— FrontierScientists investigates Alaska Native basket weaving with modern-day artists who carry on ancient traditions from the Alutiiq and other Arctic cultural groups. Artifacts at the Alutiiq Museum, as well as Russian collections, help preserve original examples of Native weaving.
The Alutiiq Weavers presented in these videos traveled to Russia to see baskets made by their ancestors. The baskets reside in collections at the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (MAE) in St. Petersburg, obtained by Russian explorers during the late 1700’s, 1800’s from Alaskan towns and villages.
The study of these collections, along with field research, are powerful tools for heritage revitalization. The Alutiiq weavers have come back to their communities to share how they were inspired and what they learned by viewing their collected heritage in the Russian collection.