Area_G_04_11_24_1.pdf

G.1.aSize: 40”w x 50”h Output:

Mounting:

Scale Drawn: 100% @ 12” = 12” Vendor:

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23 02.15.24 04.09.24

G.1.a Intro Panel

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt

“We Thrive Here”

Tanana Chiefs Conference

These are homelands of the Athabascan People; the Upper Tanana, Tanana, Tanacross, Han, and Ahtna tribes. They have lived here since time immemorial. In a landscape that others describe as “challenging” and “tough”, they have found ways to flourish.

Despite decades of forced assimilation, their cultures have adapted and endured. Athabascans integrate western technology into their lives while carrying on the traditions of their ancestors.

Their skill, ingenuity, and knowledge shape the laws and lifestyles of all Alaskans.

The legend square is the exact same color and effect as the Athabascan Homelands area on the map. The variation in the background texture shows through both areas, so you will see a variance in the color in both places.

04.11.24

G.1.c-gSize: various

G.1.c Communities Topic panel 47”w x 50”h

G.1.e Living off the Land Topic panel 47”w x 50”h

G.1.f Change and Adaptation Topic panel 47”w x 50”h

Scale Drawn: 100% @ 12” = 12” Vendor:

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23 02.15.24

G.1.c-g Vitrine Display

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt

Library of Congress

Chief William, a Tanana Athabascan leader, with a shell necklace in 1916.

A Magical Gift An old story describes why these shell necklaces are so meaningful.

A man from Tanacross saved a mysterious stranger from a bear.

In gratitude, the stranger gave the man a necklace of dentalium shells. Every year for the rest of the man’s life, the stranger left him another necklace. Ever since, Dentalium shells have represented respect, high morals, and honor.

Community is at the heart of Athabascan cultures.

Families share food and resources, while traditions encourage generosity to the broader community.

Tribes have several clans, each with its own ceremonies and obligations to other clans. Children are born into their mother's clan, shaping their relationship to others in their community.

When a person dies, their family hosts a “potlatch”—a funeral gathering that brings together many clans and members of other tribes. The hosts give their guests generous gifts that represent their love for the lost. One day, they will be repaid through other potlatches in a cycle of reciprocity. These traditions still strengthen connections between Athabascan communities.

“Sharing is very common among our people. It could be fall time, you know: moose hunting season, fish, berries… We deliver it to the elders. They can’t do the collecting anymore, so it’s a great way to help them.”

Credit TBD

FPO

When a young man gets his first moose, he gifts it to his opposite clan. This encourages a culture of reciprocity and mutual support.

For countless generations, Athabascan people have hunted, gathered, and made what they need from what the woods and waters provide. These days, there are other ways to get food and other necessities. But many Athabascans still choose to live closely tied to the land.

This is often called “subsistence” or “customary and traditional use.”

This lifestyle is not a last resort. It’s about keeping a sacred connection to places and traditions. Hunting, fishing, and foraging offer a way of life and connection to the land that can’t be bought at a grocery store.

“[Customary and traditional use] is our belief of where we’re supposed to be in this universe. In the Athabascan language, the storytellers [say] we aren’t really people separate from everything else.

We’re part of the whole picture.”

Smoked whitefish hanging to dry at fish camp.

European contact forever altered the lives of Alaska Natives. New laws, values, and environmental impacts threatened traditional subsistence practices. Forced assimilation harmed communities and cultural identity.

Adjusting to these changes has often been difficult and painful. But as they always have, Athabascan people adapted with skill, ingenuity, and resilience. They preserve strong communal ties and a deep connection to the natural world.

Modern subsistence lifestyles span a broad spectrum. People find a balance between living off the land and the cash economy. Most use modern vehicles and equipment, but that doesn't mean a loss of tradition or culture. These new tools help today’s Athabascans sustain cultural traditions, environmental knowledge, and a lifestyle connected to the land.

A modern fish wheel on the Copper River. Flowing water turns the wheel, causing the baskets to scoop up migrating salmon.

