Inupiat Heritage Center Information
Inupiat Heritage Center. Photo from inupiat.areaparks.com
The Inupiat Heritage Center is located in Barrow, Alaska, the largest city in the North Slope Borough and the northernmost city in the United States, on the shore of the Arctic Ocean in northern Alaska
Inupiat Heritage Center may lie in a remote area of northern Alaska, but its well worth considering for a unique family vacation idea. The Alaskan people had a large part in the whaling industry, and the history here is amazing. Your children will learn about a distinctive culture that few others have the opportunity to see. There are also plenty of outdoor adventure opportunities in the surrounding area such as wildlife tours, photography options, and winter sports. Check below for further Inupiat Heritage Center information.
Uniqueness
In the late 19th and 20th centuries, over 2,000 whaling voyages set out from New Bedford, Massachusetts, bound for the bowhead whaling grounds off Alaska’s arctic coast. The voyage of over 20,000 miles took the whalers to the Azore Islands off the coast of Africa, around Cape Horn and the southernmost tip of South America, to the Hawaiian islands and finally, to the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. Many Alaska Natives, particularly Inupiat Eskimo people, participated in commercial whaling. In addition to crewing on the ships they hunted for food for the whalers, provided warm fur clothing, and sheltered many crews that were shipwrecked on the Alaska coast.
The Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska was designated an affiliated area of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts to ensure that the contributions of Alaska Natives to the history of whaling is recognized. The Heritage Center was dedicated in February 1999 and houses exhibits, artifact collections, library, gift shop, and a traditional room where people can demonstrate and teach traditional crafts. The North Slope Borough owns and manages the Heritage Center on behalf of the whaling villages of the North Slope. The Heritage Center is one of several partners, associated through New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park legislation, who participate in telling the story of commercial whaling in the United States. Park partners operate independently but collaborate in a variety of educational and interpretive programs. The Federal Government does not own or manage the Center.
The Inupiat Heritage Center is open year around. Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00PM Monday through Friday. On the third Wednesday of each month, they host science and cultural meetings from 6 – 9 PM. Topics include arctic science, Inuit issues, whaling and other arctic related topics. It’s free to the public. On the weekends of February and March the IHC hosts whaling crew preparations such as skin sewing and building umiaqs.
Education is an important part of the Inupiat Heritage Center’s mission. Barrow kids come to the Center in school groups and on their own. Here they can experience Inupiat dances, learn new skills and hear traditional stories.
There is also a Jr. Ranger program that lets the children follow a whale through the leads in the sea ice, learn the Inupiaq names for the parts of an umiaq (skin boat), and create their own whaling crew flag! They can also follow in the footsteps of Herman Melville in New Bedford.
Located on the Arctic Ocean, Barrow is cool to cold all year. Summer can bring fog, wind and rain and temperatures range from highs around 70 to lows into the 30s. Winter temperatures are normally below zero, often dropping to minus 30 and lower. Wind often exacerbates the cold temperatures. Visitors should bring raincoats and sweaters or light jackets in the summer and warm boots, mitts, and heavy parkas with hoods in the winter.
Entrance fee for the Heritage Center is: Age 18 – 55: $5; 15- 17: $2; 7-14: $1; 0-6 and Senior Citizens: free. College Students: $2
The town of Barrow and the surrounding area offers adventure activities as dog mushing tours and wildlife viewing of arctic animals. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve and Simon Paneak Memorial Museum are all in the general area.
Barrow can be reached via commercial and charter flights from Anchorage and Fairbanks. Airlines schedule several daily flights. Rental vehicles are sometimes available in Barrow; inquire at hotels. Taxis are a common mode of transportation in town.
Inupiat Heritage Center, P.O. Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723
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National Park Service/INUP, 240 West 5th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501
Visitor Information 907-852-4594
