpiaq visors and headdresses. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Clothing

Learn about the physical and spiritual aspect of clothing to the Chugach culture; what resources are used and why; what types of clothing were used for different activities; techniques and processes used when making clothing; and elements that identified the people of the Chugach region. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Driftwood: A Gift from the Sea

Discover the many uses of driftwood and how the Sugpiaq came to rely on this gift from the sea; learn about the traditional knowledge in gathering and utilizing this resource; track the evolution of traditional tools used; map the way wood from hundreds of miles away reached the shores of the Region. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Food from the Sea

Learn the importance of the sea in the Sugpiaq culture; how to harvest plants and animals; water safety; type of plants/animals gathered; and how resources were used from the sea. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Gathering Plants to Eat

Learn methods used to gather and use a variety of edible and medicinal plants; how ecosystems were respected; medicinal purposes; locations for gathering plants; and the responsibilities of gathering, preserving and the spiritual qualities of different plants. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Grass and Plant Fibers

Learn how plant fibers were traditionally harvested, processed, and used; what is currently used in place of traditional plants and fibers; where and how to harvest plants and fibers; and discuss the benefits as well as the useful properties and techniques for using, drying and dying fibers. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Honoring the Seal

Learn knowledge and methods for a seal hunt; how to process and honor a seal; how to identify the different parts of the seal anatomy; what tools are essential for a hunt; and the many uses for different parts of the seal for clothing, food, and tools used for survival. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

The Healing Power of Alaska’s Plants

Discover the medicinal uses of plants found in the Chugach Region; locate, identify and gather local plants for pressing, drying and preparing medicine; learn how to treat common ailments using traditional practices; learn about plant anatomy and physiology; create art using local plants; and play Plant Jeopardy. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Storytelling

Learn to make use of professional performance techniques; to incorporate digital media into their storytelling; and to include their creative input and maintain an awareness of the cultural values stories offer. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Symbols

Learn the connection between symbols and stories by examining symbols in their everyday world; study traditional markings and their meaning; and identify forms and create art that holds meaning to various events in life. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

Cuumi Iqalluggsuucillrat: Traditional Fishing

Investigate the variety of traditional fishing methods of the Sugpiaq; build a model fish trap; learn about the anatomy and life cycle of salmon; play the salmon life cycle board game; and discover the many ways that the salmon was used. Teachers, check out the Curriculum (coming soon).

For more information, contact the Heritage Preservation Program.