Museums - University of Alaska Museum of the North

In 1926, University of Alaska President Charles Bunnell commissioned Otto William Geist to form a collection of archaeological and paleontological specimens. These materials became the foundation of the University of Alaska Museum of the North collection and were first displayed in 1929.
The archaeology collection contains specimens of prehistoric and historic cultures from throughout Alaska, as well as comparative collections from cultures outside the state. It consists of more than 800,000 artifacts, representing sites dating from 11,000+ BP to the twentieth century, and provides an internationally recognized research base for the entire range of human occupation of the Arctic. The ethnology collection contains over 10,000 objects made and used by Alaska Natives (primarily Inupiaq and Yup’ik Eskimos, Northwest Coast and Athabascan Indians, and Aleuts) from the 1890s to the present. There are exceptional examples of basketry, beadwork, ivory carvings, masks, dolls, and gear used in subsistence activities. It also contains traditional objects from Africa, Oceania, Indonesia, the pre-Columbian Americas, and historic Native America.
In 1980, a facility was built specifically for the museum to function as a research and teaching center. A major expansion is currently underway, which will double its size. The material on display represents highlights from the collections, and the reserve collection is available to qualified researchers.