Join us with Feeling, Sight, and Sound at Alaska Native Festivals & Cultural Events

About the Author: Maka Monture Paki | Keixe Yaxti, a Lingit woman from Yaakwdaat, carries a rich heritage rooted in her clan's migration. Hailing from Yaakwdaat, a village in the Northern reaches of Southeast Alaska, Maka belongs to the Raven moiety of the Copper River Clan, and the House of the Owl, and is a child of the Kanien'kehá:ka people. Her understanding of humanity was deeply influenced by traditional practices, including harvest, song and dance, language, ceremony, and genealogy. Maka’s creative work emerges from a place where storytelling meets a vision for artistic abundance. She remains a lifelong student of Lingit history and art.

One of my earliest childhood memories is attending a cultural gathering in Haida Gwaii. A Haida dance group brought out a dancer in a carved mask to depict a creature in folklore, and I recall tucking under the tablecloth with wide eyes while their big steps thundered past the table in rhythm with the drums guiding them. I can close my eyes and remember the feeling, sight, and sound. 

Now, in Alaska, similar cultural events across the state occur annually and biannually to honor the unique stories, traditions, and practices that celebrate Alaska Indigenous Cultures. The changing seasons in Alaska influence the themes and activities of our various festivals, creating a connection between culture and nature. I hope that I can share a sense of the rhythm with you of our Alaska-based cultural celebrations you are welcome to attend throughout the year.

Festival of Native Arts

Annually, February
Land: Troth Yeddha’of the lower Tanana Dene People, Fairbanks

Beginning in 1973, a mix of University of Alaska Fairbanks students and faculty came together to discuss hosting a festival on campus to celebrate the song, dance, and art of Alaska Native cultures. My first contact with this event was in high school when my Tlingit dance group, the Mt. St. Elias Dancers, traveled up to perform, and I have photos of my great-grandfather and relatives performing at this event years prior. This event hosts a concurrent artisan market and has always been held with great enthusiasm and excitement and the year-round planning is held largely by students at the University. 

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Native Youth Olympics

Annually, March
Land: Dena’ina Dene Peoples, Anchorage

The Native Youth Olympics (NYO) originated in 1971 in the wintertime. Alaska Native students attending the Boarding Home Program School in Anchorage organized to bring together 12 schools for competitions. Parallel to the games of WEIO, these games demonstrate the strengths and abilities to hunt, practice movement, and survive in traditional practices. The purpose of the NYO Games is to promote:

• Healthy lifestyles, positive self-esteem, and leadership skills
• Appreciation of Alaska Native traditions
• Good sportsmanship through friendly athletic competition
• Cross-cultural understanding

Camai Festival

Annually, March
Land: Yup’ik Peoples, Bethel 

The 3-Day Camai festival has always been spoken about in a way that is associated with great joy, song, and dance. In Yup’ik culture, it is said that these folks welcome and greet each other by offering a smile and a handshake accompanied by the happy exclamation, “Cama-i!” A dance festival occurring in Bethel in the spring, the event has an Alaska Airlines discount for travel, features a cultural pageant, and hosts artists' tables alongside local to international dance groups. This joyful event connects past and present and is believed to be the largest gathering of Yup’ik people in the world.

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Celebration

June - Every Other Year, Even Years 
Land: Áak’w Kwáan/T’aaku Kwáan, Juneau

Dating back to 1982, Sealaska Heritage Institute has been hosting Celebration in Juneau in even years in early June. In the 1980s, Southeast Alaska Native people emerged from decades of cultural oppression from the newcomers to Alaska. They had been focused on a strong civil and land rights era for the decades prior. In 1982, a few hundred Indigenous people gathered in Juneau to celebrate song and dance. Today, Celebration draws thousands of people to the four-day event and is believed to be the largest gathering of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people in the state and likely the world. In addition to song and dance at the Centennial Hall and Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, side events include a Native Artist Market, an Art Show, and an adorable Toddler Regalia review. Everyone is welcome.

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World Eskimo Indian Olympics

Annually, July
Land: Lower Tanana Dene Peoples, Fairbanks

Note to reader: "Over the years the use of the terms 'Eskimo' and 'Indian' have occasionally been questioned. Although the name 'Eskimo' is commonly used in Alaska to refer to all Inuit and Yupik people of the world, this name is considered derogatory in many other places because it was given by non-Inuit people and was said to mean 'eater of raw meat” - WEIO Website

Founded in 1961 under the name “The Eskimo Olympics,” the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) was founded to display the games practiced in the Northern regions of Alaska and circumpolar regions. These games are anchored in the agility, endurance, and skills needed to survive the brutal hunting and living conditions present in these regions. These athletic games are modeled after the community games practiced in these regions where neighboring villages would come together around the holidays or a successful community hunt. As beautifully worded on the WEIO website: “Survival for the Native people of Alaska has been the name of the games for as long as our elders can recollect. When listening to them tell of their early life, it sometimes seems inconceivable they managed at all. These stories constantly reiterate the need to be disciplined physically as well as mentally, to share, cooperate and hold a reverence for the source which makes it possible to survive in an environment which is severe in every sense of the word.”

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Alaska Federations of Natives (AFN) Events

Annually, October
Land: Dena’ina Dene Peoples, Anchorage

The 1900s brought significant changes to Alaska, marked by the exploitation of its natural resources and the fight for Alaska Native land rights. In October 1966, over 400 Alaska Natives from 17 organizations convened to address Indigenous land claims. This gathering led to the formation of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), officially incorporated in early 1967 as a non-profit organization that meets yearly in October. 

During the meetings, a popular evening song and dance event called Quyana Night invites the audience to experience traditional song and dance. During AFN, the concurrent Alaska Native Arts Market at the Dena’ina Center is buzzing with vendors showcasing the diverse talents of Indigenous artists. A perfect place to shop for holiday gifts, the market underscores the economic importance of traditional and modern arts, while supporting artisans and strengthening community connections.

There is treasured survivance in how each tribe has it’s unique art forms, languages, songs, and traditions that have outlasted generation after generation. I hope that visitors who come to Alaska can attend the events throughout our beautiful state and feel encouraged to have a joyful and dynamic experience. The gatherings are powerful expressions of cultural resilience and pride, fostering understanding and unity among Alaska’s Indigenous communities with the rest of the world. I invite readers and visitors to Alaska to feel welcome to respectfully engage with these vibrant gatherings. I hope you can firsthand witness and participate in the deep connections to land, joy, community, and ancestry.