Fishing from a weir with a dip net on the Copper River.

Ch’ilaak’ąy’

Dankaał

Jign

USFWS

Ntł’at

Dawn Endico/Creative Commons

Nch��

[An Athabascan artist] stitches beads onto a moccasin.

[Credit:] TBD

FPO

TBD, Ahtna Corporation

Anchorage Museum

Missing artist name

G.1.hSize: 69”w x 50”h

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23

G.1.h Subsistence in Law - Influencing Alaska

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt

Influencing Alaska Many newcomers adopted elements of traditional Indigenous lifestyles. "Living off the land" became part of a broader Alaskan identity. But the right to practice subsistence on public land has been hard-won.

Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971. It transferred 44 million acres to Native corporations. Their members could hunt, fish, and forage on those lands. But subsistence rights on remaining federal land were uncertain.

In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) expanded existing federally protected lands and created new ones. The law recognized rural Alaskans' special relationship with the land. Notably, it protected the right to practice subsistence on federal lands.

“It’s not just about surviving. It’s a way of being in relation with the world. We all have a right… But we also need to be personally responsible.”

“I told you how many grandchildren I have. When I’m gone, how are they going to live? They got to have some way. They got to remember the way I learned. If they don’t, they’re going to be lost and won’t know where they are … I don’t do this for myself. I’m too old for that now.

I’m thinking about the many days ahead..”

NPS/Emily Mesner

G.2.aSize: 109”w x 60”h

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23 04.09.24

G.2.a Window Tree Graphic

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt 04.11.24

G.2.bSize: 114.5”w x 15”h

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23 02.15.24

G.2.b Materials Reading Rail

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt

Ts’oo Birch, spruce, and willow are common trees here. Each species has unique traits that help it thrive in this landscape.

Those traits can help people thrive here too. From building materials to medicines, these trees have much to offer to those who know how to use them.

The names of these trees are given in the Upper Tanana language.

Ts’ayh

Diniign

Xaey

“If you catch it in June… you cut the birch and

[the bark] pops off by itself.

It’s awesome, you know, it makes a popping sound!”

K’įį

Ts’oo

K’ay’

USFWS YCC/Dontae Jimmie University of Alaska Fairbanks

G.3.aSize: 40”w x 50”h

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23 02.15.24

G.3.a Caches Topic Panel

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt

High and Dry “Tall caches” like this one are iconic structures in this region. Athabascans and European American settlers used them to store food and supplies. The stilt legs kept the contents dry and safe from animals.

A cache’s owners could leave it unattended for weeks or months. Preserved food would remain unspoiled until they returned. This was helpful for families that moved to follow the availability of game and fish.

Caches near the Copper River, 1910.

Anchorage Museum

Cross section of an Athabascan cold storage pit.

G.4.aSize: 109”w x 60”

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23

G.4.a Window Cling Graphic

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt 04.11.24

G.4.cSize: 40”w x 50”h

3087 TOK APLIC

09.22.23 12.18.23 02.15.24

G.4.c Trapline Topic Panel

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt

Running the Trapline The Athabascan people of this region are famous for their trapping abilities. For thousands of years, they have used these skills to provide food and warm clothing.

Today, trapping illustrates the complexities of modern subsistence. It is often entwined with the cash economy. Many trappers sell some of their pelts. Much of the equipment is purchased rather than made from natural materials.

Running a trapline still requires an intimate knowledge of the land.

Many trappers practice careful stewardship. Though money may be involved, it's not necessarily the main purpose. Trapping is also about sustaining a connection to this landscape.

“Trapping is hard work. But you don’t look at it that way.

It’s something you like to do.”

Karl Friedrich Herhold/Creative Commons

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G.4.eSize: 14”w x 14.5”h (TBD)

3087 TOK APLIC

04.09.24

G.4.e Snow Machine Graphic

Design Pre-Production Graphic Designer: Nan Hildebrandt