ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER INC
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Mission Statement
The Alaska Native Heritage Center has a mission to preserve and strengthen the traditions, languages, and arts of Alaska Native peoples through statewide collaboration, celebration, and education. Our vision is a thriving Alaska Native community with peoples and cultures that are respected and valued.
About This Cause
The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is a non-profit museum and cultural center located on 26 acres in northeast Anchorage, AK. Since its creation, ANHC has served as a gathering place and site for cultural exchange, serving all of Alaska’s Indigenous peoples and cultures. Through years of service and community-based programming, ANHC has become a world-class cultural center that is appreciated by a global audience. The Alaska Federation of Native unanimously approved the concept to establish a statewide Native cultural center in 1987. The Alaska Native Heritage Center was formed as an independent non-profit organization. The Center received enthusiastic support from the grassroots level to Alaska's highest leadership. Construction of the facility was made possible through $14.5 million raised from federal, state, local, and private sources between 1989 and 1999. In 1994, a building site was secured, and the Heritage Center opened its doors to the public on May 1, 1999. Since then, the Center has welcomed over 1,000,000 visitors from around the world. Visitors to ANHC experience a diverse range of cultural programs and authentic educational engagements that deepen their understanding of, and compassion for, the histories and contemporary status of Alaska Native cultures from across the state. Through a range of educational exhibits that highlight the diversity of Alaska Native identities, visitors gain an appreciation and respect for the wide range of cultures, languages, and arts found across Alaska. ANHC also houses several reproductions of traditional Alaska Native dwellings, allowing visitors to engage in experiential learning about the long and storied histories of Alaska Native peoples. In addition to the programs described above, ANHC also offers resources and support to Alaska Native communities throughout the state. These resources include workforce development opportunities for Alaska Native youth, suicide prevention programs that facilitate holistic healing through culturally grounded engagements, and master artist workshops that provide participants with the skills needed to revitalize endangered artforms. ANHC’s programs strive to strengthen Alaska Native cultures and communities by creating space for intergenerational cultural exchange. ANHC’s programs have been widely lauded through both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities of Alaska and the United States more broadly. The organization was recognized as one of America’s Cultural Treasures by the Ford Foundation in 2020 and has since continued to steward a wide range of events and programs that benefit the statewide Alaska Native community. ANHC looks forward to being a resource for Alaska’s Indigenous peoples for many years to come. CULTURAL PROGRAMMING MASTER ARTIST CLASS PROGRAM Artists from around the state come to ANHC to facilitate hands on learning. These classes have been offered for over two decades and have provided support to the community from youth to Elder to build artistic talent, foster community engagement, and strengthen knowledge of cultural practices. Thousands have participated and many have gone on to maintain a steady artistic practice. SCHOOL VISITS ANHC offers school visits that introduce Alaska Native cultures through presentations, and activities for students. Our team executes efforts to do school outreach, usually presenting information at assemblies and coordinating field trips for an average of 25 schools in the Southcentral region and serving approximately 1,200 students per year. SUMMER INTERNSHIP The Summer Internship Program has provided meaningful employment to Alaska Native youth while connecting them to their cultural heritage for over 20 years. Interns at ANHC are given opportunities to learn from Master Artists, participate in subsistence activities and gain valuable communication skills. ANHC employs an average of 40 individuals per year in this program. INDIGENOUS AWARENESS WORKSHOPS ANHC offers Indigenous Awareness Workshops (IAW) to help individuals and organizations learn how to work effectively and respectfully with diverse cultures. These workshops help a wide range of entities bring diversity to the workplace. The organization serves approximately 500 people through approximately 50 workshops every year. UTUQQANAATMIN PROJECT Through Utuqqanaatmiñ, ANHC is deepening an existing partnership with the Alaska Art Alliance, an Alaska Native-led cultural nonprofit whose mission is to support adults who struggle with addiction, homelessness, and reentry from incarceration. The Alliance provides a place to work and reconnect with arts and culture. This project serves about 30 individuals through the partnership with the Alaska Art Alliance and helps generate social enterprise revenue for the organization through its Ch’k’iqadi Gallery. TIAMUNA The Tiamuna project is designed to increase access to educational service providers for Alaska Native/American Indian youth in the Anchorage School District by providing funds to caregivers which allow students to engage with various activities, many of which have a strong cultural lens. This program has served approximately 500 students since its launch in 2020. ILAKUCARAQ PROJECT Through Ilakucaraq (To Come Together, Yup’ik) ANHC bridges the rural-urban divide by engaging Alaska Native high school students around the state through in-person and virtual programming that explores Alaska Native culture and history. This project also trains educators to better serve Alaska Native students and communities through culturally responsive teaching. This program has served approximately 150 students and 60 teachers since its launch in 2021. UNGUWAT: RESILIENCE & CONNECTION Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Native Connections grant, Unguwat utilizes culturally reflective interventions, such as the 49 Days of Ceremony, to prevent suicide and reduce the impact of mental health and substance use disorders amongst 18–24-year-old Alaska Native and American Indian youth living in Anchorage. This program facilitates programming at Covenant House Alaska, University of Alaska Anchorage, and the Alaska Native Heritage Center where we serve an average of about 1,000 participants per year. EGLERTUQ The Eglertuq (To Be in Motion, Yup’ik) Program uses a traditional healing approach to address social determinants of health within communities of Alaska Native/Native American women. Eglertuq has established a network of culture bearers and community organizations to provide culturally supportive services through renewed interest in cultural art and practices. This program has served 733 individuals through 51 workshops since launching in November 2022. TIN HOOZOONH The Tin Hoozoonh (The Trail is Good, Koyukon) Program offers a unique apprenticeship experience combining on-the-job training with professional and cultural development opportunities. The program increases educational work opportunities while instilling a strong sense of cultural and professional strength for participants through workshops and apprenticeship placements across various departments at ANHC. Since its launch in 2023, the program has provided 6 individuals with full time work. It has also provided access to several cultural workshops for participants. LACH’QU SUKDU ANHC is developing Lach’qu Sukdu (True Story, Dena’ina), a robust research program on the history of government- and church-run boarding schools in Alaska and the continued impacts on our people and communities. We are working to provide accurate retellings of this history while centering Indigenous knowledge, communities, and values. This program has contributed over 100 items to the count of boarding schools in Alaska which were associated with the Federal Government. The research being executed is truly one of a kind and supports efforts to interpret Alaska Native history and culture, as well as supporting healing programs at the organization. PRESIDENT & CEO Keneggnarkayaaggaq Emily Edenshaw (Yup'ik/Iñupiaq) is the President and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC), a renowned statewide cultural center located in Anchorage, AK. Emily is an outspoken advocate and Indigenous leader who has spearheaded numerous programs and initiatives that have greatly contributed to the health and vibrance of the Alaska Native community. She has extensive experience in the realms of business and nonprofit administration and leadership. Emily holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree in Strategic Leadership from Alaska Pacific University and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Public Communications from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Emily is also a sixth-year Ph.D. Indigenous Studies student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, researching Alaska Native experiences in assimilative boarding schools and strategies that can facilitate healing in response to these experiences. Since graduating with her EMBA, Emily has worked for public and private sectors, such as the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, First Alaskans Institute, VICE Media, The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, Southcentral Foundation, and Alyeska Pipeline. Through all of these experiences, Emily has strived to center the Alaska Native community as stakeholders and beneficiaries. Emily's Yup'ik name Keneggnarkayaaggaq means a person with a beautiful persona, spirit, aura, and friend. Emily and her husband, Devin, have four sons and one daughter. She is proud to represent the Alaska Native community and ANHC.