A Focus on Northern Peoples

Cultures of the far north share an ancient heritage of migration and adaptation; today they are dynamic, diverse, and rapidly changing. Research and publications by the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Center (ASC) explore history, archaeology, social change, and human lifeways across the circumpolar world. Arctic Studies Center anthropologists have worked with indigenous communities and scientific organizations in eight arctic and subarctic nations.

COLLABORATIVE DISCOVERY AND EDUCATION

Arctic Studies Center programs are co-designed with universities, northern communities, and non-profit agencies to realize diverse scientific and educational goals. Community-based archaeology, collaborative exhibit development, and indigenous interpretation of museum collections are part of an integrated approach to shared discovery and learning. Students participate through fieldwork,museum internships, and fellowships. In Alaska, the Arctic Studies Center offers training seminars to assist Alaska Native cultural centers.

EXHIBITIONS AND MEDIA

Major Arctic Studies Center exhibitions include Crossroads of Continents: Cultures of Siberia and Alaska, Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People, and Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. All have brought northern cultural treasures and international scholarship to audiences across the United States. Compact versions of ASC exhibitions are designed for travel to small communities. Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People (2001 - 2003), a community-based project by ASC's Alaska office, offers Alutiiq culture in the words of the people themselves. In addition to exhibitions, the Center produces videos, CD-ROMs, and teaching materials for schools. The National Endowment for the Humanities selected the Arctic Studies Center web site as one of the nation's best.

SMITHSONIAN COLLECTIONS

The Smithsonian possesses one of the most comprehensive and well-documented anthropological collections from arctic and subarctic regions, largely acquired during 1850 - 1900. Archival holdings include first-hand field notes and photography. These materials are a major resource for Arctic Studies Center research, outreach programs, and exhibits. Selected portions are being moved to Alaska for long-term exhibition and public access at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.

PROGRAM PROFILE

The Arctic Studies Center, established in 1988, is the only U. S. government program to have a special focus on northern cultural research and education. It has a permanent staff of four anthropologists. The Arctic Studies Center is located in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. An office for Alaskan research and outreach was established in 1994 through an affiliation with the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The Arctic Studies Center receives baseline federal funding, but its programs are supported principally through grants, gifts, and cooperative agreements. Program partners and supporters have included the National Science Foundation, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, other federal and Alaska state agencies, Alaska Native museums and corporations, the Nordic Council, and many others.