Today Alaska Natives represent approximately 19.5% of Alaska’s residents and are a significant segment of the population in over 200 rural villages and communities. Many Alaska Natives have retained their customs, language, hunting and fishing practices, and ways of living. Alaska’s Native people are divided into eleven distinct cultures, speaking approximately 20 different languages.
The Alaska Native cultural groups are organized into five central groupings, which draw upon cultural similarities or geographic proximity:
- Athabascan
- Yup’ik/Cup’ik
- Inupiaq
- Aleut/Alutiiq
- Southeastern Tribes (Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian)
Source:Alaska Native tribal information retrieved with permission from Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage, Alaska www.alaskanative.net on 7/20/20.
