Wed, October 04, 2023
About the Series To help raise the level of civil discourse across Alaska, in 2023 the Alaska Historical Society (AHS) launched a four-part lecture and panel discussion series. “Today in Alaska, as in much of the rest of the country, our civic discourse has deteriorated to a point where sensible public policy is not only enormously challenging, but often unachievable,” said William Schneider, University of Alaska Fairbanks professor emeritus and recent past president of the Alaska Historical Society. “By demonstrating how knowledge...
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Fri, February 17, 2023
Alaska History Day is coming up in April – please consider volunteering a few hours of your time as a judge! What is Alaska History Day? It is the Alaska statewide contest for National History Day. NHD is a year-long academic program focused on historical research, interpretation and creative expression for 6th- to 12th-grade students. By participating in NHD, students become writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights and artists as they create unique contemporary expressions of history. When is it? Judging...
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Mon, September 19, 2022
In recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in December 1971, the UAF Oral History Program has just launched the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Project Jukebox online interactive website that combines oral history recordings, film, photos and documents to tell the story behind the fight for passage of ANCSA, its role in Alaska’s history, and its legacy (https://jukebox.uaf.edu/ancsa). The ANCSA legislation, which passed Congress and was signed into law by...
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Thu, May 05, 2022
[caption id="attachment_7244" align="alignright" width="119"] Chanshtnu place name marker designed by Ahtna artist Melissa Shaginoff. Photo courtesy of Anchorage Park Foundation.[/caption] The Alaska Historical Society is honored to endorse an effort to introduce Native place names to parks and trails in Alaska to expose more Alaskans and visitors to the invaluable contributions of Native people to our state. The Denaina Place Names Project in Anchorage recently installed a sign at downtown Anchorage’s Westchester Lagoon. The “Chanshtnu” sign shares the Dena’ina place...
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Fri, April 22, 2022
As part of its continuing efforts to advocate for the preservation and public access of Alaska historical materials, the Alaska Historical Society has partnered with the Cook Inlet Historical Society to request Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson to proceed expeditiously to create new space in the Anchorage Loussac Library to protect and display the library's historical collection. "Without timely action by your administration on this issue, Anchorage could lose federal grant funds and an opportunity to renovate space for this collection,...
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