Grade Level: 6-8
Subject: Social Studies
The
Republican National Convention audience, along
with millions of television viewers, got to hear
more from the party's vice presidential nominee,
Sarah Palin, on Wednesday, September, 3, 2008. Palin,
a lifelong resident and relatively fresh governor
of Alaska, took the opportunity to talk a little
about her home state and to introduce her family.
Her husband, Todd, is certainly representative of
many residents in the state, with his experience as a
commercial fisherman, work in the oil industry,
and claims to Alaska Native ancestry.
In its estimated statewide population of 650,000,
about one in ten residents claim Alaska Native heritage.
Alaska is a land so vast that its overall population density is a mere one person for every square mile. Compare that to estimates of 90 people per square mile in Texas, 234 in California, and 281 in Ohio. Most Alaskans, however, tend to live in urbanized areas, particularly in and near Anchorage, which is home to nearly half of the state's population.
But deep in the state's interior, in its far northern reaches, and along its extensive coastlines, there are numerous small Alaska Native villages. In many of these, electrical power is made by local diesel generators, and homes sit on stilts because of the ground's permafrost condition. Some are not even connected to the state's road system, so transportation needs may rely on bush planes, boats, and snow machines in winter. A portion of the residents' food is gathered locally, from freshly picked summer berries to fish and moose meat.
To some Americans, such a lifestyle may seem impossible. But many Alaskans come from a long line of ancestors who prospered for centuries in these northern regions, passing their knowledge, skills, language, and ancestral stories from generation to generation.
In this lesson, you will get a glimpse into Alaska's cultural tapestry, with its various indigenous cultures, its history of Russian occupation, its evolution into a U.S. state, and its wealth of natural resources.
A Look at Where and When
Get
started at the Alaska
Studies site. In the Maps gallery,
view and print out, if possible, the map layers highlighting
the region's Topographic features,
Trade
Routes, Climates, Ecoregions, Languages,
and Subsistence menus.
Examine
the different areas between the map layers.
Now, get an overview of the state's history at the Alaska History & Cultural Studies site. Begin win the Geography unit to build upon your "sense of place" for this region. For each geographic theme, write down the description for Alaska and the parallel description for your own state or other local region. How do the two regions compare? Use Venn diagrams to characterize your own local area and one or more surrounding areas. Discuss your diagrams with classmates.
Next, survey Alaska's Cultures. Read about the Athabascans, Yup'ik and Cup'ik, Inupiaq and Saint Lawrence Island Yupik, Aleut & Alutiiq, and the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida & Tsimshian. As you learn about each one, use a blank sheet of paper for each group to draw representations of each group's primary characteristics. When you have surveyed every group, examine the sheets. Which characteristics are shared among two or more groups? Which are unique to a group? Which characteristics are directly related to the environment in which the group generally lives?
Before Alaska became a state in 1959, the region was considered Russia's
Colony. In this unit, relive history about The
Beginning of Exploration, The
First Russian Contact in Alaska,
and More
Russian Exploration in Alaska. Follow along as The
Russians Use Alaska for its wealth of natural resources. As
Russia's permanent presence grows, the colony gets
its first Chief Manager, Aleksandr
Andreevich Baranov, in 1790. Inevitably, Russia
Gets some Competition from Spain, The
English—and Captain
Cook—Step In, and the controversy continues as The
Europeans Fight over Alaska.
As in other areas of the Americas that Europeans occupied, the formal spread of Christianity placed its foothold in Alaska. It came in the form of The Russian Orthodox Mission. In what ways did the bishop, Ioann Veniaminov, contribute to improved communications between Europeans and Alaska's native peoples? What factors led to The Sale of Russian America to the U.S. government?
Following the land transfer, the U.S. government fared far better than the Russians in tapping into Alaska's resources. Follow along as a gold rush emerges in America's Territory, more detailed Exploration and Mapping of Alaska's Land is undertaken, and Marine Transportation expands. Throughout areas of Alaska—then and now—Rivers get People and Freight Inland. Also, Overland Routes Develop, further paving the way for the growth of the territory's Population and Settlements. How do you think history may have unfolded differently if gold had never been discovered in Alaska?
Lastly at this site, explore the final two units about Governing Alaska and Modern Alaska. After reviewing the topics in both units, pick one issue: statehood, settlement between the U.S. government and the native peoples, natural resources, or the military. Write a brief essay, focusing on an aspect of your selected issue, that compares and contrasts Alaska history and the history of your home state or other local region. Share and discuss your essay with classmates.
Cultures at the Crossroads
Your
journey now takes you to the virtual villages of the
Siberian-Alaskan expanse. Begin at the Arctic Studies
Center's
Crossroads
of Continents exhibit, where you will get to see the similarities
and differences among native cultures that span this
region. Read the introductory text at the entrance,
and then Enter
the Museum.
Click on each clothed figure in the exhibit, starting on the far left in Siberia: the Amur River peoples, then and today; the Even peoples, then and today; the Koryak, then and today; and the Chukchi, then and today.
Along the right half of the exhibit, meet the Peoples of Alaska: the Aleut, then and today; the Eskimo, then and today; the Athapaskan, then and today; and the Tlingit, then and today.
How have each of these peoples adapted to their environment? In what ways are aspects of their lifestyles and cultures similar? How are they different? Discuss with classmates about how Russian, European, and U.S. occupation—from Siberia through Alaska—affected these native peoples and how they live today. What aspects have been relatively unaffected by outside forces?
Newspaper Activities
Browse through current or recent issues of The Sacramento Bee, looking for news related to Alaska. You might find news about proposals to boost oil drilling in the state, or news about Alaska's fisheries, a subsistence treaty, or a big event such as the Iditarod race. Choose one news topic to focus on. Investigate how one or more groups of Alaska Natives are participating in or in some way being affected by the topic or issue. Role-play as a representative of a relevant Alaska Native group, and explain to others how your cultural group is participating in or is being affected by the topic. As part of your explanation, weave in some appropriate and accurate cultural references related to the native culture you represent.
Online Lessons
Each week The Bee publishes a new online lesson for teachers, students and families who use the Internet and newspaper as learning resources. The lessons are tied to current events in the news and help learners extend their knowledge on a wide range of topics. Click here to return to the table of contents.