Baskets made of baleen, the fibrous substance found in the mouths of plankton-eating whales—a malleable and durable material that once had commercial uses equivalent to those of plastics today—were first created by Alaska Natives in the early years of the twentieth century. Because they were made for the tourist trade, they were initially disdained by scholars and collectors, but today they have joined other art forms as a highly prized symbol of native identity. Baskets of exquisite workmanship, often topped with fanciful ivory carvings, have been created for almost a century, contributing significantly to the livelihood of their makers in the Arctic villages of Barrow, Point Hope, Wainwright, and Point Lay, Alaska. Baleen Basketry of the North Alaskan Eskimo, originally published in 1983, was the first book on this unusual basket form. In this completely redesigned edition, it remains the most informative work on baleen baskets, covering their history, characteristics, and construction, as well as profiling their makers. Illustrations of the basketmakers at work and line drawings showing the methods of construction are a charming addition to this book, which belongs in the library of all those with an interest in the art of basketry and in Alaskan Native arts in general.

"An adventurous Depression-era couple answered a recruiting ad for teachers in Alaska. Dick and Milly Webbs' lifelong Alaska exploration is chronicled in their letters and photos depicting Indian and Eskimo villages, gold miners, bush pilots, and life in 1937-1960s-era Alaska. Having a baby meant a 90-mile dogsled trip. Managing reindeer herds, hunting walrus and whales, and doctoring Natives were only part-time duties! Ready for "civilization," they managed a budding aviation business in Nome. Later, in Fairbanks, they became entrepreneurs and toured the world promoting Alaska. Shortly before he died, Dick reread his letters and revealed secrets he had omitted when writing them."--Amazon.com

Oral biography of Waldo Bodfish, Sr., an Iñupiag elder from Wainwright, a village on the Arctic coast of Alaska.

Well illustrated account of Alaskan Eskimo art and it's transition as a result of contact with outside cultures.

This landmark volume will stand for decades as one of the most comprehensive studies of a hunter-gatherer population ever written. In this third and final volume in a series on the early contact period Iñupiaq Eskimos of northwestern Alaska, Burch examines every topic of significance to hunter-gatherer research, ranging from discussions of social relationships and settlement structure to nineteenth-century material culture.